Location
Waterstones, Birmingham
https://www.waterstones.com/events/an-evening-with-islam-issa/birmingham
AN EVENING WITH ISLAM ISSA
Join us in celebrating the launch of Islam Issa’s most recent book, Alexandria: The City that Changed the World, alongside the author himself. With a cast of characters featuring Cleopatra and Napoleon and spanning millennia of innovation, warfare and cultural achievement, Issa’s wide-ranging history of Alexandria paints an unforgettable picture of an iconic city.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A city drawn in sand.
Inspired by the tales of Homer and his own ambitions of empire, Alexander the Great sketched the idea of a city onto the sparsely populated Egyptian coastline.
He did not live to see Alexandria built, but his vision of a sparkling metropolis that celebrated learning and diversity was swiftly realised and still stands today. Situated on the cusp of Africa, Europe and Asia, great civilisations met in Alexandria. Together, Greeks and Egyptians, Romans and Jews created a global knowledge capital of enormous influence: the inventive collaboration of its citizens shaped modern philosophy, science, religion and more. In pitched battles, later empires, from the Arabs and Ottomans to the French and British, laid claim to the city but its independent spirit endures.
In this sweeping biography of the great city, Islam Issa takes us on a journey across millennia, rich in big ideas, brutal tragedies and distinctive characters, from Cleopatra to Napoleon. From its humble origins to dizzy heights and present-day strife, ‘Alexandria’ tells the gripping story of a city that has shaped our modern world.