As you may or may not know, the Library of Alexandria is a major library in Egypt and is a cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Bibliotheca Alexandrina was built in 2002 and is a revival of the Ancient Library of Alexandria. Construction on the new library began in 1995 and after 7 years and 220$ million in spending, the library was officially reopened.
Dedicated to be the center of excellence, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina aims to be the world’s window on Egypt and vice-versa, a leading institution of digital age and a learning center. Make sure to visit this magnificent library whenever you’re visiting Egypt, as it does not only perform as a library, but also a place of dialogue, learning and understanding different cultures and peoples.
The building walls are made of gray Aswan granite and are carved with characters from 120 human scripts. The main reading room is built beneath a 32-meter-high glass roof which is tilted towards the sea. The vast space and cascading levels make the library’s architecture striking and unique. The trip to this library is an adventure in itself since it holds so many different libraries and has rooms with different purposes, holding a lot of Egypt’s ancient history.
Visit the Library of Alexandria
The idea was to revive the old library after selecting a plot of land between the Alexandria University campus and the seafront for the new library. The Ancient Library of Alexandria was established during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and was one of the largest libraries of the ancient world. Because of the ancient library, Alexandria came to be regarded as the capital of knowledge and learning. The very initial idea of a universal library was proposed by Demetrius of Phalerum to Ptolemy I Soter. Part of the ancient library’s collection was accidentally burned by Julius Caesar during the civil war in 48 BC, but it’s uncertain whether it survived the burn or was rebuilt afterwards. On the other hand, the architectural design of Bibliotheca Alexandrina was organized by UNESCO to choose one that is worthy of the site and its heritage.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina hosts many book fairs, launches, ceremonies, competitions, conferences and even concerts, among many different events held in different areas and rooms of the library according to its purpose. Providing universal access to human knowledge, the library aims to preserve heritage for future generations. Many of the book collections available today in the library were donated from all over the world, such as a donation of 500,000 books received from the National Library of France in 2010 making the Bibliotheca Alexandrina the 6th largest Francophone library in the world.
The Library of Alexandria has enough space for 8 million books with a 20,000 square meter reading room. You can also find a conference center, libraries specialized for multimedia, the blind and visually impaired, maps, for children and more spaces with different purposes such as four museums, four art galleries and a manuscript restoration laboratory, among others. The library spreads to 160 meters in diameter and reaches up to 32 meters in height. The carvings done on the Bibliotheca Alexandrina were in collaboration with artists Jorunn Sannes and Kristian Blystad. The roof of the library is lit by vertical, north facing skylights so as not to expose direct sunlight in the room which is harmful to books and manuscripts. The entire library is filled with up-to-date digital information facilities and is also planned to accept a wide range of changing technologies. The aim is to digitally archive the past through the library’s websites, making any historical documents, books or any piece of knowledge easily accessible and available.
Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt and has many amazing and different attractions for you to discover, one of which is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, so make sure you don’t miss out on discovering its beauty. Visit the Library of Alexandria and pick your guided tour from 3 different languages; Arabic, French and English. Grab yourself a book or visit one of the permanent exhibits and spend a little time discovering the area as the entire library is a masterpiece you will not regret visiting.
Sherif Khalil is Owner of Dunes & Beyond. Dunes & Beyond offers luxury tours, Nile cruises and desert safaris in Egypt.If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Sherif Khalil is the Chairman and Founder of Dunes & Beyond, a company he established after spending 11 years in the field of luxury tourism. Dunes & Beyond is a travel company that provides luxury tours, where tourists are sure to experience excitement and thrills, but with a 'five star' attitude. Egypt is one of the main destinations alongside Jordan, Sudan and Morocco. When tourists book with Dunes & Beyond, they gain access to private guided tours, the best Egyptologists, luxury accomodations and more. Dunes & Beyond is the first travel company in Egypt to offer glamping; having the fun of camping in the deserts, but in a more luxurious form. Having spent a lot of time with international VIPs, organizing and arranging high-end journeys, Sherif Khalil is set on a vision to fill the gaps left by other travel companies and is determined to provide the highest quality services to all travelers and tourists.
