Alexandria

426 427

When the coffin was finished, they summoned the craftsmen. They brought a coffin made of acacia wood, its length ten cubits and its width five cubits, and placed inside it glass chambers. Around it they fitted teak wood, sealed it with tar, and fastened it with iron and copper nails. They then attached rolling devices so that it could be pushed with great care until Alexander’s body was placed inside.

They prepared special resting-places for the camels and then brought the coffin into Alexandria. Two painters were called; they painted images of all animals on the coffin, tying them to the door, and adorned it in every possible way. They drew large figures and surrounded them with inscriptions, and fastened upon it seals of iron, lead, and brass so that none could tamper with it. They arranged it so that if placed upon water, it would float without sinking.

They also placed beneath it a man-shaped figure to prevent leakage between the two compartments, binding them tightly so that water would not pass. Then they placed the coffin upon two great wheels that carried it along, and by these it was rolled forward as though it were moving by its own power. In this way the coffin traversed the mountains of the Caucasus, moving through their rugged passes and over long distances.

When the coffin at last arrived, the elders and the great ones came out to meet it. They brought animals of burden to draw it, and they reached the city of Alexandria, where it was set down in its place. There they established it within the city, between iron and copper supports, strengthening it with pillars and surrounding it with wondrous images of lions, leopards, and eagles. With these they completed the tomb of Alexander, the like of which had never been seen before, and they made it a marvel to be remembered through the ages.

428

Alexander drew the plan of Alexandria, recording in it everything that would happen in its land — events, future occurrences, prosperity, and ruin.

He ordered that its destiny be inscribed for all future ages, and he gathered the wise men of his time to oversee its construction.

The city was built with remarkable symmetry, its streets aligned, and its quarters well-proportioned.

On its gates were inscribed talismans to ward off enemies and prevent diseases and calamities.

He commanded that Alexandria should be raised on foundations that would ensure prosperity, fertility, joy, abundance, and permanence.

Thus, the city became a marvel: its sea never dried up, nor did its rivers vanish.

The winds blowing upon it were favorable, the stars shone above it, the earth around it was fertile, and the air was pure.

Its name, “Alexandria,” was inscribed in talismans and charms so that it might endure through time.

God, exalted be He, decreed that causes and effects would flow easily therein, and that it would be blessed among the cities of the world.

He did not cease invoking divine aid until it was completed, asking God Most High to make it a refuge, a protection, a stronghold, and a source of mercy.

He placed in it what he wished, and God responded with His grace. From then until now, Alexandria has remained one of the most wondrous cities of the inhabited world.

429

Alexandria had 7 walls of marble, and 7 gates of brass, decorated with inscriptions and adorned with pictures of all kinds of animals and figures.

It had watchtowers and pavilions on its walls. Its gates were lined with treasures, gardens, and orchards.

There were also talismans affixed to its walls to repel harm, and images engraved upon its gates to protect it from enemies.

On one side of the city was placed a mirror of polished bronze, in which distant ships could be seen as they approached from the sea.

The people of the city would look into it, and if they saw enemies approaching, they prepared themselves for battle before the ships could reach the shore.

Alexander commanded that its doors be inscribed with images symbolizing fertility, prosperity, happiness, success, and abundance.

The city was blessed with stars shining on it, rivers flowing through it, the sea beside it, the earth fertile beneath it, and the air pure around it.

He fortified its foundations, strengthened its walls, and adorned its gates with talismans of power, until Alexandria became secure, prosperous, and magnificent, surpassing most cities of the world.

430

In the city there were 2 columns of green marble upon which were suspended 2 curtains of silk to protect the people from the intensity of the sun’s rays.

Thus, the city’s construction and the dwelling of its inhabitants were safeguarded from the burning heat.

The city’s foundations were free from the pestilences and calamities that afflicted the Egyptians and Alexandrians, and its inhabitants lived there in good health.

Many magicians and soothsayers of Alexandria engraved magical charms upon its stones, and inscribed incantations there, to repel serpents, wild beasts, and venomous creatures.

They set up talismans in various places, including one that depicted a man on horseback, carrying a bronze spear, and striking it against an idol in the form of a crocodile.

Another talisman was of a man raising his arm as if warding off evil; another depicted figures, forms, writings, and symbols — all placed in steps of the lighthouse and throughout the city — to protect it from the wild creatures of the world and to repel their harm.

They say these talismans were the reason why Alexandria remained secure for centuries.

431

In later times, when the talismans were worn down, year after year, and their power weakened, they no longer had the same effect.

This has been mentioned by a group of astrologers, sages, and others, who claimed that the construction of these talismans was not the work of sorcery, but rather the knowledge of the properties of matter and the secrets of nature.

They said that the Greeks and others, when they placed them, did so with natural wisdom — not with the tricks of sorcery — and that they endured for many centuries until they decayed with the passage of time.

In the writings of the ancient physicians, philosophers, astrologers, and natural scientists, there is much mention of the secrets of the Greeks, the Indians, and the Chaldeans, and the talismans they made.

Some said that it was Jābir ibn Ḥayyān who transmitted this knowledge.

Among them also were Hermes, Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, and others from among the philosophers and scholars who preserved the sciences of the ancients.

Among the wonders of Alexandria is its Lighthouse, the greatest and most renowned of its marvels.

432

Among the Egyptians and Alexandrians, it is said in their accounts that Alexander son of Philip the Macedonian — for whom the city was named and whose building of the city we mentioned — was told by the queen of the jinn who ruled over the island of the walnut trees: “Build it in this place, for it will make your city well-guarded against enemies coming from the sea.”

And among them are those who say that Pharaoh of Egypt in ancient times was the one who built it, and they give various reports.

