July 30, 2010

Obama Administration Needs to Truly Pressure Egypt

excerpt:

And now the country’s reformers are coalescing around the possible presidential candidacy of former IAEA head and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei. The government has already begun its campaign of harassment by forbidding ElBaradei from conducting any “political work” on campuses, a way of ensuring that he is not able to reach out to the urban educated youth, a critical constituency. 

But the United States needs to move beyond words. It has to use the $1.6 billion annual allowance it doles out to Egypt to press for real electoral and administrative reform.
Egypt is in the grip of a geriatric dictator who plans to eventually yield in true monarchical fashion only to his son. If the Obama Administration helps in even a small way to level the electoral field, it will have struck a major blow for democracy and human rights. Read the entire article>>

July 29, 2010

L’Algérie n’honorera pas les requêtes de restitution des propriétés juives

La demande de restitution des biens juifs laissés dans les pays arabes a reçu une large couverture dans le monde arabe. Le ministre député des Affaires aux Retraités : "Cela montre que les Arabes sont au courant des injustices faites aux Juifs".

L’initiative du Ministère des Affaires aux Retraités de poursuivre les Etats arabes pour la restitutions et des biens laissés par les Juifs fuyant ces pays pour Israël a raisonné dans le monde arabe. L’Algérie, en particulier, a dit qu’elle n’honorerait pas la requête de restitution.

Des dizaines de journaux arabes et de sites internet ont publié l’article que le Yediot Aharonot avait écrit sur le sujet. suite>>

Mel Gibson veut voir du sang juif

Oliver Stone et le "lobby juif"

Oliver Stone a l'habitude de susciter la polémique. | Photo Reuters

Les écrits restent et Oliver Stone le sait mieux que quiconque. Le réalisateur de «Platoon» et «Né un 4 juillet» a commis un vrai dérapage verbal lors d’une interview accordée au journal anglais «The Sunday Times» sur la thématique du lobby juif qui dominerait les médias, mais aussi influencerait la politique étrangère américaine depuis des années. Sur la seconde guerre mondiale, l’analyse d’Olivier Stone était tout aussi polémiste. «Hitler était un Frankenstein, il y avait aussi un Dr Frankenstein», a-t-il expliqué, avant de s’en prendre aux industriels allemands, américains et britanniques de l’époque. 

Selon lui, l’opinion publique américaine ne connait de la seconde guerre mondiale que l’Holocauste, en raisons de «la domination juive sur les médias». «(Les juifs» sont des travailleurs acharnés (…). C’est le plus puissant lobby à Washington», a-t-il répété. «Hitler a fait beaucoup plus de dégâts aux Russes qu’aux Juifs», a-t-il même osé affirmer. Comme le rappelle le journal israélien «Haaretz», Oliver Stone est hélas coutumier des déclarations chocs sur l’histoire de la seconde guerre mondiale. Il avait ainsi affirmé en début d’année que «Hitler est un bouc émissaire de l’Histoire, utilisé à bon marché par les vainqueurs du conflit», sans bien adhérer aux idées nauséabondes du leader nazi.  suite sur Parismatch>>

A new book focuses on the life and loves of international socialite Lily Safra

A new book focuses on the life and loves of international socialite Lily Safra
HARRARI/SIPA/ LIONEL CIRONNEAU/AP

In December 2002, a Monaco courtroom was temporarily transformed into a synagogue. It was the trial of Ted Maher, charged with (and ultimately convicted of) starting the fire that led to the death of international banker Edmond Safra.

The presiding judge asked the accused whether he had any questions for the rabbi who had just testified on behalf of the prosecution. Maher requested that the rabbi say a prayer for the deceased. The rabbi replaced his wide-brimmed hat with a yarmulke and began to pray in Hebrew on the witness stand. It was at this moment that Edmond Safra’s wife, Lily—who had previously suffered such widely publicized personal tragedies as the suicide of her second husband and the fatal car accident of a beloved son and grandson—broke down in public for the first time in her life.

This is one of several stranger-than-soap-opera episodes recounted in Isabel Vincent’s new book, Gilded Lily, which delves into the life and fortunes of the enigmatic widow Safra. Known among elite circles in New York, South America and Europe for her lavish parties and unfailing philanthropy, Safra is also seen as having shrewdly positioned herself to inherit millions from the two very rich men she married, both of whose deaths have been investigated for a variety of strange circumstances. continued>>

Israeli Sephardim claim religious, political racism

Washington – The 30% minority Sephardic population of Modi’in Illit, an Israeli settlement town in the West Bank, have accused the settlement's political and religious leadership of blatant racism, giving favor instead to Ashkenazim, Ynet News reported Wednesday.

"We feel degraded and outcast,” said one Sephardi girl. The largest obstacle to the minority Jewish community has come from Ashkenazi-dominated religious schools that deny or delay admission for Sephardic students, residents say.
"I already gave up on getting my daughter into a seminary here," said one Sephardic father. "She underwent an intense investigation of her knowledge and her way of life, while her Ashkenazi friend was only asked who her relatives are and that was it."
While the town is comprised of nearly a third Sephardic Jews, only five seminaries for Sephardim exist, yet there are some 30 seminaries dominated by Ashkenazi rabbis. Sephardi residents also complain that the Ashkenazi schools are all better funded, while the Sephardi religious students study in trailers, waiting for permanent buildings for more than 10 years now.
Sephardic Jews trace their heritage back to the Iberian Peninsula, while Ashkenazim descend from central Europe. The term Mizrahi refers to Jews who trace their roots to the MENA region and the Caucasus; they have also accused Ashkenazi Jews of repeated discrimination against them.
"We feel degraded and outcast,” said one Sephardi girl. The largest obstacle to the minority Jewish community has come from Ashkenazi-dominated religious schools that deny or delay admission for Sephardic students, residents say.
"I already gave up on getting my daughter into a seminary here," said one Sephardic father. "She underwent an intense investigation of her knowledge and her way of life, while her Ashkenazi friend was only asked who her relatives are and that was it."
While the town is comprised of nearly a third Sephardic Jews, only five seminaries for Sephardim exist, yet there are some 30 seminaries dominated by Ashkenazi rabbis. Sephardi residents also complain that the Ashkenazi schools are all better funded, while the Sephardi religious students study in trailers, waiting for permanent buildings for more than 10 years now.
Sephardic Jews trace their heritage back to the Iberian Peninsula, while Ashkenazim descend from central Europe. The term Mizrahi refers to Jews who trace their roots to the MENA region and the Caucasus; they have also accused Ashkenazi Jews of repeated discrimination against them. more>>

July 28, 2010

US attorney general meets with Egypt officials

At a press conference held at the US embassy in Cairo on Wednesday, US Attorney-General Eric Holder said he had discussed a number of issues with Egyptian officials, especially the case of Khaled Saeed--the young man from Alexandria allegedly beaten to death by police last month--and the Mercedes bribery scandal.

