If there is one place whose importance for knowledge and education in the ancient world we can't deny, is the Library of Alexandria.
For understanding the value of this place, we must know a bit of its history.

The Royal Library flourished under  the Ptolemaic dynasty, more accurately under the rule of the Macedonian general and successor of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I Soter. With its gardens, lecture halls, meeting rooms and collection of works (mostly papyrus scrolls), it served as a major center of  scholarship where the most important thinkers of the Antiquity studied.

According to some sources, the destruction of the Library may have happened during not just one, but many fires! The fact that its burning is a symbol of the destruction of cultural knowledge is undeniable. Therefore, the idea of reviving the old library by a committee of the University of Alexandria was well received from UNESCO, and conferences were held to discuss the funding. The complex was officially inaugurated on October 16, 2002, after 7 years of construction works. The library is located near the place where the old one once stood and it is trilingual: the books are in Arabic, English and French. In fact, it is the main French library in whole Africa!!!

The walls of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina are of gray Aswan granite carved with characters of 120 different human scripts.

The library's architecture is stunning: the 32-meter-high glass panelled roof is tilted out towards the sea like a sundial.

Main reading room of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

I was shivering of excitement when we got there! Just entering this place of so much knowledge made me reflect on how we give the education we receive for granted, instead of taking advantage of the opportunities we now have to learn new information. We have it all, but most of the times look away and reject it. We have no idea how difficult the struggle is in some places for obtaining a decent education, so we might as well appreciate places like this library, where the knowledge and the wisdom of the world meets.

The library has shelf space for no less than eight million books!

The main reading room covers 70,000 square meters and is divided on eleven cascading levels.

Allah, the arabic word for God.

Lauren, Sophia and Adrian posing next to the sundial in front of the planetarium.

Adrian and I posing with the bust of Alexander the Great, the founder of the city.

Keep reading SpiegelEye travel blog! On my next post, I'll tell you more about the Citadel of Qaitbay, constructed with the remanent stones of the Alexandria Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!

Follow on instagram @spiegeleyetravel
Facebook page: SpiegelEye travel blog

Cheers,
Astrid