IN 332 BC, Alexander the great conquered Egypt and started building the city of Alexandria. His followers Ptolemy the first (Soter) and Ptolemy the second (Philadeiphus) established the old Alexandria medical Faculty as a part of the old Alexandria University.
Famous teachers and scientists of the old medical Faculty were Herophilus (called father of anatomy) who was the first person to systematically dissect the human body and Erasistratus (called father of pathology) who first coined the term “pathology”.
Famous graduates of the Alexandria medical Faculty are Soranus of Ephesus and Rufus of Ephesus. The famous physician Galen (called Galinus by the Romans and Arabs) studied and practised in Alexandria before travelling to Rome to establish his medical reputation there. Other famous scientists of the old Alexandria University were Ptolemy the geographer, Archimedes of buoyancy fame and Erastothenes who accurately calculated the perimeter of the planet earth by measuring the shadow of a stick in Alexandria and Aswan.
The Faculty of Medicine of Alexandria University was established following the Royal Decree No. 32 pronounced in August 1942 by His Majesty King Farouk the first. Teaching started in the academic year of 1942/1943. The establishment of the Faculty was the culmination of the efforts of many Alexandrian scholars and physicians headed by Mi Ibrahim Pacha (Professor of Surgery, born in Alexandria) and Dr. Mohamed Mahfouz Bey (a famous Alexandrian ophthalmologist and head of the Alexandria Eye Hospital). The pre-clinical teaching took place on the premises of the Abbaseya Secondary Faculty, while the clinical teaching took place in the Municipal (Amireya) Hospital the largest hospital in Alexandria built by Khedeve Ismail in 1876. A new hospital was subsequently established to house all the clinical departments of the Faculty. Four new buildings were also added with four large amphitheatres to house the academic departments.
About the Hospital
The Alexandria Faculty of Medicine incorporates 4 hospitals, staffed by 109 physicians and 259 residents. The hospitals have a total number of 3497 beds served by a total of 2877 nursing staff members and165 pharmacists. In 2002, there were 186857 admissions, 54936 operations and 835376 out-patient visits.
Main University Hospital houses the departments of general and special surgery (urology, neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery and bums, gastrointestinal surgery, otorhinolaryngology, emergency, ophthalmology and anaesthesiology), general and special medicine (chest diseases, dermatology, cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatrics and physiotherapy), radiodiagnosis, radiotherapy, medical oncology, pathology, clinical pathology and microbiology (residents=190, nurses=1901.
The average of daily out-patient visits=1050, the average of daily emergency room visits= 674). In 2002, a total number of 31548 operations were performed, including 8966 same day surgeries.
Alexandrian culture is much the same as the rest of Egypt. Since there are fewer tourists the people tend to be more conservative in their attitudes and appearance.
Language: Arabic is the national language, but most people speak English and other European languages as well. Around tourist sites in Alexandria most signs are in both Arabic and English. However, you don’t have to go far off the tourist trail to find that in shops, restaurants and taxis that only Arabic is understood. Therefore it is a recommended to know a few basic words of Arabic and many basic phrases can be found in guide books.
Religion: Most Egyptians are Muslim, although there is a large minority of Coptic Christians and a small minority of Jews. There are mosques and prayer rooms throughout Alexandria and you are guaranteed to hear the muezzins’ calls to prayer five times a day if you stay in Alexandria.
Weekends and holiday: Friday is a day of rest for the majority of people. Most businesses and all government offices are closed all day Friday. In Alexandria it is possible to find some businesses closed on Saturday afternoon and some are also closed all day Sunday. Tourist sites are open daily, including Fridays and public holidays.
Weather: Alexandria has a cooler Mediterranean climate, unlike the rest of Egypt. Summer temperatures usually reach around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It should be noted though, that the weather in Alexandria during the months of November to February can sometimes be quite cold. Thunder storms, heavy wind and rain and sometimes a very cold wind are usual at this time of year. Bad weather normally runs in cycles of about 3 days very bad weather and a week or so of good weather. The best time of year to visit Alexandria is probably autumn or fall (late September to early November) and spring (March and April).
Address – Champollion street،، Al Mesallah Sharq, Al Attarin, Alexandria Governorate, Egypt