Today in History: The new Bibliotheca Alexandrina opened

CAIRO – 16 October 2017: October 16 marks the anniversary of the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina's opening.



Bibliotheca Alexandrina [Photo: Wikipedia]


Bibliotheca Alexandrina is one of the oldest libraries in the world. It was built 23 centuries ago, and it contained more than 700,000 volumes and manuscripts till it was burnt for the first time.


Old Bibliotheca Alexandrina [Photo: Wikipedia]


In 2002, the UNESCO cooperated with Egypt to reconstruct Bibliotheca Alexandrina again.



Bibliotheca Alexandrina [Photo: Wikipedia]


It was the first digital library in the Middle East in the 21st century.



Bibliotheca Alexandrina [Photo: Wikipedia]


Currently, it contains more than 8 million books, six specialized libraries, three

museums, seven research centers and six halls for cultural and artistic events.



Bibliotheca Alexandrina [Photo: Wikipedia]