The Alexandria and Mediterranean Research Center (Alex Med) documents and researches the tangible and intangible heritage of Alexandria and the Mediterranean while promoting dialogue and exchange in the region. It seeks both to preserve the past and to promote the future development of the city of Alexandria by conducting research on its heritage and holding conferences and exhibitions.
Alex Med organized the work of the committees established by the governor to identify historical buildings. It also created digital maps and databases of the buildings, streets, districts and art works in Geographic Information System (GIS) form. On 31 January 2008, the resulting Alexandria Heritage Catalogue was approved according to Declaration 278 of 2008.
Many of the Center’s projects and activities focus on nurturing urban development. As part of this objective, the Center supports the Governorate of Alexandria in researching and providing detailed reports on key areas of Alexandria’s environment, such as housing, industry, tourism, land division and distribution, environmental issues, and agriculture and parking to name but a few.
Alex Med has an active publishing program that covers a wide range of topics and reaches out to a diverse readership, ranging from researchers and specialists to tourists and the general public. Alex Med’s monographs focus on subjects related to Alexandria and its history, society, and culture. The monographs also include memoirs and autobiographies of personalities linked to the city. Books have also been published on the history of cinema in Alexandria and oral history and gastronomy in Alexandria.
The Center’s quarterly magazine, the Alex Med Newsletter, publishes news of the Center’s activities and articles on a variety of topics concerning Alexandria and the Mediterranean region. Its appealing design and format brings different aspects of the city and its people, both past and present, to readers at home and abroad.