“I cannot comment on the Saeed case as long as it remains under investigation,” Holder said. “But we in the United States punish those involved in cases of police brutality if they are found guilty.”

“The police in the United States carry on their shoulders the great responsibility of enforcing the law,” he added. “And they must be up to it.” more>>

AGAMI

sent by Jack Levi



Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

Pleasure palaces and beach buggies

By Fayza Hassan
A detailed history of Agami has yet to be written. While the poets, writers and historians who took Alexandria as their muse abound, none have been very prolific about Agami. References to the area are few and far between, and one has to rely more often than not on oral testimonies in which accuracy is clearly mixed with a dose of fantasy. Is Agami somehow less worthy of poetic lyricism or academic seriousness?
Painting by Bernard de Zogheb
A summer house
A summer house immortalised by Bernard de Zogheb when Agami was still the province of mosquitoes and intrepid campers (above), and as it is today (down)


SUMMER 1798: BONAPARTE COMES TO TOWN. On 2 July, Bonaparte and his armies landed by night on the shores of the small fishing village of Dekheila near Mex, approximately 30km northwest of Alexandria. E M Forster recounts that the inhabitants of the town awoke to the vision of the normally empty sea, covered with an immense fleet of 300 vessels anchored opposite the Isle of the Marabout: Geziret Al-Murabit, where a local holy man is buried in a tomb decorated with votive images of ships. One may surmise that the invaders had more important things on their mind than the contemplation of the scenery. There is, therefore, no record indicating that they were struck by the bay's incredible beauty.
For the best part of 100 years thereafter, the area's notoriety lay in its strategic military and naval value. Michael Reimer mentions that a "report in 1877 summarised the outcome of the pashas' efforts, when it commented that the coast from Agami to Abu Qir was heavily garrisoned and equipped with modern artillery." Again, during the bombing of Alexandria in 1882, the British fleet was stationed off the Agami coast in front of the Isle of the Marabout.
Sailing from Alexandria to the port of Dekheila in 1915, Forster mentions Fort Agame (or the Persian Fort, which may have given Agami its name) at the Western tip of the port as a strategic point in the naval attacks on the city. He also alludes to the "superb bathing possibilities", and warns that sailing from Alexandria to the fort is easy, but the return voyage can be tricky at night when the wind abates.
SUMMER 1942: A SECLUDED PLAYGROUND. The war was raging in Europe, but in Alexandria, British officers on leave were "discovering" E M Forster's beach. Like him, they were awed by the unique beauty of the secluded surroundings. Agami soon became a household name among the British forces stationed in Egypt, and was considered the ideal spot to spend a quiet day, picnicking on the beach and swimming in the turquoise waters. Boats loaded with young pleasure seekers left from the port of Anfoushi on weekends, heading for the bay which was still inaccessible by land at the time.
Montgomery's house The house where Montgomery is said to have planned the battle of Al-Alamein...
Abdel-Halim Hafez's house ... and Abdel-Halim Hafez's modest bungalow
In those days, apart from its difficult access, the proximity of Alexandria's slaughter-house and the foul-smelling tanneries situated in Mex hindered Agami's development as a bathing place. "Furthermore," says Nabih Berzi, a veteran Agamiste, "the animals' carcasses thrown in the sea, right off the coast, attracted sharks, making swimming a dangerous enterprise."
Agami, he says, was especially popular in the '40s, not for its beach but for its shooting: hunters came in from Europe for the season with their retinues. A few small white stone lodges, crowned with thatched roofs, were constructed to accommodate the hunting parties. These were mainly interested in shooting turtle-doves and quails.
So was Major Bianchi, a Maltese living in Egypt and an officer in the British Army, whose name was to become intimately linked with the area. It is also said, according to Berzi, that Montgomery drew the plans of the battle of Al-Alamein in one of the lodges.
SUMMER 1945: MODEST BEGINNINGS. At the end of the war, Major Bianchi, who already occupied one of the most spacious and best equipped hunting lodges (according to Berzi, he was also the first and, for a long time, the only Agami dweller to have a swimming pool), was given a few choice feddans on the sea front as a reward for services rendered to the British. He began planning a small summer resort, soon to be known as Agami Bianchi.
A few bumpy roads were roughly traced through dunes covered with fig trees. A wooden barrier, which had to be raised and lowered by hand, marked the beginning of the major's property. A path wound its way to a cluster of chalets facing the beach: a couple of dozen minimal one-storey constructions of white stone, built on one third of each 500 or 650 square metre plot, with material purchased locally for a pittance.
The chalets were quickly snatched up by Bianchi's close friends, who by the beginning of the '50s had formed an exclusive little community, overseen by his son Vivian. A typical house in the new resort featured a large veranda facing the sea, two small bedrooms, a living area with a tiny recess for the Primus stove, a shower and a toilet. There was no electricity or running water. A hand pump, operated by the Bedouins hired as house servants, produced an acrid-smelling greyish trickle of water, unfit for consumption.
A volleyball area was set out nearby to provide a diversion for sports lovers tired of swimming or playing racquetball on the beach. The volleyball game soon became the most popular venue of the day, with Agamistes of all ages drifting towards the small enclosure after their siesta, to play or simply watch. The cosmopolitan Alexandrian socialites who had hastened to rent the Bianchi beach villas as soon as they became available found peace and quiet removed from city life, yet close enough to keep an eye on their businesses.
The place became fashionable. It was now necessary to protect it from the intrusion of Cairene Philistines who, looking for cheaper deals, made arrangements with the Bedouins. A wall went up to separate the Bianchistes from the ordinary Agamistes. Just a nuance, really, but a sure way to establish who was who.
Since the war, and before the advent of the Bianchi era, the local population had already been renting makeshift wooden cabins, usually for the day or sometimes, to the more fearless, overnight. Now, they found in Bianchi's houses a model which they could, and did, emulate -- right outside the boundaries of the Maltese major's "settlement". Little houses rose from the sand in no time, and were rented out for less than one hundred pounds a year, but the vast expanses of dunes still appeared deserted, and peace and privacy remained the undeniable privilege of all Agami dwellers.
Bianchi, however, had not been the first to develop the area. A few years before him, Paul Bless, a Swiss entrepreneur living in Egypt, had created a small "city" on the beach nearer to Alexandria. Bless's stone houses, oddly imbued with a vague similarity to the dwellings of his native country, were large and slightly top-heavy, featuring tiled or thatched roofs.
While the Bianchi chalets were only surrounded by the ubiquitous fig bushes and wild vegetation, Bless boasted tidy alleys lined with filaos trees. These may have been a poor imitation of a pine forest, but they offered the advantage of providing much-needed shade, a balm for eyes dazzled by the blinding, relentless sun.
