Also in the mid 1860s excavations were undertaken in Alexandria, the town to the north of Egypt of Hellenistic origin, by another Egyptian savant, Mahmud al-Falaki (1815–85). He was a naval engineer who had become interested in astronomy in Paris, and in combining it with geography and ancient topography. His excavations aimed at drawing a map of the city in ancient times, a work that scholars have used ever since (ibid. 152–3). Despite his expertise, Mahmud al-Falaki seems to have perceived Europe as the centre for ‘pure science’. He believed that scientists living elsewhere should assist European research by compiling data and resolving applied problems (ibid. 153).