Alexandria’s cultural landscapes : historical parks between originality and deterioration

Heysham, NH

Abstract

Alexandria is one of the largest cities in Egypt in terms of population and urban density, second only
to Cairo. Since its origination in the 300s BC, it has been one of the biggest metropolises in the ancient
world, culturally, intellectually, politically and economically. Alexandria’s classy urban environment
over the different eras was always reflected in the creation of gardens and public spaces for its residents
since the Ptolemaic era. This paper aims to present a descriptive profile of the historical parks and
gardens in Alexandria, and to track the evolution of these parks, from their initial design to their current
state today. This record introduces a comparative criticism of the historical and physical deterioration
of these valuable landscapes. The paper also reviews the urban growth of the city and encroachment
over these parks through time. The parks and gardens under review are Nozha Complex, which includes
Antoniadis Garden, Nozha Garden, Rose Garden, and Alexandria Zoo Garden; as well Montazah
Gardens and Shalalat Gardens. These parks are examined individually in terms of their history,
significance and evolution.

Citation

Heysham, N. (2017). Alexandria’s cultural landscapes : historical parks between originality and deterioration. In G. Rodriguez, C. Brebbia, & D. Almorza (Eds.), Coastal Cities and Their Sustainable Future II (73-83). WIT Press. https://doi.org/10.2495/CC170081

• Publication Date: Jul 25, 2017
• Deposit Date: Dec 2, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 2, 2020
• Pages: 73-83
• Series Title: WIT Transactions on The Built Environment
• Series Number: 170
• Book Title: Coastal Cities and Their Sustainable Future II
• ISBN: 9781784661793
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2495/CC170081
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.2495/CC170081
• Related Public URLs: https://www.witpress.com/elibrary/wit-transactions-on-the-built-environment
• Additional Information: Access Information : Copyright: WIT Press