In small gardens, a few flowers, lovingly tended by housewives with green thumbs, did their best to survive in a soil stubbornly hostile to decorative plants; these patches only added to the area's suburban character.
Both Bianchi and Bless had a private beach, its use exclusively reserved to the chalet dwellers and their guests. Though Bless was considered slightly less fashionable than Bianchi, the inhabitants' way of life did not differ.
It was back to basics all the way and, while the "purists" bent on spending the entire summer in their Agami abodes were tapping the Dekheila market and poorly equipped grocers for milk, a few vegetables and other necessities, the less adventurous organised their weekends from the city, cooking for days in advance and arriving with hampers full of roast chicken, hard-boiled eggs, stuffed vine leaves and petits fours which had to be devoured quickly, before they spoiled in the heat. Jerrycans of potable water and blocks of ice for the coolers were picked up on the way, together with supplies of candles, matches and petrol for the kerosene lamps.
At sunset, the aroma of citronella floated in the air: it was applied copiously to ward off the attacks of mosquitoes as large as butterflies. The evening silence was broken every now and then by the angry exclamation of a card or backgammon player who had just lost a game, followed by the winner's gleeful burst of laughter; but soon, the buzz of insects in search of fresh prey, a few notes from a lonely guitar and the sound of the waves gently splashing on the sand would be the only sounds heralding the beginning of the long peaceful night.
JULY 1956: BELLES DE NUIT. The grand opening of the Agami Palace, built on a plot of land belonging to the Bitash family and grandly described as a "Hotel-Casino under Swiss management", was reported at length in the press. It put Agami at once on stylish Alexandrians' night-time circuit. For a decade, its Saturday night open-air dances were the most popular event of the Egyptian summer season.
Summing up the vacation months in Alexandria, an article published in Images magazine on 20 September 1958 hailed Agami as a choice Mediterranean resort and abundantly praised the "amply justified reputation of its beaches, which attract and retain the true aficionados of life by the sea." A harbinger of things to come, the article stated: "Agami's possibilities are immense... [It] is larger than Miami Beach, more luminous than Copacabana, more temperate than Deauville, more dazzling than Juan-les-Pins."
By this time, however, Agami's title to fame was based not only on its natural beauty, but also on its reputation for attracting a steady colourful fashion parade of the country's most attractive girls. In the seclusion of its beaches, young damsels were actively encouraged to wear the scantiest apparel with no risk of offending or being offended. The real show took place on weekends, however, at the Agami Palace which, though it never managed to acquire any significant stars, witnessed fierce weekly fights for a table -- or a seat -- at its packed open-air night club.
On a typical summer Saturday, by six in the afternoon, endless lines of cars loaded with Cairene youngsters were making their way towards Agami by the desert road, eventually joining other, equally long, lines coming from Alexandria. A painted wooden gate marked the entrance to the Palace; the Bedouin guards eagerly pointed drivers in the right direction. After a rather long and hazardous spin through the dunes, having stopped several times to help fellow motorists stuck in the sand, one was finally treated to the spectacle of small boys and girls in their best galabiyas running excitedly back and forth to lead the cars to random parking spaces which were "theirs" for the night. Disembarking in the sand, one trekked, often barefoot, in the general direction of the music.
Meanwhile, the fortunate maidens who were spending the summer in Agami's chalets had to hurry to take advantage of the last hours of daylight; having tried on and discarded a succession of different outfits, they would sigh with relief as they found the "right" one and sat down to apply their makeup before nightfall. Failing to meet the deadline resulted in raccoon eyes (eyeliner applied by candlelight) and Bobo the Clown cheeks (blusher brushed on by night). Sitting in the dark, hoping that their perfume would keep the mosquitoes away, they would wait patiently for their dates to arrive.
Now they, too, were joining the crowds, gingerly picking their way across the expanses of silky sand on which the lights from dozens of torches danced a mad Tarantella.
The election of Miss Agami which crowned the invariably successful season was always a memorable event, attended by crowds of Cairene and Alexandrian youngsters, the lucky winner assured of at least 12 months of utter glory. Many a budding model, aspiring actress and future beauty queen saw her career launched on the dance floor of the Palace after a critical jury found her the year's fairest bathing beauty.
SUMMER 1964: SUSPENDED IN TIME. Nationalisation had already wrought havoc among the Agamistes when the Agami Housing and Construction Company took over the Bless, Bianchi and Bitash "developments". Few members of the old guard had stayed on to defend the quaint way of life.
Running water and electricity were introduced in preparation for the incredible building boom that was to follow. Without adequate infrastructure or proper planning, apartment complexes, commercial buildings and princely villas were furiously constructed, while the dunes which had previously only yielded delicious figs were levelled to accommodate the foundations of high-rise buildings.
Busloads of holidaymakers roamed the beaches on weekends. Here and there, unpleasant incidents were reported; but, while these were soon forgotten, the new society that was taking Agami by storm felt the pressing need to protect itself behind high walls. Within less than a decade, rents had soared so much that the area was beginning to attract experienced developers.
The previously almost deserted dunes of Agami Bitash, above Bianchi, was earmarked as the area most worthy of the rich and the famous. This is where they began building their "compounds" and large residences. The rather modest stone villas which had been the secluded summer palaces of the preceding generation were becoming a thing of the past, though many new owners, giving in to nostalgia, endeavoured to artfully restore or extend the original constructions.
In the rush to acquire land from the Company or from the Bedouins -- the de facto owners of this precious strip of desert, large parts of which still belong to absentee families -- the developers did not worry enough about infrastructure, roads or boundaries. Tightly packed clusters of often substandard constructions faced each other across narrow, winding paths on which a murderous traffic of luxurious cars and dune buggies driven by reckless youngsters hurtled day and night, making an afternoon walk a risky proposition at best.
Fences were now needed to afford a modicum of privacy to the owners of new villas, whose next-door neighbours would otherwise have been treated to a full display of their most intimate moments, beside being a party to all their conversations. Voices rang out loudly, while state-of-the-art stereos vied to advertise the eclectic musical tastes of their owners. Satellite dishes dotted the horizon. "More and bigger is always better" seemed to be the motto of the new generation of Agamistes that arrived in droves, accompanied by a fleet of four-wheel-drives packed with indispensable paraphernalia and servants. Trucks delivered imported fixtures and fittings.
