Alexandrian Studies Centre last week launched its 9th Alexandria Heritage Week in a celebration at the French Consulate in Alexandria.
This year’s theme was “Gardens and the Alexandrian countryside”, said Janaïna Herrera, France’s Consul-General in Alexandria. It was a festive fantasy of picnicking on the grass in a family setting on the banks of Lake Mariut and countryside shelters.
In a press conference held during the celebration, Ms Herrera said that the Alexandrian Studies Centre, in cooperation with many local partners and foreign consuls, was providing a great benefit to Alexandrians on the city’s green heritage through walking tours, guidance tours and exhibitions that take them to the various Alexandria gardens and the countryside around the city.
Ms Herrera said the aim of Alexandria Heritage Week was to increase interest and awareness to preserve the great heritage of Alexandria, which is a very important treasure on the Mediterranean. The purpose is not only to search for the heritage of Alexandria in the past, she said, but also to increase the awareness of younger generations on the value of this heritage. Alexandria Heritage Week, she pointed out, was held in conjunction with a grand celebration in Paris on 11 November where 20 countries met at Paris International Peace Forum to discuss the future of peace in the world.
Marie-Dominique Nenna, head of Alexandria Studies Centre of the French consulate, said that the Alexandria heritage week gave Alexandrians have the opportunity to discover the richness of their city.
Ms Nenna added that the educational sector was established at the centre in 2002 with the financial and technical support of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and the France Volunteers Foundation within the framework of the cooperation between the Mediterranean countries.
She said the educational sector organised extracurricular activities for students; organising cultural, scientific and heritage events, as well as training courses. Such activities, she said, provide young Alexandrians with the opportunity to take care of their heritage, learn about archaeology, and follow up on scientific and research work that would give them exposure to Mediterranean civilisations.
The Alexandrian Studies Centre held an exhibition on its 15-year exploration, excavation, and discoveries of Alexandria’s countryside on the shores of Lake Maryut.
The exhibits included maps and photographs shown publicly for the first time. They depict what life on the lake shores was like during the Greco-Roman era which began in Egypt in 330BC and lasted till AD640. Daily activities of people who lived along the shore included fishing, agriculture,wine-making, and pottery making.
Watani International
13 November 2018