Bibliotheca Alexandrina at a Glance
- The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt.
It is a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria, once one of the largest libraries worldwide, which was lost in antiquity.
The idea of reviving the old library dates back to 1974 when a committee set up by Alexandria University selected a plot of land for its new library.
Now, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina the sixth-largest Francophone library in the world. - The library has shelf space for eight million books, with the main reading room covering 20,000 square metres (220,000 sq ft). The complex also houses a conference center; specialized libraries for maps, multimedia, the blind and visually impaired, young people, and for children; four museums; four art galleries for temporary exhibitions; 15 permanent exhibitions; a planetarium; and a manuscript restoration laboratory.