Air conditioners hummed away day and night. Restaurants started home delivery services. Houses had to be extended several times to compete in size with those of the always more ambitious newcomers. Well-stocked food markets, exclusive boutiques and antique shops opened to cater to the tastes of a demanding clientele, fashionable restaurants and nightclubs rivaled to attract an elite whose only concern was to party constantly and rather extravagantly. A boisterous social life was soon to erase forever memories of quiet walks on the beach at sunset or the unsophisticated Saturday nights at the now derelict Agami Palace.
Dancing the nignt away
Dancing the nights away: Agami's jeunesse dorée in 1958
Donkey-ride "Donkey-rides have their own charm," reported Images in September 1958; "young ladies on vacation enjoy them tremendously"
The prettiest girls meet in Agami "The prettiest girls meet in Agami," the magazine continued, "far from Alexandria's indiscreet stares."
SUMMER 1998: FROM CAMPING GROUNDS TO GATED COMMUNITIES. The Dunes is a small compound designed by architect Hussein Shahin. The buildings, though subtly different from each other, share the same style. Here, elegance is subdued. The only extravagance is the luxuriance of the lovingly cared-for vegetation. There are flowers everywhere. The bougainvillea, ablaze with colour at this time of year, hang from roofs and creep around walls, providing a natural curtain.
In the exquisitely decorated living room of her villa, overlooking a small pool set among the shrubbery, Mona is discussing with the compound's gardeners the details of the new rockery area for the clubhouse. The inhabitants of the compound have their own board of directors, in charge of maintenance. The responsibility for planting the gardens and keeping them blooming has been assigned to Mona, who has been fulfilling these duties painstakingly for the past two years. The results are astounding. No one would suspect that, less than ten years ago, this land was a desert. "The compound was once called the Dunes," she says, "because, in the original plan, Shahin had made provisions for desert vegetation. Now we can hardly keep the name."
Mona and her husband are staunch supporters of the resort's new face. They cite hundreds of houses to prove that today's Agamistes are every bit as concerned with ecology as their predecessors. A tour of Agami with them is a convincing experience, and should be dubbed the greening of the desert. Furthermore, good taste and care for the environment are certainly not in short supply among their acquaintances.
"I don't want people maligning Agami," says Mona, who has been coming to the resort almost every summer since she was a teenager. "Some people say we have corrupted the spirit of the place. I don't agree. We are no longer campers, but consider that the teenage campers of the old days have grown into adults with more financial capabilities. We have more comfort here than we had twenty years ago, but this is the natural consequence of development. Should we give up water and electricity to feel that we are communing with nature? This is ridiculous."
She is prepared to admit, of course, that there are abuses, that speculators have sent the prices of property rocketing; but it is not the rule, she says. "Of course, Agami gives the appearance of extreme affluence, but isn't this happening all over Egypt? One now finds gated communities all over the world, and Agami, like Mansouriya, Qattamiya, and the Northern Coast, to say nothing of the Red Sea and Sinai, are developing along the same lines. Why single out this particular area? There is all this talk about the bad behaviour of some youngsters, but I am sure this particular bunch would not be doing any better if they stayed in Cairo. Only here, with everyone's eyes trained on Agami, it becomes more obvious. None of the kids I know are genuinely evil. This is not to say that there aren't the odd ones who, the moment they are on holidays, feel that they have to let off steam and get into trouble. It is a crying shame, however, that a minority has managed to give a bad name to the place."
Her niece, Dina, on the other hand, feels there is a sort of malaise among the young generation. She recently spent an evening at Heavens, the new nightclub which has replaced the Agami Palace. "I hated it," she says. "It was like being a fish in an aquarium. All these people dancing inside, while the Bedouin children, their faces stuck to the glass, watched us. I tried to see us with their eyes. I had to leave at once."
Many residents compare Agami to Maadi. In what way is it really different? What goes on here is no more, nor less, than what goes on in any residential suburb of Cairo or Alexandria. For some reason, Agami dwellers complain, normal behaviour acquires an aura of scandal just because it happens here.
Hussein Shahin's house
Interior of Dunes architect Hussein Shahin's house. Rustic simplicity is no longer the rule
Others who may be suffering from "Agami malaise" do not know how to turn back the clock. Come June, they are back with their large cars and their many servants to open their luxurious villas, get the beach chairs out in the garden and clean their pools in preparation for a new season of fun in the sun. Soon the beach, thick with rows of colourful umbrellas, will have to contend with flocks of swimmers. "The beach is so crowded nowadays that it makes sense to have private swimming pools," says one of the residents. "One has to step over millions of bodies to get to the sea, which in any case is not particularly safe. There have been so many accidents already."
Raouf Mishriqi, a vocal critic of the fate which has befallen the beloved summer resort of his youth, does yearn for the days of the water pumps. He calls Agami the most expensive slum in Egypt.
Taking the desert road from Cairo to the Northern Coast, a quick visit to the relatively newer extensions of the "original" Agami -- 6 October, Shatt Al-Nakhil and Hannoville, among others -- one is emphatically reminded of his words. There, separated by narrow passages doing their best to act as streets, thousands of unfinished four-storey red brick apartment buildings are teeming with holidaymakers.
Agamistes Agamistes with passion for plants: where once there was desert, exotic shrubs and majestic palms flourish
Hussein Shahin Hussein Shahin
The atmosphere of urban informal settlements has been reproduced: children engage in fierce games of football while women hang the washing on narrow balconies overlooking the alley and men spend the day in make-shift cafés, puffing away at their shishas, lackadaisically observing the street vendors and their vegetable carts vying for space with large four-wheel-drives bumping along, luxury cars parked tightly against the walls and huge tourist buses perilously negotiating unnaturally sharp turns.
The scene does seem set for the creation of new slums. The question, however, is whether the inhabitants will let it happen. Are high walls and exclusive private beaches the only solution? Agami could yet become a summer resort able to accommodate difference while preserving some elements of the old life. A few residents with the right ideas and a better understanding of the surroundings: these are all it takes to reverse the tide, and bridge the gap.
Photos: Randa Shaath
Sources:
E M Forster: Alexandrie, Odyssées, 1990 Michael J.
Reimer: Colonial Bridgehead, Government and Society in Alexandria 1807-1882, The American University in Cairo Press, 1997

