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Demolishing Alexandria’s heritage

Egypt's post-revolutionary instability has contributed to the demolition of Alexandria's historic districts.
A couple walks near the shoreline in Alexandria November 14, 2010. Alexandria, with four million people, is Egypt's second-largest city, an industrial center and a port that handles four-fifths of national trade. It is also one of the Middle East's cities most at risk from rising sea levels due to global warming.  REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic  (EGYPT - Tags: SOCIETY ENVIRONMENT) - RTXUMHM

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — The penthouse of a multi-story, brick high-rise erected close to the city center yields up sweeping views across Alexandria’s historic bay and old town. The apartment on Sultan Husayn Street — a leafy boulevard studded with graceful early 20th century apartment buildings — is guarded 24 hours a day by watchmen. Being the tallest in the area, its balcony affords uninterrupted views across Alexandria’s historic downtown: from the eastern harbor’s Ottoman-era fort to the glitzy hotels and patisseries where the city’s multicultural bourgeoisie once frolicked.

With an asking price of just $200,000, this dream penthouse address appears too good to be true.

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