Some say that the king who built it was among the kings who preceded Alexander, and that he who built it was a ruler named Rūmīṭa.

Among them are those who claim that the one who built it was a woman ruler, because of the wisdom of its design.

As for its wonders, it was counted among the marvels of the world for its fame, greatness, and the advantage that many peoples of the world derived from it for navigation and travel.

They mentioned that this was verified through many trials. Ships coming from the sea to Alexandria did not err in their course, and no enemy dared to invade by sea.

No king feared to rely on the safety of his land because of its protection, for its circle-like design made it firmly resistant to the force of the waves.

433

The king built the lighthouse on a chair of glass in the shape of a crab, which was placed in the sea on the edge of the tongue of land that extended into the great sea.

He made its foundation upon large stones and others, until it became like a great mountain. The sun would rise from one side of it, and its light would reflect on the glass, shining out towards the ships at sea, guiding them from far distances.

If the sun declined from it, then its glow would diminish until it was hidden at night, and then fires would be lit within it, and its reflection would reach far into the sea like daylight. Whoever saw it from the sea or from Egypt would think that a mighty flame or star was blazing, and that sound would reach to Alexandria from afar.

The statue placed atop it produced a sound that was heard every time an enemy approached the city, so the people of Alexandria would be alerted. Many kings tested it, and it did not fail to reveal enemies arriving by sea. No king dared to attack the city because of this. Its circular form made it solid and resistant to the waves of the sea.

434 Marwan and the Steward of Damascus

Marwan served under a virtuous steward, and Walid, driven by jealousy over a concubine, sought to kill him.

Exiled in winter, Marwan embraced Islam and journeyed to Damascus.

He was praised for his qualities—devotion, generosity, and delight in jewels and wealth. Abu Muslim spoke of him to the pious, saying: “This is the prince of believers.”

435 Walid’s Seizure of the Alexandrian Treasures

Walid seized gifts hidden beneath the cemetery of Alexandria—gold coins and jewels untouched for ages. Stories of their origin spread among suitors and scholars.

The wind revealed their presence, and the people followed it like a sign. A thief took arms to the queen and offered them to her.

She sat beside her people, and when they saw the treasures, they sold them to her enemies. Each person acquired valuables according to their fate. No man could measure the journey—seventy days through grief and valor.

Adam’s army bore the weight in their chests, enduring sorrow.

436

The Revelation to the Queen of Alexandria

The queen of Alexandria announced her claim independently, and the people of her city supported her because of her beauty, believing she had bathed in blood.

A prophecy foretold she was deceitful and that she would bear a child. Needing to escape, she fled on horseback across the night.

The fort was breached 32 months later.

The people discovered sparkling jewels in the heart of the larger of the two bowls, weighing against carnelian, peridot, and emerald. Sellers declared these were unique and unseen in their craft.

Some who saw them agreed with this opinion.

437

Jewels and renown encircled her into realms of immortality, making jewels ceaselessly sought after.

Reference to a fortress flanked by continuous, silk-clad Alexandrian enclosures vigorously, the cat owners among them astonished me about the Western charm inspiring with the bow, photos, and fortresses how many rings, cut peridot, green and red; comparisons to coral, and peridot, to varying opinions as alluded to, observers perceived and grasped the golden crystal.

438

…The elephants incline their ears and stretch them out, moving them back and forth like flapping fans.

Their ears are larger than the ears of other animals. I have seen some of them in the land of India; when they lift them, the sight dazzles the eyes and bewilders the mind.

Their color does not resemble any other color; they are like no known shade.

They are immense in size, vast in their breadth, and their bodies are so great that one marvels at them.

When they move, the ground trembles. They uproot trees with their trunks, tearing them out with ease, and they carry huge loads upon their backs.

In India, there are many astonishing wonders.

One of the most curious things is a bird, resembling the peacock, but surpassing it in beauty and variety of colors, with plumage of extraordinary hues.

There are also trees that yield fruits without flowers, and others that produce blossoms without fruits. There are plants of marvelous qualities, and in that land are countless strange things.

Alexander built the lighthouse when he founded Alexandria in order to:

• guide ships from the sea into Alexandria,
• warn against approaching rocks

But others say it was built for astrology and the observation of the stars.

It had a great mirror made of wondrous materials, which could repel enemies, reveal distant lands, and detect approaching ships.

People from Byzantium, the Levant, Tarsus, and elsewhere came to examine it, but they could not fathom its secret nor discern its true nature.

This mirror was unique, without equal in the world.

There was nothing like it in India, nor elsewhere.

The kings and rulers vied for it, desiring its possession, but it remained in Alexandria.

This lighthouse was built at great expense by the kings of Rome.

Some claimed that it was a treasury where their wealth and treasures were stored, and that within it were wondrous relics and strange marvels.

440

…to the lighthouse, they ascend it, and in it there are paths, doors, and chambers leading down to the sea.

There are halls with glass windows. In it are merchants who descend to the sea, diving and bringing up pearls.

Many of them perished in this way, until they abandoned it.

There was also a chair upon which the lighthouse keeper sat, and within it was a mosque.

At that time, it had links to:

• China
• the markets of the Egyptians
• Alexandria
• the Maghreb
• al-Andalus
• Rūm (Byzantium)
• the lands of the East

We have recounted many wondrous reports and astonishing marvels about its building, its foundations, its relics, and the remains of its inhabitants.

If we wrote all abou it, we would have filled our book with the marvels of the world, its wonders, curiosities, and rare things that have no end.

As for what has been passed over in this book—such as fire temples, famous sanctuaries, revered edifices, and other subjects of the same kind—we shall devote to them a special chapter.