The Library of Alexandria was built in 2002 next to the harbour in the ancient city centre. The 11-storey building holds more than 4 million copies of books; in the future, its space can be expanded to 8 million through the use of compact storage.
The structure is circular, sloping in shape, its diameter is 160 metres and its height is about 32 metres high, with the lower tiers submerged 12 metres into the ground. A swimming pool surrounds the building, an open square lies in front of it, and a pedestrian bridge connects the complex to the university nearby. The granite exterior walls are decorated with carved letters, pictograms, hieroglyphs and symbols from 120 different human languages. The staggering size of the main reading room, under a sloping roof, with elaborate specially designed windows that allow sunlight to flood the room but keep out rays harmful to the collection, can accommodate 2,500 readers.
In addition to the library, the institution also fulfils other cultural and educational functions. Complementing the main reading room are four specialised libraries (a children's library for 6 to 11 year olds; a youth library for 11 to 17 year olds; a multimedia room; and a library for the blind). There are four permanent museums, a planetarium, a conference centre, a number of permanent and temporary exhibitions, and a school of computer science.
The museums with collections of ancient texts, antiquarian books and maps, and a copy of the only surviving scroll from the ancient library of Alexandria deserve special attention.
The Museum of Antiquities has a well-organised exhibition of artefacts from the Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. The Sadat Museum is dedicated to the former Egyptian president, with recordings of the leader's speeches, photographs and documents. The History Museum under the planetarium is aimed at school-age children and tells the story of the contributions to world science of three key historical eras - the pharaohs of Egypt, Hellenistic Alexandria and the Islamic era. The library's exhibition rooms are used to house several permanent displays, including works by contemporary Arab artists; colourful collections of textiles, Arab folk art and scientific equipment from the Middle Ages. Drawings and photographs are displayed here, and videos are shown that trace the long history of the city and the country.
Tickets to the library can be purchased at the main entrance; children under the age of six are not allowed in the complex. It takes at least half a day to see all the buildings in the complex, a tour of the main reading room usually takes about an hour.
