Event: Egypt - Alexandria

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

When:	Daily
Where:	Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Costs:	E£4-E£10; student discounts available
Opening Hours:	Sat-Thu: 11am-7pm; Fri: 3pm-7pm

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is the revamped version of one of the oldest libraries in the world and a major cultural centre, located in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It is home to more than eight million books, a conference centre, three museums, four art galleries, a planetarium and a manuscript restoration laboratory.

In 1974 a committee set up by the University of Alexandria introduced the idea of recreating the great Alexandria Library on the site where the ancient one once stood. The proposal drew attention from several agencies, and eventually in 1988 UNESCO organised an architectural competition in search for a suitable plan for the new building. Several world famous architects put forward their ideas and in 1995 Norwegian company Snøhetta began the construction work.