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How did Ptolemy I Soter gain control of Alexandria after Alexander the Great died?

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Abu El-Abbas mosque in Alexandria, Egypt, featuring ornate domes, arched entrances, intricate stonework, and a large patterned courtyard in the foreground. — Alexandria The mosque of Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Mursī, Alexandria, Egypt.

Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, his vast empire faced immediate instability as his generals struggled to maintain unity. During a council held at Babylon, Ptolemy I Soter—a trusted general of Alexander—proposed that the empire’s provinces, or satrapies, be divided among the generals.1

Ptolemy secured the position of satrap of Egypt, along with adjacent regions in Libya and Arabia. He strategically utilized the geographic isolation of the Nile territory to establish it as a powerful, independent base. Over the following years, he navigated the complex conflicts among the diadochoi (successors) through diplomatic and military maneuvers, eventually assuming the title of king in 305–304 BCE.1

While Alexandria had been founded by Alexander in 331 BCE, it was under Ptolemy’s rule that the royal capital was transferred from Memphis to Alexandria, cementing the city's status as the center of his new kingdom.2