This international exhibition, held from 21 February – 3 March 2005, embraced twelve participating Mediterranean cities: Alexandria, Algiers, Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Genoa, Istanbul, Marseille, Naples, Rome, Tunis and Venice, each uniquely contributing to the cosmopolitan myth of the Mediterranean city. It was inaugurated on 21 February 2005 by the Mayor of Athens, H.E. Dora Bakoyianni and included visual displays by the participating cities on their history, recent achievements and virtual urban development. At a time where globalization has accelerated the merging of cultures, the displays showed how each city has contributed to the myth of the Mediterranean city and how it is planning its future. The exhibition was comprised of two sections. The first provided a general retrospective of the Mediterranean city along significant themes such as political influences, trade links, religious, cultural and scientific exchanges. Whereas the second focused on the history, recent achievements and development plans of selected Mediterranean cities.

The speakers at the conference following the inauguration included the Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Dr. Ismail Serageldin, the Governor of Alexandria, H. E. Mr. Abdel Salam El Mahgoub, the Director of the World Bank's department for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti, Mr. Emmanuel Mbi, the Consul General of Italy in Alexandria, H. E. Mr. Gianni Martini, and the Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures, Dr. Traugott Schofthaler.