The Alexandria Stock Exchange’s (ASE) newly renovated building, in the Mediterranean city’s downtown Mohammed Ali Square, was inaugurated on Sunday after months of work to restore its historical glamor as Egypt’s first bourse and one of the Middle East’s oldest. While the building that stands today (and its surroundings) may look wildly different from those of the past, this historical establishment came into being in the late 19th century — some 20 years before the Cairo Stock Exchange — and was primarily focused on the cotton trade, but slowly grew to incorporate other industries. You can brush up on the history here, courtesy of the EGX.