About The Great Library of Alexandria
The Great Library of Alexandria is considered the top destination in Alexandria. At its time in history, there was the most extensive Library in the world, and it is currently the most extensive Library in Egypt. It is near the port, south of the Corniche.
The History of the Library of Alexandria
It was built in the 3rd century in 288 BC. C. by Ptolemy I. his son Ptolemy II finished its construction. The Ptolemaic built the Library to support the Greek civilization. It was part of a larger group called the “Museion” dedicated to the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts and inspiration. At first, in the 3rd century, the Library housed 400,000 books of works written in Greek alone, but later it housed works of interest in any language when Ptolemy II asked the kings of the world to send pieces of all categories. Of authors until they reached 500 thousand books. In the 5th century, Cleopatra VII’s time, the Library housed 700 thousand of books. Then the Library suffered a series of destructions between 47 a. C. and 642 d. C.
In 47 a. C., during the conflict between Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII, the first destruction of the Library was by fire by the troops of Julius Caesar, who ordered the burning of the ships in the port. The fire destroyed the warehouses and part of the Library, causing the loss of between 40,000 and 70,000 papyrus scrolls.
During the Roman empire, Alexandria began its decline; they showed less interest in the Library. In 273 AD, During the conflict between Emperor Aurelian and Zenobia of Palmyra in the 3rd century, Emperor Aurelian destroyed much of the city of Alexandria, including his Library.
In 326 AD C. the fourth century AD C. during the political and religious conflict between paganism and Christianity, when Emperor Theodosius I ordered to destroy of all pagan temples, among them was the Temple of Serapeum of Alexandria that had “the daughter Library” of the Library of Alexandria.
Several destructive earthquakes and tidal waves occurred between 115 and 630 AD; in AD 642 C., as a consequence of the Arab conquest, all the books in the old Library were burned.
The Library of Alexandria Today
In 1974 the idea to rebuild the old Library came from the professors of the University of Alexandria, and all accepted the idea. On July 26, 1988, the symbolic laying of the foundation stone by the Director General of UNESCO took place. The same year, the Egyptian government launched an architectural competition to build a new library in Alexandria.
Six countries represented 1,400 applications, and Norwegian architecture won. The Library’s funding was decided at a conference in Aswan in 1990. The total cost was 220 million dollars; $65 million from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, $27 million from 26 countries, and $120 million from Egypt.
In 1992, the construction of the Library began and was completed in 2001. On October 16, 2002, in the presence of many leaders of foreign states, the Library’s grand opening with the capacity to hold 8 million books took place.
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