Niqab : un fonds d'un million pour payer les amendes

envoyé par Clément Dassa

 Crédits photo : AFP


INTERVIEW Un particulier met en place un fonds de soutien pour les femmes en niqab verbalisées dans la rue. Il compte ainsi payer toutes leurs contraventions de 150 euros.

Le projet de loi destiné à interdire le port du voile intégral doit être adopté mardi par les députés. Le texte devra ensuite être examiné par le Sénat en septembre prochain. Même si un délai de six mois doit être consacré à la médiation et à l'explication du texte, les amendes, d'un montant de 150 euros, pourront commencer à tomber à partir du mois de septembre pour toute personne portant un niqab dans l'espace public, et à fortiori dans la rue.
Dans ce contexte, un ancien candidat malheureuxà la candidature à l'élection présidentielle de 2007 (ndlr : faute de parrainages suffisants, il avait dû abandonner), Rachid Nekkaz, annonce la création d'un fonds pour financer toutes les amendes des femmes verbalisées pour ce motif dans la rue. Sa position se rapproche de l'avis du Conseil d'Etat, qui s'est en effet prononcé défavorablement au mois de mai, à titre consultatif, estimant qu'une interdiction générale serait «exposée à de fortes incertitudes constitutionnelles et conventionnelles».  suite sur lefigaro>>

David Cameron: Israeli blockade has turned Gaza strip into a 'prison camp'

Prime minister intervenes in Middle East dispute and hopes Turkey can stop Iran's nuclear weapons programme

David Cameron used a visit to Turkey to make his strongest intervention yet in the intractable Middle East conflict today when he likened the experience of Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip to that of a "prison camp".
Although he has made similar remarks before, his decision to repeat them on a world stage in Turkey, whose relations with Israel have deteriorated sharply since it mounted a deadly assault on the Gaza flotilla, gave them much greater diplomatic significance.
Cameron's comments, in a speech to business leaders in Ankara, prompted the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to issue another strong condemnation of how Israel dealt with the flotilla.
Erdogan likened the behaviour of Israeli commandos, who shot dead nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists, to Somali pirates.
Cameron's criticism of Tel Aviv came when he called for Israel to relax its restrictions on Gaza. "The situation in Gaza has to change," he said. "Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp." more on guardian>>

Wednesday's papers: Khaled Saeed protesters outside Alexandria court, Egypti...

by Noha El-Hennawy
The trial of the two secret policemen who eyewitnesses say beat 28-year-old Alexandrian Khaled Saeed to death last month makes headlines today on the front pages of most independent newspapers, but receives less attention in state-aligned papers.
مؤيدون لجهاز الشرطة في محاكمة خالد سعيد

A group of police supporters gather in front of Alexandria Criminal court during the first hearing of Khaled Said case, July 27th, 2010. Heavy security were on scene. Thirteen police vechiles for the Security Forces were there to secure the trial.

Independent coverage focuses on the fact that pro-Saeed protesters, who rallied outside Alexandria's criminal court bearing black banners saying “The murderers should be killed,” were surrounded by hundreds of riot police. Al-Shorouq writes of “clashes during the first hearing of Khaled Saeed’s case,” referring to police attempts to drive protesters away after the trial was adjourned until 25 September. Surprisingly, Al-Shorouq makes no mention of a crowd--claimed by some to have been made up of plainclothes police--who stood outside the court raising banners and chanting slogans in support of the police. more>>

La plume du poète

A toi mon ami©
(Ecrit le 18 juin 2010)

Ce simple poème, je l'écris
En souvenir de ce jour sacré
A célébrer, en gage de l'amitié
Qui par sa magie nous unie.

Ô toi mon ami , je salue
Ce jour où tu es né.
Les années ont vite passé
Dans la joie de t'avoir connu.

Je te salue, Ô mon ami
A l'ombre d'un vieux chêne
Où je médite sur la vie.

Ô mon ami, je te salue
Car la vie sans un ami
Ne vaut pas d'être vécue.

Monsieur Miro et Alexandrie©
(Ecrit le 12 juin 2010)

Monsieur Miro pharmacien d'industrie
Est né un soir de novembre à Alexandrie
L'air marin de la ville, souvenir lointain
D'une époque révolue où tous les saints
Etaient respectés n'existe plus. La ville
A vieilli et s'est couverte du voile noir
De l'intolérance qui a dit un jour au revoir
A son passé glorieux où des communautés
Diverses vivaient en paix dans la sérénité.
Cette Alexandrie cosmopolite est morte
Asphixiée par la maudite haine qui porte
Les hommes à faire du mal au lieu du bien.
Monsieur Miro pharmacien d'industrie
Recherche la potion qui rétablirait l'harmonie
Qu'il a connu quand il vivait dans cette cité.
Il voudrait retrouver avec ses amis la beauté
Présente au temps où elle n'était pas islamisée.
J'espère qu'il découvrira la potion magique
Qui éliminera la haine de toutes les républiques
Et les royaumes qui acceptent l'intolérance
Comme mode de vie. Il travaille avec patience
Pour rappler au monde la magie de l'amour
La perfidie de la haine.qui devrait pour toujours
Disparaitre pour que puisse enfin régner la paix.

Un monde froid©
(Ecrit le 3 juillet 2010)

Ils crèvent de froid
Le froid les crève
Un monde sans coeur
Un coeur sans monde
Recherche l'amour
Pour un monde froid
De haine et de peine.

Elie Mangoubi

The Merchant of Venice: An exchange


Daniel Sullivan’s production of The Merchant of Venice in Central Park, starring Al Pacino, is a gorgeous achievement in many ways, and there is now talk of its moving to Broadway for an extended run later this season. 
  
