Where Learning Lives

View from our balcony of east harbor in Alexandria in the early morning when the Korniche (walk along the water) is relatively empty, unlike evenings when it is full of people enjoying the breezes.

Ptolemy I (who succeeded Alexander the Great)  would be proud.  This I decided after a three-day stay in the coastal city of Alexandria last weekend.  No, he probably would not be amused at all the high-rise buildings hugging the Mediterranean Sea. He might not like seeing the crowds of human and auto traffic on the streets and beaches with their noise and refuse. However, he would find the treasures of the mind still alive.

     This amazing library also houses museums, art exhibits, a planetarium, and cultural events. I happened in on a folk group named “Ebn el Balad” practicing for a performance. I recommend that you listen to them on Youtube. 

Not only was love of learning evident in the library, but as we wandered among the streets of Alexandria, we chanced upon a large book market of thousands of titles, and we spotted numerous bookstores elsewhere.  I did not see this apparent valuing of books in any other place we have visited in Egypt. It seems that most people here, as in most of the world, are tied to some technological device rather than books.

I think Mohammed Ali, who ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1848 would also be proud. He is credited with creating “a grand modern city” wherein normal secondary schooling was excellent and people spoke four or five languages because of the mix of nationalities. While Egyptian education, in general, is much maligned today, I felt that somehow Alexandrians have better opportunities to learn, having had strong foundations in the past.

Saint Mark, one of Christ’s disciples who brought the teachings of Christ to Alexandra in A.D. 49 and was martyred for it, would also be happy to see that today the Coptic Orthodox Church is alive and well in the heart of downtown Alexandria. His initial teachings of the words of Christ also gave birth to the monastic communities that are still alive in the deserts of Egypt.

To the right is an icon of Mark that we saw inside Saint Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria.

From the hum and bustle of life in Alexandria, we went to the lovely Coptic retreat center of Anaphora to spend a few quiet days before returning to noisy Port Said. Besides being a retreat, this place is also a center of learning that has a sizable library and teaches such practical skills as weaving and organic agricultural methods. We stayed in one of the rooms pictured at left. The ancient domed structure keeps the space cooler than would any other style.

It was there that we met a team of Polish and English scholars who are working to put together a research library of ancient Coptic texts (6^th century and later) found nearby in a monastery called Deir el Surian. You can read about this amazing project if you look up “Levantine Foundation.” Saint Mark would be so happy that someone cares about preserving these precious works of Christians who were his “disciples.”

As teachers here in Port Said, we often hear stories from students who are angry about the poor state of education in their classrooms and in this country. Thus, it was refreshing to find that there were, and still are people in Egypt who care deeply about learning and are doing something about it. Yes, both Ptolomies I and II would be glad, as are today's Coptic scholars who are trying to keep their language and history alive.