Alexandria is considered the "bride of the Mediterranean", and it is the second largest city in Egypt as well as the country's main seaport. Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC on the site of a small fishing village called Rhakotis, Alexandria was the capital of Egypt throughout the Ptolemaic reign and retained this status until the turn of the century. Today, Alexandria is Egypt's premier summer resort, drawing millions of Egyptian holidaymakers annually to its long stretched beaches, which extend over 140 kilometres along the Mediterranean from Abu Qir in the East to Al-Alamein in the west.