Sullivan has come up with a reading that deals as elegantly as any I’ve seen with the central problem facing any modern production of Shakespeare’s play: how to integrate the treatment of Shylock, the bloodthirsty and miserly Jew, into a show that in many other regards functions as a romantic comedy. I have great admiration for all of this production’s virtues; but I confess, too, that I remain troubled by the play itself. The New York Post’s Elisabeth Vincentelli and I recently discussed this question on WNYC. If you’d like to listen in, an extended version of our conversation is now available (including a second section of postradio argument) here. Give it a listen if you have a chance.

July 27, 2010

Lawrence Of Eurabia?

Spain voted against banning the burqa just five days ago in poignant illustration of the appalled fascination, dilemma and doubt traditionally suffered by Europeans faced with the Muslim. Back in the early 1900s, Lawrence of Arabia would depict Muslim Arabs as stereotypical "Semites...they had a universal clearness or hardness of belief, almost mathematical in its limitation...(they had) no half-tones in their register of vision...a dogmatic people, despising doubt, our modern crown of thorns". That was Lawrence's famously wise and autobiographical Seven Pillars of Wisdom.


Nearly 100 years later, it sounds incredibly inflexible, breathtakingly self-satisfied and damningly judgemental. But by that reckoning, a Lawrence alive today should be heartened that Belgium and France first and second respectively in Europe to ban the burqa embraced the "crown of thorns".

In doing so, they are the only ones of the 27-member European Union decisively to repel a people Lawrence insisted "could not look for God within...they were too sure that they were within God". Spain still dithers about the need to ban the burqa, relegating the debate to its post-summer break parliamentary session. Italy is resolute a ban is the way forward but needs time to prepare legislation. Britain and Germany have publicly stated their unwillingness to outlaw the veil. more>>

July 26, 2010

Liliane Bettencourt entendue par les policiers de la Brigade financière

Policiers en faction devant l'entrée de la propriété de Liliane Bettencourt, le 26 juillet 2010 à Neuilly-sur-Seine (Photo Bertrand Langlois/AFP)

Lundi 26 juillet 2010, 20h18
Liliane Bettencourt a été entendue lundi à son domicile dans l'enquête sur le contenu des enregistrements clandestins, première étape d'une semaine-clé au cours de laquelle le ministre Eric Woerth doit également être auditionné, peut-être mardi.

L'héritière de L'Oréal, de retour de vacances dans sa résidence de Formentor (Espagne), a été entendue comme témoin, entre 11H00 et 13H15, par les policiers de la Brigade financière à son domicile de Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine).

L'audition "s'est passée très courtoisement, s'agissant de souvenirs qui sont parfois très anciens et que ma cliente n'a pas forcément gardés à l'esprit avec détail", a précisé son avocat, Me Georges Kiejman, resté sur place toute la journée pour assister sa cliente, même s'il ne pouvait être présent lors de l'audition.

Capture d'écran d'une interview de Liliane Bettencourt, le 14 juillet 2010 sur France 3 (Photo /France 3 Bretagne/AFP/Archives)
Selon Me Kiejman, les policiers ont procédé à une perquisition du bureau du secrétariat de l'héritière de L'Oréal à l'issue de l'audition.
Au coeur de la tempête politico-judiciaire depuis bientôt six semaines, Mme Bettencourt a été questionnée sur les deux comptes qu'elle détient en Suisse, dotés de plusieurs dizaines de millions d'euros, des avoirs "en cours de régularisation", assure son entourage. suite sur linternaute>>

July 25, 2010

Extreme Pita and Purblendz Look to Put a 'Wrap' on the Middle East

A revitalized take on the 2,000-year-old staple bread - the pita - will soon wrap up the Middle East, as Extreme Pita and Purblendz announce the signing of its first international agreement in Muscat, (Sultanate of Oman).
The Canadian chains are looking to serve up a fresh, fast and healthy alternative to Omani eaters with 21 locations in the next 10 years.
 "The power of the pita has always resonated with the cuisine of the Middle East, and we expect our Canadian twist to make Extreme Pita and Purblendz a household name throughout the region," said Alex Rechichi, CEO and Co-Founder of Extreme Pita and Purblendz. "Our commitment to providing customers a unique product full of fresh, healthy options will help drive the international success of our brand."
 
In an effort to further the brands' expansion plans, Extreme Pita and Purblendz have entered into a Master Franchise Agreement with The Double Crown Group. Widely known in the region for specializing in various operational arenas and representing some of the top brand names around the globe, the group will oversee the development of all 21 units in the Sultanate of Oman, including 11 Extreme Pitas and 10 Purblendz. more >>

Opinion: the "disappearance" of Carmen Weinstein

For those who do not know, Carmen Weinstein is the "doyenne" of the Jewish patrimony in Cairo. Or should I say "was"? She had a website which was fairly up to date, but was not terribly exciting in content. You can view it here.  This is her "new" site, an upgrade from the old Bassatine News which used to be here. The last bit of news about Mrs. Weinstein was her unfortunate arrest over some shady real estate deal which did not make much sense to me, but nevertheless, there it was. See this post : Former Israeli ambassador to Cairo attacks judiciary; defends Carmen Weinstein.

Then there was a small scandal at a restaurant involving  Israeli Ambassador to Cairo, Itzhak Levanon who made a trip to Cairo shortly after the announcement on Weinstein's arrest to ask the authorities to "protect" the Jewish community in Egypt. The scandal came about when there was an attempt to throw him out of a popular restaurant in Maadi late last Saturday. At the time, I really didn't feel the incident to be newsworthy enough to appear on the blog, but now I believe that the ambassador's visit may have something to do with Carmen. (gee where in the world is Carmen?). The restaurant's manager had wanted to avoid Levanon being embarrassed, but was dissuaded by police when they arrived on the scene. 


Let's understand something: Carmen Weinstein was a thorn in the side of the Israeli Jewish Community, as well as some of the Egyptian Jews of the diaspora who resided in the UK, France and the United States. She seemed to have gone out of her way to point out that she had no dealings whatsoever with the Israeli state, and that her allegiance was to Egypt and the protection of the Jewish archives, cemetery and holy sites. 


If anyone needed to visit Cairo, more specifically what fell under Weinstein's jurisdiction (she made it fairly clear that if it had anything to do with judaism, you had better check with her first), it was important to get her permission. In a recent interview with al-masri-al youm, Weinstein declared: (the following is a translation of the arabic text):

"We consider ourselves as Jews, Egyptians from the people of this country and belong to him, we are Egyptians, but our religion Jewish, like the Egyptian Muslim and Christian Egyptian .. No difference, we are Egyptians, and all there is, we hold the Jewish religion, but Egyptian and we do not have any relationship with Israel because Israel is a nationality and the only relationship with the Israeli embassy here in Egypt is a relationship that only religious in the sense that members of the embassy of the Jews come to pray in the temples and to celebrate the holidays."
Surely, this kind of rhetoric, along with her many other denouncements managed to piss someone off. But whom?

