Urban Renewal

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Pompey's Pillar exemplifies the continuous urban renewal at Alexandria. The massive 30m-high pink granite column was give it's name by travellers remembering the murder of the Roman general Pompey by Cleopatra's brother. Under the current base of granite facade they have uncovered the original base with heiroglyphic text. The area around the pillar has been made into a modern outdoor exhibit recently opened to the public. Part of the exhibit includes the undergroud library that housed many of the old papyrus scrolls dating back to AD300 and was used by Christians to escape Roman persecution.

The most recent urban renewal is the spectacular four seasons hotel with a Starbucks coffee store servicing a large street front courtyard. Across the frontage street they are constructing several piers to protect the newly imported sand from displacement wave action. Egypt has lots of sand to make great beaches. K

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Photos

Pompey's Pillar
The pillar has endured several centuries of urban renewal