Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

The original Library of Alexandria was one of the wonders of the ancient world.  Constructed around 300 B.C.E. under the rule of Ptolemy Sotar, it must have contained hundreds, possibly thousands, of scrolls in Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, and other languages.  Unfortunately, the Library was burned to the ground during the Roman conquest of Egypt in 48 CE.
  After that, the Library of Alexandria existed only in history and legend for nearly two millennia.  Then, in 1974, a group of scholars at the University of Alexandria approached UNESCO with a proposal to establish a new library and cultural center on the site of the ancient library by Alexandria's Mediterranean shore.  

Bibliotheca Alexandrina from above

  Building the new library took over a quarter of a century. The wait was well worth it.  Designed the Norwegian architectural firm, Snøhetta, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is an awe-inspiring structure.
   The roof, slanted at an angle, appears both ancient and modern. Some people claim resemble a sundial, others say it looks like a  micro-chip. Measuring 160 meters in diameter (525 ft.),  rises 32 meters (104 ft.) at its highest side to accommodate a main reading room 11 stories high. 

Main Reading Room

In addition to housing millions books, visual media, and audio tapes, the library also includes four museums, a conference center with over a thousand seats, 15 academic research centers, and VISTA--the Virtual Immersive Science and Technology Applications system that allows researchers to create "virtual reality" environments.  It even has its own planetarium.

Detail of outer wall

The architectural centerpiece, however, is the outer wall of Aswan granite covered with inscriptions in 120 human languages.
   Three years after its opening, the Bibliotheca received the 2004 Aga Kahn Award for Islamic architecture.  The judges lauded the library as "truly global in its outlook."
 But while the outside world may have loved the library, some Egyptians were not so sure.  Why have such an impressive building in a country where nearly half the population was still illiterate, the asked.  Was the library going to become just another show piece for the dictator Hosni Mubarak and his government?

Protestors join hands to protect the library

     The answer came with the Arab spring of 2011.  That February, millions of Egyptians gathered in public squares and streets to protest Mubarak's rule.  Mubarak dispatched the army to quell the protests.  Violence ensued. Despite the risk to their own lives, many protestors rushed to save Egypt's landmarks from potential destruction.  In Alexandria, they locked arms on the steps of the library and unfurled an Egyptian flag to deter looters.  The Library of Alexandria had proved truly a library for the people at last.

   As of 2012, Egypt is still politically volatile.  The revolution remains a work in progress. Not all the news is good, yet much of it is hopeful.  And the library stands as a beacon of hope amid all the strife and controversy.  A place where all Egyptians can meet, and the world can meet Egypt, too.

Links:
You can visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina  online. E-Architect has further details on the building and its history.  If you want more pictures, Egyptian photographer Fady Zaki has some wonderful images of the library's wall of languages  for you to peruse and even use free of charge.


Images:
Carston Whimster, Wiki Media Commons
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
UNESCO