Yesterday, I received an email with an article in hebrew from Yediot Aharonot relating that Carmen Weinstein had all but disappeared. There was conjecture that she may have fled to the United States, but no one seemed to know her whereabouts. Today, the same article appeared in the English version of the newspaper, YNet News.

I have a great deal of difficulty coming to terms with the fact that in Egypt, a Jew can "disappear" and not be found by security police. Egypt, whether we like it or not, is a dictatorship, and run as a police state. If Carmen is missing, she was most likely chaperoned out by Egyptian police. What remains to be seen is whether she really headed for the United States, - which is really doubtful-, or if she was escorted out at the same time as the Israeli ambassador, whose mission, I suspect, is over. There have been the usual accusations that Israel may have been behind her disappearance, or that she did not in fact disappear at all, but rather went to visit relatives in the U.S. A somewhat odd behavior for someone convicted and ordered to serve a three year jail sentence.


What is of great concern to me is what will happen to the wealth of documents and other historical artifacts of the Egyptian Jewish Community now that Carmen has vanished? Will the community end up with a Muslim at the head of the synagogue? Will the restoration of religious buildings continue, as it had started about a year or so ago, when Hosni wanted to be elected to the UNICEF post? What will be of those that want to return and visit the area?  Will her disappearance ease the way for the removal of historical documents, etc.. and if so where will they go.


It is worthy to note that most of the documents of the Genizah are stored in Cambridge, Massachusetts and are available on line with permission.  see this link.

No more Egyptian pharaohs

Hosni Mubarak, the ailing president, has an opportunity, in succession planning, to break with the authoritarian past and chart a new course for Egypt, the world's largest Arab country.

Fifty-eight years ago yesterday, Egyptians overthrew an autocratic king. Today, they are ruled by an autocratic general. But President Hosni Mubarak is widely believed to be poor health. He has an opportunity, in succession planning, to break with the authoritarian past and chart a new course for Egypt, the world's largest Arab country.

Mr. Mubarak is only Egypt's third president since the revolution, and he has not named a vice-president, who according to the country's constitution would succeed him.
There is a widespread belief that Mr. Mubarak will appoint his son Gamal, in effect establishing dynastic succession. Other possible successors from within the country's repressive security apparatus have been touted, including the intelligence chief.  continued on globeandmail>>

Khmer Rouge victims pray at prison before verdict

A Cambodian woman wipes her eye as she cries at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Pen. About 150 Khmer Rouge victims gathered at the site of the notorious regime prison for a Buddhist prayer ceremony, on the eve of the first verdict at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court. 

About 150 Khmer Rouge victims gathered at the site of a notorious regime prison for a Buddhist prayer ceremony Sunday, on the eve of the first verdict at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court.
Survivors of the late 1970s regime and relatives of its dead, led by five Buddhist monks, knelt at Tuol Sleng in tribute to the estimated 15,000 people who were tortured and murdered at the prison under its chairman, Duch.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, was due to hear his verdict Monday on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, premeditated murder and torture after nine months of proceedings last year. more on bangkokpost>>

Israel Museum Inaugurates its Renewed Campus and Reinstalled Collection Wings

A worker in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem pauses to rest in one of the many new modern art galleries which exhibit paintings by the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte (1898-1967). The Israel Museum reopens on July 26 following its 100-million dollar facelift that adds many new galleries to the 20-acre campus. EPA/JIM HOLLANDER..

 JERUSALEM.- The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, inaugurates its renewed 20-acre campus, featuring new galleries, orientation facilities, and public spaces, on July 26, 2010. The three-year expansion and renewal project was designed to enhance visitor experience of the Museum’s art, architecture, and surrounding landscape, in complement to the original architecture and design of the campus. Led by James Carpenter Design Associates of New York and Efrat-Kowalsky Architects of Tel Aviv, the $100-million project also includes the comprehensive renovation and reconfiguration of the Museum’s three collection wings – for archaeology, the fine arts, and Jewish art and life – and the re installation of its encyclopedic collections. 
The Israel Museum has seen tremendous growth since the 1965 opening of its original landmark campus, designed by Alfred Mansfeld and Dora Gad as a modernist reference to Mediterranean hilltop villages. The Museum’s architectural footprint has increased ten-fold since its opening, and its collections have grown significantly throughout this time and particularly in the past ten years. The project, which broke ground in June 2007, doubles the Museum’s gallery space and grows its architectural footprint by approximately 15%, all within the Museum’s existing 20-acre campus. In total, it encompasses 7,800 square meters (84,000 square feet) of new construction and 19,000 square meters (204,500 square feet) of renovated and expanded gallery space.  more>>

July 24, 2010

"It's Your Story" - National Museum of American Jewish History

sent by Jack Levi

Although the museum does no open until July 2010 here is your own private preview.  Sit back and relax for this presentation of about 12 minutes.....I am sure you will enjoy it.  Please watch to the very end.



The new National Museum of American Jewish History (www.nmajh.org), opening in November 2010, is dedicated to telling the still-unfolding story of Jews in America, who embraced freedom with its choices and challenges as they shaped and were shaped by our nation. The Museum envisions its new home as a place that welcomes all people, inviting them to discover what they have in common with the Jewish experience in America, as well as to explore the features that make this history distinctive.

Rising five stories above Independence Mall, in the heart of historic Philadelphia, the National Museum of American Jewish History will join Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell and other landmarks at the hallowed site of America's birth. There could not be a more fitting place for a museum that will explore the promise and challenges of liberty through the lends of the American Jewish experience.

Viva voce: Marlyse nous raconte depuis l'Italie




L'Arabie Saoudite ouvrira son ciel aux avions d'Israël pour attaquer l'Iran: L'Arabie saoudite a procédé à des essais visant à retirer ses défenses anti-aériennes pour permettre aux avions israéliens de bombarder les installations nucléaires iraniennes, affirme le Times. Le quotidien britannique révèle que Riyad aurait accepté d'ouvrir un couloir aérien au nord du pays, ce qui permettrait à l'aviation israélienne de raccourcir son trajet jusqu'à l'Iran. Les quatre objectifs principaux pour un raid sur l'Iran seraient les installations d'enrichissement d'uranium à Natanz et Qom, le bâtiment de stockage de gaz à Ispahan et le réacteur à eau lourde d'Arak. suite>>


INTIFADA des Champs-Elysées - RIEN à la TV !
: J'ai couvert la seconde Intifada en 2000, à Gaza. Je n'avais jamais vu ça en France. Depuis les émeutes de 2005, la presse est clairement et délibérément visée. Nous avons été traités de collaborateurs sionistes. La presse française ? C'est dire à quel point les émeutiers sont mal renseignés.

