Overview:
Launched in 2002, the New Library of Alexandria provides the global academic community and anyone interested with access to its archives with unique collections of knowledge on ancient and medieval cultures as well as modern science and provides the means for social and economic studies locally, internationally and globally. The tours are done by the staff and in Greek.
The New Library of Alexandria is located parallel to the School of Arts of the University of Alexandria and faces the Mediterranean Sea with its north side. it is located in the district of Shatby and is almost the same area as that occupied by the ancient library. Archaeological finds have been unearthed in area which are now housed in the Library Museum. The view to the eastern port reveals the old Mamluk fortress in Qaitbay, which was built in 1480, on the ruins of the famous Lighthouse.
The Library was designed to converge towards the sea, while part of it is immersed in a water tank, so as to symbolize the ancient Egyptian sun that shines from the sea. The sloping roof of the building allows the indirect use of sunlight in most parts of the library and at the same time gives a clear view of the sea. Designed like an arrow, an airstrip connects the library with the University, while the whole building is surrounded by Aswan granite stone, on which calligraphic letters and representative inscriptions from all cultures of the world are drawn. In essence, the whole design reflects the legacy of the past and the revival of a cultural radiance that touches even the most remote corners of the world.
The library covers a total area of ​​40,000 while the total area of ​​its floors covers 69,000 m2. The vast main room has 13 superimposed moldings with 3,500 study spaces, 8,000,000 volumes (currently), 50,000 maps, 100,000 manuscripts, 30 databases, 10,000 rare editions, 200,000 music discs and tapes, 50,000 videos and 578 employees. (currently).
The numbers are sure to change dramatically over the next decade, as governments are expected to respond more financially and in kind, strictly to library development issues. Finally, the whole complex includes a conference center with 3,200 seats, a science museum, a planetarium, a computer school, a calligraphy institute and a museum.
Alexandria Library Museum
The idea of ​​hosting an Antiquities Museum within the Library of Alexandria Cultural Complex arose when a group of wonderful artifacts dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras was discovered within the excavation works that took place before the establishment of the Library at this site. The Archeology Museum is one of the few museums in the world that displays artifacts discovered in the same venue.
The museum was officially inaugurated on October 16, 2002. His collections have been carefully selected to reflect Egypt's rich history spanning ancient times (Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic, and Islamic), with an emphasis on Alexandria and the Hellenistic period. The museum contains 1133 exhibited pieces, the most prominent of which is a group of artifacts discovered during the excavation work at the library site from 1993 to 1995, and a group of antiquities that were raised from the Mediterranean floor near the eastern port and in the Abu Qir Bay area.
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