Alexandria

"A fascinating and important book, telling the story of Alexandria from antiquity to modernity with great erudition worn lightly."

"Issa combines love for the city with nos­talgia for its vanished past - for a place where for over two thousand years different communities coexisted. He describes them, their achievements and their woes with admirable balance. Issa has brilliantly illuminated the history of a great city."

“A comprehensive history of a city that has served as a ‘representative illustration of some of history’s most consequential empires.’ An Alexandrian by birth, Issa relates his native city’s past principally through attention to its most famous figures and rulers. A well-researched, readable history of one of the world’s oldest and most consequential cities.”

“A lively chronicle of one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities from its beginnings almost two and a half millennia ago to the present. Issa vividly recounts invasions by the Crusaders, Ottomans, French, and British, and shows how in the modern era Alexandria continued in its role as a cultural hub and social and religious melting pot. This impressively researched account reveals a captivating city through the ages.”

"This lively cultural history of the place that is often described as the world’s first modern city is full of fascinating facts and amazing stories. Issa chronicles the splendours and events of its past quite wonderfully, offering us a work that is both scholarly and entertaining."

"In Islam Issa's monumental and vividly imagined new tale of the city, Alexandria comes to life. This book is a fitting tribute to a city that has survived, changed and grown for so many centuries."

“Had things gone differently for Antony and Cleopatra, then today we would be lauding the glories of Alexandria instead of Rome. But Islam Issa refuses to see Alexandria as an also-ran and does a fine job in this book of guiding us through Alexandria's long, colourful, rarely peaceful, past. By evoking the splendours of its palaces, temples, libraries, churches, museums, synagogues, mosques, bazaars, dance halls and cafes, the book provides a multifaceted history of an enthralling city.”

"Islam Issa’s Alexandria is a fabulous book, in every sense of that word. It is a history of the city, of its multitudinous people, of its heroes and villains, of its Library and its Pharos, down through the ages to his own family and his life growing up there. It is a cornucopia of fascinating details, every page revealing a new delight. A work of brilliant and informed scholarship, as well as being a labour of love. It is as if Islam Issa was born to write this book."

"Islam Issa's Alexandria: The City that Changed the World is the book on this amazing city that I've long been waiting for. It's wonderfully easy to read, solidly researched, and totally engaging"

“Islam Issa’s history takes the city from Alexander’s transformation of an Egyptian fishing village around 331 BC through its multiple subsequent lives … Issa, an Alexandrian himself, is an assured narrator with an easy manner, who unearths myths and stories that give vivid life to his more sober account of Alexandria’s travails and triumphs”

"Islam Issa's Alexandria: The City that Changed the World is the book on this amazing city that I've long been waiting for. It's wonderfully easy to read, solidly researched, and totally engaging"

“Islam Issa’s history takes the city from Alexander’s transformation of an Egyptian fishing village around 331 BC through its multiple subsequent lives … Issa, an Alexandrian himself, is an assured narrator with an easy manner, who unearths myths and stories that give vivid life to his more sober account of Alexandria’s travails and triumphs”

"Crackling with good storytelling across more than two millennia, this is a love letter that makes us long for Alexandria."

"A fascinating and much-needed book about this singular city written with vibrancy and skill. Issa’s personal knowledge and passion for Alexandria, past and present, shine through every sentence."

"Crackling with good storytelling across more than two millennia, this is a love letter that makes us long for Alexandria."

"A fascinating and much-needed book about this singular city written with vibrancy and skill. Issa’s personal knowledge and passion for Alexandria, past and present, shine through every sentence."

"Crackling with good storytelling across more than two millennia, this is a love letter that makes us long for Alexandria."

"A fascinating and much-needed book about this singular city written with vibrancy and skill. Issa’s personal knowledge and passion for Alexandria, past and present, shine through every sentence."

"Issa takes the reader on a mesmerising journey. He does a fantastic job of explaining the history, taking the time to share the stories, both mythical and factual, that have made Alexandria the city it is today. His history is a tribute to Alexandria, a reservoir of knowledge on the city, and sets a marker for those wishing to tell the stories of the world’s great cities. "