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11 Comments
When travel is on again, I’m planning to get to Cairo. Egypt has been on my to do list for years. Now I think I ought to see if I can get to Alexandria as well. I’ve heard that you can do it as a day trip from Cairo.
Many thanks for your comments, will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
It’s an amazing piece of architecture. I never understand how the designers have the imagination and vision to create something that original. Location’s not bad either!
Many thanks for your comments, will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a dream destination for bibliophiles like myself. I’m a fan of Egyptian history as well, and would love to see some old text and artifacts from the time of the pharoahs. I’m fascinated by the Library of Alexandria and all the ancient knowledge we must have lost because it burned down. I often wonder what secrets were in those ancient scrolls. Anyway, the revived library may look modern but I am excited to read books about history and culture inside. Does anybody know how much is the library tour?
Many thanks for your comments, will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
Books are fighting back with a vengeance. A few years ago it looked as if Kindle downloads would mean the end of the book as we know it. Great to see books fighting back. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a massive vote of confidence in the future of the physical paper (of papyrus!) book.
Many thanks for your comments, totally agree with you.
Will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
My memories of libraries as a child are of very dark and dingy places which I found quite depressing. From the design of this magnificent building and it’s wonderful waterside location I would imagine that it is very bright and cheerful. A few years ago I visited the.Black Diamond library by the canal in Copenhagen and that modern library really began to change my mind on libraries!
Hope you will change your mind when you visit Alexandria Library.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
Truly a magnificent site to visit in Egypt, the revival of the Ancient Library of Alexandrina is really a masterpiece and a symbol of how Egypt’s history is a vital part of the people. The branding of the library to be the world’s “window on Egypt” is really an apt definition of the great Bibliotheca Alexandrina. As we all know, Egypt has a vast and fascinating history and these stories are known all over the world. This would be another great tourist destination and an addition to Egypt’s long list of must-visit sites — it just keeps growing. As the article said, the library has tons of activities and tours including exhibits and competitions. It would be a bummer if you wouldn’t get the chance to visit it when you are in Egypt.
The building walls are made of gray Aswan granite and are carved with characters from 120 human scripts. The main reading room is built beneath a 32-meter-high glass roof which is tilted towards the sea. The vast space and cascading levels make the library’s architecture striking and unique. The trip to this library is an adventure in itself since it holds so many different libraries and has rooms with different purposes, holding a lot of Egypt’s ancient history.
Visit the Library of Alexandria
The idea was to revive the old library after selecting a plot of land between the Alexandria University campus and the seafront for the new library. The Ancient Library of Alexandria was established during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and was one of the largest libraries of the ancient world. Because of the ancient library, Alexandria came to be regarded as the capital of knowledge and learning. The very initial idea of a universal library was proposed by Demetrius of Phalerum to Ptolemy I Soter. Part of the ancient library’s collection was accidentally burned by Julius Caesar during the civil war in 48 BC, but it’s uncertain whether it survived the burn or was rebuilt afterwards. On the other hand, the architectural design of Bibliotheca Alexandrina was organized by UNESCO to choose one that is worthy of the site and its heritage.
The building walls are made of gray Aswan granite and are carved with characters from 120 human scripts. The main reading room is built beneath a 32-meter-high glass roof which is tilted towards the sea. The vast space and cascading levels make the library’s architecture striking and unique. The trip to this library is an adventure in itself since it holds so many different libraries and has rooms with different purposes, holding a lot of Egypt’s ancient history.
Visit the Library of Alexandria
The idea was to revive the old library after selecting a plot of land between the Alexandria University campus and the seafront for the new library. The Ancient Library of Alexandria was established during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and was one of the largest libraries of the ancient world. Because of the ancient library, Alexandria came to be regarded as the capital of knowledge and learning. The very initial idea of a universal library was proposed by Demetrius of Phalerum to Ptolemy I Soter. Part of the ancient library’s collection was accidentally burned by Julius Caesar during the civil war in 48 BC, but it’s uncertain whether it survived the burn or was rebuilt afterwards. On the other hand, the architectural design of Bibliotheca Alexandrina was organized by UNESCO to choose one that is worthy of the site and its heritage.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina hosts many book fairs, launches, ceremonies, competitions, conferences and even concerts, among many different events held in different areas and rooms of the library according to its purpose. Providing universal access to human knowledge, the library aims to preserve heritage for future generations. Many of the book collections available today in the library were donated from all over the world, such as a donation of 500,000 books received from the National Library of France in 2010 making the Bibliotheca Alexandrina the 6th largest Francophone library in the world.
