Tour Guide, Cairo, Egypt
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The Library was part of the Museion, the “Abode of the Muses” institution that preceded the subsequent universities. It was here that scientists first determined the exact circumference of the Earth’s globe, drew maps of the constellations, and performed the first operations on the human body.
The reasons for the destruction of the Library are still shrouded in mystery. When it disappeared, probably in a great fire, the documents and knowledge contained in them were largely lost.
The Library of AlexandriaTwo millennia after its disappearance, the library and the cultural center was rebuilt and reopened to the public in October 2002.
The Library of Alexandria today is a remarkable architectural work capable of expressing the most advanced technology but at the same time evoking the splendour of the ancient Ptolemaic capital. With its 8 million volumes, it is the largest and most up-to-date library in the Arab world.
Details of the exterior wall single its futuristic structure, which besides the library also contains a Planetarium and the Science Museum. The circular outer wall is made of granite from Aswan. It evokes the vastness of ancient knowledge with gigantic letters, pictograms, hieroglyphs, and characters from every known alphabet engraved on its surface. The partially glazed roof, inclined towards the sea, resembles an integrated circuit and is built in such a way as to channel sunlight onto the desks of the reading rooms. On seven levels, the library has a total of 2000 seats.
The library's interior further architectural curiosity of the library is the floor of the foyer, with its mosaic inserts found during the excavation of the foundations of the library, presumably belonging to the original building. Some drawings have an almost contemporary appearance, yet they date back over two thousand years.