Alexandria Corniche
The Corniche (Arabic: الكورنيش, El Kornesh) is a waterfront promenade corniche in Alexandria, Egypt, running along the Eastern Harbour. It is one of the major corridors for traffic in Alexandria, alongside Abu Qir Street, the Ring Road, and the Mahmoudia Axis. The Corniche is formally designated "26 of July Road" west of Mansheya and "El Geish Road" east of it; however, these names are rarely used.
Italian-Egyptian architect Pietro Avoscani designed it in 1870.[1][2] Construction of the Alexandria Corniche began during the period of Ismail Sedki Pasha's ministry during the reign of King Fuad I in 1925, and it was officially opened in 1935.
The road extends from the Bahri area in the Customs district in the west by the Citadel of Qaitbay (built in place of the Lighthouse of Alexandria). It runs for over ten miles and ends at the Mandara area in the Montaza district in the east.
History
The construction of the Alexandria Corniche began in 1925 and took approximately ten years in six phases.[3] The first phase was built in the area between Silsila and Shatby, a distance of 786 meters. The second phase extended from Shatby to Camp Caesar. The third phase extended from Camp Caesar to Sporting. The fourth phase extended from Sporting to Cleopatra.
The fifth phase extended from Cleopatra to Stanley, passing through the Mustafa Pasha area, where the British occupation army camps were located at the time. This obstructed the Corniche's construction during this phase.[3] The final phase extended from Stanley to the western walls of Montazah Palace, currently located in the Mandara district. The Corniche was completed in 1934.
In 2001, the Corniche Road underwent the largest and most extensive modification in its history. Nine beaches were completely destroyed to widen the road, increasing its width from 8 meters to 20 meters or more. The road began to enter the sea sand. This time saw the construction of the Stanley Bridge, and road widening work was completed between Victoria and Shatby.[4]
Gallery
References
- ^ "Aspetti della marginalità urbana nei paesi in via di sviluppo: il caso di Alessandria d'Egitto", by Giuseppe Dato, 2003, ISBN 88-87669-42-2, p. 62
- ^ "Building Styles brought to Egypt by the Italian Community between 1850 and 1950: The Style of Mario Rossi", Proceedings of the Third International Congress on Construction History, Cottbus, May 2009
- ^ a b "صور.. شاهد تاريخ إنشاء كورنيش الإسكندرية منذ عهد الإسكندر الأكبر.. بدء تكوين البلاجات عام 1900 للبشوات والأجانب.. العشوائية تسيطر على الكورنيش بداية عام 2010.. المحافظ يحذر المستأجرين: يجب الالتزام بالقانون - اليوم السابع". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). 2019-12-31. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ^ "يا إسكندرية بحرك عجايب .. تعرف على تاريخ إنشاء كورنيش الإسكندرية.. وحكاية اختفاء الـ 9 شواطئ | صور - بوابة الأهرام". بوابة الأهرام (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2025-08-08.