Towering above the busy streets of Alexandria was a lighthouse built by Ptolemy II around 280 B.C. and later hailed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Its beacon—fire reflected in mirrors—shone for 35 miles (56 kilometers).
Five times a day, a muezzin, or crier, climbed this minaret to remind Muslims to pause and pray—at home or in a nearby mosque. (Córdoba had 1,600.) Each Friday men gathered in the great mosque, now a Catholic cathedral, to worship together.
Bars and blank wall greet the inhabitant of this room with no view. New York’s 7.5 million people face a housing market infamous for skyscraper-high prices and paltry options.