Cette violence physique et verbale, au coeur même de notre république, participe d'un phénomène inquiétant, qu'il importe de montrer, afin qu'il puisse être reconnu et considéré. Au dernier jour de mai dernier, j'ai constaté - tout comme la police - que les casseurs sont très bien organisés, et qu'ils restent toujours impunis.

A entendre les cris de « on baise la France », « Juifs dans les fours », et encore « Sarkozy le petit Juif » et «Obama le nègre des Juifs », n'importe qui de sensé comprendrait que le dialogue est à ce jour clairement impossible. Encore faudrait-il que le public soit autorisé à entendre ces slogans ! en savoir plus>>

France, 1ère Nation musulmane d'Europe
: Un membre du Haut Conseil à l’Intégration,porte de très graves accusations contre des maires de banlieues sensibles. Ce membre du Haut Conseil à l’Intégration cite les maires en question : « Je ne veux pas de descentes de policiers contre les trafics dans ma commune. Après, ça déclenche des représailles et c’est le bazar. Tant que vous les laissez faire leurs trafics, tout va bien et c’est calme ». Autre citation : « S’ils font des descentes, je risque de ne pas être réélu ». Autre citation : « Comme il y avait des problèmes de communication entre les parents et les enfants, alors j’ai fait dispenser des cours d’arabe aux parents et aux enfants ».

François-Michel Gonnot, député UMP de l'Oise réagit contre les groupes de rap: plusieurs mois au Ministre de la Justice jusqu'ici sans succès - que des poursuites judiciaires soient ouvertes contre quelques groupes de rap qui, dans des chansons que fredonnent les banlieues et qui se vendent même à la FNAC, insultent gravement notre pays et menacent nos compatriotes de façon totalement inacceptable.
Les membres de ces groupes sont étrangers ou d'origine étrangère. Ils ont été accueillis dans notre pays et y font aujourd'hui fortune en vendant leurs insanités. On ne peut accepter, et aucun gouvernement au monde n'accepterait, de tels faits. Jugez par vous-même, et attention c'est souvent « hard » :

Le groupe 113
Extrait de leurs chansons :
j' crie tout haut : " J'baise votre nation "
L'uniforme bleu, depuis tout p'tit nous haïssons
On remballe et on leur pète leur fion.
Faut pas qu'y ait une bavure ou dans la ville ça va péter,
Du commissaire au stagiaire: tous détestés !
A la moindre occasion, dès qu'tu l'peux, faut les baiser.
Bats les couilles les porcs qui représentent l'ordre en France. suite>>

Jewish History in 4 minutes
: (ed: I found this to be a very upbeat, refreshing presentation. It is sung to the tune of Billy Joel's "We didn't start the fire".)

The Strange - and Tragic - Case of Nagla Imam

by Raymond Ibrahim

Uncovering the truth is always a convoluted affair when it comes to the Middle East. Consider the case of the Egyptian Nagla Imam. Is she a Muslim woman who advocates the sexual harassment of Jewish women, or a Christian woman, who advocates human rights — especially for fellow women of all faiths?

 
The story begins last June 24, when I was a guest on I Was a Prisoner, which airs weekly on the Arabic satellite station Tarek TV ("Way TV"). Named after its host, Nabil Bissada, who was imprisoned and tortured in Egypt for facilitating the way for Muslims to convert to Christianity, I Was a Prisoner explores the lack of human rights in Muslim countries.
Prior to the show, I was told a well-known Egyptian lawyer was scheduled to call in and discuss how the Egyptian government was harassing her for converting. Nagla called in and expressed her situation as follows:

After being a prominent lawyer for years, she was fired for converting to Christianity; nor would the government, as usual, allow her formally to change her religion from Muslim to Christian on her I.D. card. As a result, she tried to organize a public demonstration against the government, with other Muslim converts to Christianity. The demonstration was quickly dispersed by the police, the demonstrators beaten and threatened; and the Muslim mob got in on the action. The young daughter of one Christian convert who broke her arm was denied medical attention. more on meforum>>

A different side of Egypt: from Alexandria to Marsa Matruh

Boy on headland, Marsa Matruh
The Mediterranean, as seen from a beach near Marsa Matruh in Egypt. Photograph: Belinda Jackson
The sky is bright blue, the sand bright white, the sea perfect, and there's not a soul on the beach. The only other visitors are a couple of young goatherds in fluttering white gowns or djellabas, and football shirts, who pose for me as they lead their blank-eyed charges to freshwater wells. Could this really be the Mediterranean?
Um el donya, the mother of the world, as the Egyptians call their country, has an embarrassment of attractions and sites that the world visits en masse, yet beyond the pyramids and tombs, Cairo and Luxor, glitzy Sharm el-Sheikh and the other diving and cruise hotspots on the Red Sea, there still remain superb areas that tourists are only just beginning to discover.
Some of the more adventurous independent travellers may take 4x4 rides into the desert, or explore the quieter hippy beaches of the Sinai, but now tour operators are also beginning to offer a different side of Egypt, and explore beaches that until now have been the preserve of the Egyptians.
Somehow, tourists have tended to overlook Egypt's other strip of coastline, along the Mediterranean, which stretches 930km from its borders with Gaza in the east and Libya to the west.
Alexandria, 200km north-west of Cairo, is undoubtedly the jewel of the Egyptian Med, and typically the one place tourists venture to on the coast. It's easy to see why, with its quaint colonial hotels and tea rooms such as Cafe de la Paix, the Cecil, the Cleopatra and Portofino revealing its history. There is also the 20km promenade running along the seafront, crowned by the New Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a commemoration of the original Library of Alexandria, the biggest library in antiquity. This joint venture between the Egyptian government and Unesco, which opened its doors in 2002, is a super-modern architectural gem shaped as a round disk that represents the sun. It holds the collection that was founded by Ptolemy I in about 300BC. continued on guardianuk>>