Draft:El-Horeya Road

El-Horeya Road (طريق الحرية) is a street in Alexandria, Egypt. It follows the course of the ancient Canopic Way (Κανωπικής οδού) and is considered one of the oldest planned streets in Alexandria and Egypt.

History
During the times of the Ptolemaic Kingdom the Canopic Way used to be decorated with marble columns, and was bordered to the north by the Moon Gate and to the south by the Sun Gate. It was intersected at its western end by the Soma Street (Σώμα, modern Nabi Daniil Street), where the site of Alexander's Tomb was located. The famous Mouseion, which included the Library of Alexandria, was close by this intersection.

In the 5th century this area of the city got mostly desolated, and many buildings fell into ruin, and the city centre shifted north towards the seaside. After the Arab Conquest of Egypt the city shrunk even further, and its borders were defined by the new Arab Walls, the remains of which can be seen on the road. The street became known as Bab al-Rashid (باب الرشيد), after one of the gates of these walls.

The street experienced revival during the reign of Muhammad Ali and his successors. Many public buildings like Zizinia Theatre and the Graeco-Roman Museum were constructed, but the street was mainly characterised by the elite residences of Greek, Italian, Jewish and Armenian communities, designed in Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco styles by Italian architects.

It was renamed to Fuad I Road at the beginning of the 20th century, and got its modern name after the 1952 Egyptian Revolution. The revolution led to the mass exodus of foreign residents and the confiscation and repurposing of the elite residences as public facilities. These buildings were subsequently neglected, leading to significant deterioration over the decades.