The Egyptian fishing village that became the site of Alexandria was Rhakotis. It stood on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, west of the Canopic branch of the Nile, near the island of Pharos.
In 332 BC, Alexander the Great chose the location for a new city linking Greece, Egypt, and the eastern Mediterranean. The architect Dinocrates laid out Alexandria as a planned Hellenistic city, incorporating the older Egyptian settlement. Rhakotis eventually became the Egyptian quarter on the western side of Alexandria.
The name is also written Rhacotis or Rakotis, reflecting differences between Egyptian, Greek, Coptic, and modern transliteration. Some scholars argue that Rhakotis was an established village, while others suggest the name may have referred to a construction site. Ancient writers nevertheless connected the place with a small settlement and a defensive post protecting Egypt from seaborne outsiders.
Rhakotis should not be confused with Memphis, Thebes, or Heliopolis. Those were major inland Egyptian cities with much older religious and political histories. Alexandria later became famous for its library, lighthouse, and role as the intellectual capital of the Hellenistic world.