Today I am on my way to Alexandria, escorting some travelers from the US, just boarded the train, although it is a very interesting way to watch the daily life in the western part of the delta of the Nile, the Train condition is the least I can say very bad, Egypt historically is the second Country in the whole world to have a railway and to introduce the Train service, but during the last 20 years and everything about the Train service became to be very bad, not to the standard, it wouldn't be exaggeration when I describe them as filthy compartments, the ride itself was quiet interesting, the train arrived Alexandria in the right exact time, 11.30 AM which I can say was quiet exceptional.
After a quick visit of the Roman Odium, we left to visit the Alexandria Modern Library, a beautiful building and an exceptionally impressive structure, it is built in the shape of the Sun disk, rising from the water of the Mediterranean, the Library have got several different sections and Galleries, one of the most active sections of the library is the Manuscripts department, the head of the department is a writer and a professor of Alexandria University, he wrote several books about Mystics and Mysticism in Middle ages Islamic societies, last year he wrote a very controversial book, it is a Novel he called Azazel, it is a story which took place in Alexandria during the fifth century AD, the main character of the book is a christian Monk of a pagan back ground, his name was Hipa, he called himself with that name after he was horrified watching the last great Pagan Philosopher and Mathematician Hipatia gets to be horrendously killed by a mob of Christian zealots, they were ordered to commit this crime by one of the most influential fathers of the Church, at that time, the fanatic Monk Cyril, in the book hipa writes his diary about what happened in his life before and after becoming to be a Monk, and how he although being a Monk, should be celibate, becomes to be weak several times to his urges and passions, while he was writing his diary he gets to be intruded several times by Azazel (The Devils) who keeps on reminding him with his human weaknesses,and previous life before becoming to be an old Monk, the book historically is very well researched, and beautifully written, it won the Booker price, of the best book written in Arabic,during the year of 2008, the book was praised by many critics and readers, but the Coptic (Egyptian) church was very angry and considered it blasphemous, as it represents Saint Cyril who was one of the Great fathers of the Church as a fanatic and a criminal, I think when that book is going to be translated it is going to be no less famous and controversial than Dan Brown's Davenci's Code, if not more, as it is based on more agreeable historical facts, and beautifully written
By the Entrance of the Library there is a statue commemorating the sad death of the Beautiful pagan philosopher Hipatia, it is placed on one of the sides of the entrance that it would be difficult for a visitor of the library to appreciate it, in a way it was a successful visit of the city of Alexandria, the city which was once the greatest city of the world, and like any other city with such a long age, it had some periods of time with nonequivalent violence, perhaps the most horrifying of these periods, the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th, when violence was the main way of struggle between the rising Christianity and the fading paganism, there is no doubt that Alexandria had a great deal to do with the rise and developing of Christianity that it became to be the religion we know now, but also there was great violence involved in such rise.
so long my friends and until next time
Salah Tawfik
