Bibliotheca Alexandrina

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, or Library of Alexandria, is a major library and cultural center located on the Mediterranean coast in Alexandria, Egypt. Serving as a tribute to the ancient Library of Alexandria—once among the world’s greatest centers of knowledge, lost in antiquity—the modern library holds collections in classical Arabic, English, and French. The vision to revive the historic library began in 1974, when Alexandria University proposed a new site near the original location, between its campus and the seafront. The initiative gained strong backing from former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and was developed in partnership with UNESCO.

In 1988, UNESCO launched an international architectural competition to design the new library, which drew 524 entries. The winning design came from Snøhetta, a Norwegian architecture firm. UNESCO also established an International Commission to support the project. The first funding pledges—totaling $65 million, largely from Middle Eastern and North African countries—were made during a 1990 conference in Aswan, along the Nile. Construction began in 1995, and after an additional $220 million was invested, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was officially inaugurated on October 16, 2002.