Egypt's New Bibliotheca Alexandrina
New Library At the Site of Egypt's Ancient Library of Alexandria
Feb 15, 2009
With about 8 million people (more in summer when the population swells with Cairenes escaping the heat of the interior), Alexandria is Egypt's second largest city. But while the city is renowned as a Mediterranean getaway by locals, to the world, the city of Alexander the Great (and later, of Cleopatra) speaks of ancient Greece and of the internationally-renowned library that once collected knowledge from all the known world, until it was burned to the ground. Today, the Bibliotheca Alexandria has risen on the historic site of the old library, and aims to take a place among the world's leading research institutions. It is on the "what to see in Alexandria" list of virtually every tourist to the city.
History of the Alexandria Library
Built shortly after the city was founded and dedicated to the knowledge of all nations, the ancient library of Alexandria welcomed scholars, philosophers, and researchers from throughout the world. Local laws required all ships docking in Alexandria to allow any scrolls on board to be copied at the discretion of the librarian. At its height, the main library (the "Mother Library") and its subsidiary (the "Daughter" library) contained some 700,000 scrolls, virtually all of which were lost when the two libraries were burned by Christian mobs in 293 and 391 AD, respectively.
Egypt's New Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Designed by a team of Norwegian and Austrian architects, and built by Egyptian, Emirati, Saudi Arabian, and Iraqi contractors, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is truly an international effort. The outside is decorated with symbols (letters, pictograms, and hieroglyphs) from all the alphabets in the world, carved randomly into the exterior walls to symbolize the variety of knowledge collected within. Inside features include moveable windows and fire-proof curtains that can be pulled out of the supporting pillars to contain and isolate a fire, should one break out.
What to See in the Library of Alexandria: Collections and Computers
With some 1.8 million books, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina hopes to expand to 10 million, which would make it one of the world's most important research institutions.
The library's exhibits honor both the past and the future, with a floor display beginning with old printing presses and ending with a new print-on-demand computer, which will be put into use as soon as licensing issues are resolved. Museum exhibits include two free exhibits: "Impressions of Alexandria" (Pictures of the city at various points in history), and "The World of Shadi Ardel Salam," an Egyptian filmmaker. Fees must be paid to view the Antiquities (displayed in a small collection in the basement), the dimly lit Manuscript and Rare Book Museum, and the Planetarium.
The library might be rooted in the past, but it has its sights set firmly in the future: An Internet project seeks to maintain copies of every Web page ever uploaded (at least, since 1996). The library has also scanned and translated some of its collection and made it available on line.
Firmly founded on its history, the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina is like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. It aims to bring the idea of the ancient library into the twenty-first century.
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