The Library of Alexandria has enough space for 8 million books with a 20,000 square meter reading room. You can also find a conference center, libraries specialized for multimedia, the blind and visually impaired, maps, for children and more spaces with different purposes such as four museums, four art galleries and a manuscript restoration laboratory, among others. The library spreads to 160 meters in diameter and reaches up to 32 meters in height. The carvings done on the Bibliotheca Alexandrina were in collaboration with artists Jorunn Sannes and Kristian Blystad. The roof of the library is lit by vertical, north facing skylights so as not to expose direct sunlight in the room which is harmful to books and manuscripts. The entire library is filled with up-to-date digital information facilities and is also planned to accept a wide range of changing technologies. The aim is to digitally archive the past through the library’s websites, making any historical documents, books or any piece of knowledge easily accessible and available.
Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt and has many amazing and different attractions for you to discover, one of which is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, so make sure you don’t miss out on discovering its beauty. Visit the Library of Alexandria and pick your guided tour from 3 different languages; Arabic, French and English. Grab yourself a book or visit one of the permanent exhibits and spend a little time discovering the area as the entire library is a masterpiece you will not regret visiting.
Sherif Khalil is Owner of Dunes & Beyond. Dunes & Beyond offers luxury tours, Nile cruises and desert safaris in Egypt.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
When travel is on again, I’m planning to get to Cairo. Egypt has been on my to do list for years. Now I think I ought to see if I can get to Alexandria as well. I’ve heard that you can do it as a day trip from Cairo.
Hi Sharon,
Many thanks for your comments, will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
It’s an amazing piece of architecture. I never understand how the designers have the imagination and vision to create something that original. Location’s not bad either!
Hi Bob,
Many thanks for your comments, will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a dream destination for bibliophiles like myself. I’m a fan of Egyptian history as well, and would love to see some old text and artifacts from the time of the pharoahs. I’m fascinated by the Library of Alexandria and all the ancient knowledge we must have lost because it burned down. I often wonder what secrets were in those ancient scrolls. Anyway, the revived library may look modern but I am excited to read books about history and culture inside. Does anybody know how much is the library tour?
Hi Isabel,
Many thanks for your comments, will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
Books are fighting back with a vengeance. A few years ago it looked as if Kindle downloads would mean the end of the book as we know it. Great to see books fighting back. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a massive vote of confidence in the future of the physical paper (of papyrus!) book.
Hi Elizabeth,
Many thanks for your comments, totally agree with you.
Will be more than happy to accommodate you in Egypt soon.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
My memories of libraries as a child are of very dark and dingy places which I found quite depressing. From the design of this magnificent building and it’s wonderful waterside location I would imagine that it is very bright and cheerful. A few years ago I visited the.Black Diamond library by the canal in Copenhagen and that modern library really began to change my mind on libraries!
Hi Ivor,
Hope you will change your mind when you visit Alexandria Library.
Regards,
Sherif Khalil
Dunes & Beyond
Truly a magnificent site to visit in Egypt, the revival of the Ancient Library of Alexandrina is really a masterpiece and a symbol of how Egypt’s history is a vital part of the people. The branding of the library to be the world’s “window on Egypt” is really an apt definition of the great Bibliotheca Alexandrina. As we all know, Egypt has a vast and fascinating history and these stories are known all over the world. This would be another great tourist destination and an addition to Egypt’s long list of must-visit sites — it just keeps growing. As the article said, the library has tons of activities and tours including exhibits and competitions. It would be a bummer if you wouldn’t get the chance to visit it when you are in Egypt.