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Before the view of Alexandria depicted by the Codex Urbinate of 1472, the scarce representations that survived from ancient Alexandria show a walled city with some buildings that are difficult to identify. So the plan of Comminelli is, as far as we know, the very first panoramic image we have of the town and its ports.
There are over 70 maps and plans showing Alexandria and its ports from the mid-14th century to the mid-19th century. Although most of the early maps and plans are distorted, and in spite of their inaccuracies, when supplemented by the narratives of travellers, they are precious documents that deserve close investigation. We will not list all the maps that have been the object of our study, limiting this presentation to those few considered of major importance. We know of two variations of the plan from Ugo Comminelli de Maceriis. Pierre Belon's plan of 1548 is the very first "real portrait of Alexandria", as its title says. The Atlas of Abraham Ortelli of 1570 contains a map of Egypt with a more detailed plan of the wider region of Alexandria. Braun-Hogenburg's map of 1573 is the first grand panorama of Alexandria. It was included in the famous Atlas of Jansson. It seems that this work has been the preferred source, repeatedly copied to illustrate Dutch, English, German, French and Latin books. Heberer von Bretten's plan of 1585 also shows both ports.
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