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A Grand scheme
The ancient city of
Alexandria, one of the glories of antiquity, was at the beginning of the third
century B.C the birthplace of the great plan to build a library: the
BIBLIOTHECA ALEXANDRINA. It would be a vast storehouse of learning, in the
lineage of the Lyceum of Aristotle, sublimating Alexander's dreams of empire
into a quest for a universal knowledge. Unhappily, it was destroyed by a fire
which ravaged the port of Alexandria more than 2000 years ago.
The Egyptian Government, in co-operation with UNESCO, has decided to build a
new library in Alexandria to endow this part of the world with an important
focal point for culture, education and science.
The cultural context is no longer what it was under the Ptolemis or the
Caliphs. This project has three aims: to faster a spirit of openness, to
explore the fields of knowledge and to make knowledge accessible. It is an
ambitious challenge to take up, since the project expresses powerful values,
which are different yet complementary: by openness is meant a broader cultural
outlook and the acceptance of other cultural and scientific criteria than those
of local tradition: at the same time, the desire for deeper exploration means
the desire to dig down towards our roots, to rediscover in the past the reasons
for the choices made today and the options for tomorrow; lastly, the challenge
of accessibility calls for total commitment by all partners and the
mobilisation of the most modern techniques.
Alexandria was predestined for this role: in ancient times a meeting place of
civilisations, it is today at the crossroad's between the west and the Middle
East.
An indispensable tool
for development
The purpose of the
scheme is to restore to Alexandria a crucial means of conducting research into
Mediterranean cultures and science and spreading knowledge of these by
establishing an institution whose influence will extend throughout the region
thanks to the quality of its services and the importance of its collections.
The intention is not to construct a building resembling the great library as it
might have been, nor is it to try to reconstitute the ancient collections.
Rather, the aim is to transpose the ancient world to a modern setting by
providing a special centre for knowledge and education which makes use of
different modern techniques known to us today.
For example, the future library will be fully computerised and its catalogue
will gradually become available for consultation in the universities of the
region. Alongside its special collection on Mediterranean civilisations, it
will house large collections on science and technology, environmental problems
and economic development and well-being. UNESCO is tireless in its efforts to
facilitate this transfer.
A resolutely Modern
Style of Architecture
Thanks to the
generosity of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNESCO, in
co-operation with the International Union of Architects (UIA), organised an
international competition which 1.300 architects took part. The project to
construct a building that will also house an international school of
information science is thus taking shape.
Strikingly beautiful in its architecture and yet all together functional, this
building will be shaped like a long cylinder 160 meters wide with the top
truncated at an angle. The angle of the roof will counter the harmful effects
of sea spay and allow the upper stores of the library to enjoy natural light.
International
mobilisation
Throughout the world,
this project has aroused the interest and enthusiasm of all those in favour of
development. Anxious to win support at the highest level for this ambitious
undertaking, Mr. Fredrico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, at the
implantation of the Egyptian Government decided to establish an "International
Commission for the Revival of the Ancient Library of Alexandria", which met at
Aswan with the participation of Heads of State and eminent figures from
political, scientific, cultural and industrial circles.
The efforts made to restore this fountainhead of development and influence in
the Mediterranean world have met with a favourable response widely publicised
by UNESCO.
(Source: UNESCO)
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
This is the homepage for the library
in Alexandria. Here you can find background information, look at pictures of
the library and the latest construction photos http://www.bibalex.gov.eg
CULNAT - www.culnat.org
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