Library of Alexandria facts

The Great Library of Alexandria is a treasure trove of knowledge.

  • What is the address of the Alexandria Public Library?
  • When and by whom was the Great Library of Alexandria established?
  • What is the significance of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in modern times?
  • Who was responsible for the destruction of the Alexandria Library, and why?
  • What is the New Bibliotheca Alexandria, and how did it come to be?

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Egypt is home to the Ancient Civilization of the Pharos, which is considered to be one of the world’s earliest civilizations.

There are several exciting landmarks and places to visit in Alexandria, but few can compare to the historical significance, significance, and captivating backstory of the Great Library of Alexandria, which is now being rebuilt and renamed the “New Alexandria Library.”

Located in the beautiful coastal city of Alexandria, which offers a plethora of things to do and places to visit.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina continues to be a bright light in the sky of Egyptian tourism, as it has been for many years.

These frequently asked questions about the Alexandria Library, which is a must-see site on most Egypt tour packages and Nile cruises in 2022, will be addressed today by our team of experts.

Can you tell me where the Alexandria Library is?

Naturally, the first question that comes to mind is where exactly this mammoth of a library may be found.

The answer is the Captivating City of Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city, which is conveniently positioned on the Mediterranean’s southern coast.

As of October 16, 2002, the Library of Alexandria had been completely rebuilt and reopened under the name “Bibliotheca Alexandrina,” which it had been known as since its inception.

When and by whom was the Great Library of Alexandria established?

The establishment of the modern-day Alexandria Bibliotheca was the outcome of the Great Library of Alexandria’s predecessor, the Alexandria Bibliotheca.

Previously described structures were part of a much larger and more magnificent edifice known as the Mouseion, which was created in dedication to the Muses, who were nine female goddesses associated with the arts.

The idea for the construction of the Mouseion is said to have originated with Demetrius of Phalerum, an exiled Athenian statesman who lived at Phalerum.

However, it was not until the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus that the construction of the Library itself was completed in its entirety.

In part because of the building of the Great Alexandria Library, the city of Alexandria came to be known as the Capital of Knowledge and the Cultural Hub of the Mediterranean region.

A plethora of influential and important Scholars, thinkers, and bright minds of their time, such as Zenodotus of Ephesus, the text standardizer of the Homeric Poems, Eratosthenes of Cyrene, the one who calculated the circumference of the earth, and many others, regarded the city as a meeting place for research and intellectual labor.

Although the popular perception is that the Library was fully destroyed and burned down in a single day, history tells a different account. Since the expulsion of intellectuals from Alexandria as early as 145 BC, it seems that the Library’s declining status has been in progress for a longer period.

After everything looked lost, it appeared as if the Great Library of Alexandria would never see the light of day again.

However, the dream of restoring the Alexandria Library came true in 2002, thanks to the proposal of Lotfy Dowidar and a request submitted by the Egyptian government to the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) authorizing a feasibility study for the project.

It is now reclaiming its position as a contemporary library and cultural center.

What is the significance of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in modern times?

The Library has long served as a meeting place and rallying point for people of many cultures and intellectual backgrounds, and it has been the site of several intellectual discoveries. As a result, the following factors contribute to the importance of the library:

Firstly, the Library acted as a free place for inquiry, study, and intellectual complementation since it was not affiliated with any certain Philosophical school and hence had no particular purpose.

Salaries, lodging, and food are provided at no cost to anybody seeking knowledge in the Great Alexandria Library.

Second, a 120-page catalog titled the Pinakes included the names of the various academics, poets, and writers who had contributed to the project as well as the work credited to each of them.

The existence of the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, is said to have acted as an inspiration for many of the advances made by philosophers during that period, according to the third point.

The creation of the Archimedes Screw, a device used to move water from low-lying bodies into irrigation canals, is an example of such inspiration.

It is said that Archimedes was inspired to make this innovation by the rise and fall of the Nile River.

Today, the Bibliotheca Alexandria has a significant collection of literature, films, web pages, as well as other specialized exhibitions, including the Taha Hussein Library for the Blind, as well as a collection of rare books and unique collections.

In addition to serving as a Center of Excellence, it also serves as a repository for contemporary history and a source of knowledge.

The Alexandria Library has also been known to host several events and occasions that are related to literature, movies, and other forms of media.

Who was responsible for the Alexandria Library’s destruction, and why?

It is beyond a doubt that the destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria was one of the most unfortunate and terrible occurrences in human history.

Several questions are regularly posed concerning why, who, and when the Library was destroyed by fire.

The Library was the subject of a fire event in 48 BC, during Caesar’s Civil War, in which a portion of the library was destroyed, notably a warehouse near the Docks that was utilized by the Library for grain and book storage.

The earliest known instances of genuine Destruction are said to have happened during the reign of the Roman Principate, a period during which both the status of the city of Alexandria and the importance of its Library had been significantly weakened.

In 272 AD, during Queen Zenobia’s attempt to reclaim Alexandria, her troops destroyed the Alexandria Library, which was the first physical destruction in the city’s history.

Other libraries in the area rose as a result of the rise of other libraries in the area to glory, and the Roman Empire became less reliant on Alexandria for grain.

The Second Historic Occurrence that destroyed all residual evidence of the Library’s existence occurred during the siege of Alexandria by the Roman emperor Diocletian in 297 AD.

What is the New Bibliotheca Alexandria, and why is it important?

The current Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which was recently renamed, is like a magnificent phoenix emerging from the ashes.

The New Library, was established on a plot of land selected by the Alexandria University Committee and with the support of many prominent Egyptian political figures, including the former president, as well as the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), was officially opened on October 16, 2002.

A vast collection of books, exhibits, manuscripts, an antique and manuscript museum, as well as special exhibits such as the Taha Hussein Library for the Visually Impaired, are all housed inside the library.

Having said that, the Coastal City of Alexandria is not only a fascinating sanctuary on the Mediterranean coast, but it is also the home of the Bibliotheca Alexandria, a beacon of illumination, knowledge, and the development of humanity since its founding in the first century AD.

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