Renewal - after about 1600 years
Dr. Noah Brosh
The exciting events that "wash" our media, pushed an event of deep significance to science into a corner last week: the renewal of the great library in Alexandria.
And this is the story: in the 4th century BC, the first librarian in history, Demetrius of Peleron, founded the first scientific library. For hundreds of years it was the great repository of knowledge of the ancient world; A center of attraction for thinkers and scientists. One of its advantages: the large number of books diligently collected in it and its main policy: to confiscate in its favor every manuscript that reached Alexandria (its owners accepted it, after some time, as a copy).
But in 415 AD, the library was destroyed, the result of a chain of fires and because the Christians saw the writings preserved in it as idolatry.
The collection of books began in the days of Ptolemy I, with the translation of the Bible into Greek. Over time, the number of books in the library reached 700 thousand, probably. Soon many scholars gathered around her and Alexandria became the center of cultural knowledge in the Mediterranean basin.
On October 16, 2002, the Library of Alexandria was resurrected: a magnificent structure was inaugurated, funded by UNESCO, the Egyptian government and many donors. The purpose of the project: to restore the original functions of the library and serve as a center of knowledge for Egyptians, the Middle East, the world.
The library will make available to researchers collections that will focus on the Greek and Egyptian cultures, the ancient world and the Middle Ages. Also in new professions, to promote the region. The decision to establish the new library was made in 1990. Construction began in 1995. The buildings were erected on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, near the buildings of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alexandria, in the Shatbi district. The circular structure, partially submerged in the pool. Its roof is tilted to the north and provides indirect lighting to the interior of the library. The architectural design - Norwegian. About 400 million dollars were invested in the project. The result: an 11-story structure for 8-4 million books; A conference hall for 3200 people, a museum, a planetarium, a wing for 100 thousand original manuscripts, 50 thousand maps and about 10 thousand rare books. State-of-the-art facilities will allow computerized access to many databases, some of them in the library itself. The initial impression: the new library promises to be a center of knowledge similar to its predecessor, from about 1600 years ago.
In light of the cold relations that now prevail between Israel and Egypt, it is interesting to know whether and in what form, Israeli researchers will be able to integrate into the future activities that will be created there.
1,600 years later: the library of Alexandria was re-dedicated
At the exact site where it caught fire in 381 AD, the library was inaugurated in a solemn ceremony; Among the participants: Mubarak, kings and senior priests; In Egypt, they hope that the greatest of the libraries of the ancient world, will once again become a symbol of culture
By the Guardian and the Haaretz Service
In a solemn ceremony, a new library was inaugurated last night in Alexandria, on the same site where it was destroyed in the great fire among the libraries of the ancient world, in 381 AD. Now, over 1600 years after the fire, Egypt is seeking to restore the city to its greatness as a cultural center. In its new library, "Bibliotheca Alexandrina" in its official Latin name, 220 million dollars were invested, half by Egypt and half by contributions from other countries.
The opening was attended by the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, and about 3,000 guests from around the world - including presidents, kings and senior clergy. The renovated library will open to the public this coming Sunday. In Egypt it is predicted that it will become a tourist destination for many academics. The opening was meant to take place last year, but was postponed due to the Egyptian government's fear of holding this ceremony at the height of the intifada. Now they hurried to inaugurate the library before the war in Iraq started.
The Library of Ancient Alexandria was founded in 288 BC by Ptolemy I, and was the flagship of the Hellenistic period. It had about 700 thousand parchment scrolls, almost all the writings that existed at that time. According to legend, every ship that docked in Alexandria was ordered to hand over all its books to the library.
The legend also says that Ptolemy III asked the authorities of ancient Greece to transfer to him the writings of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Orpides, so that he could copy them, and even deposited a large sum of money as a guarantee that he would return the original writings. When the writings arrived in Alexandria he informed the Greeks that they could keep the money, because he intended to keep the original writings for himself.
The writings of Euclid and Archimedes were found in this library, and scholars here drew maps of the sky and made various calculations about the shape and location of the earth. Three great fires, the first in 381 AD and the last in 642 AD, consumed this tremendous treasure. The building, engraved with inscriptions in all the languages of the world, is surrounded by a blue water canal.
The goal: to collect 8 million books
The re-establishment of the library was initiated by the Alexandria University team back in 1970. The team managed to enlist the support of the Egyptian president's wife, Susan Mubarak, who immediately joined her husband in the initiative. From there, the project was brought to the door of the UNESCO organization - acting on behalf of the United Nations for international cooperation in the fields of culture, education and science - which began to locate donors, both of money and of items. In 1988, the General Organization for the Library of Alexandria was established, by order of the President of Egypt. UNESCO gave him the responsibility of managing the competition for the design and planning of the library. The Norwegian architectural firm "Snohata" won the tender.
The structure is built in the form of an amphitheater, rising from a height of 15 meters below sea level to 35 meters above it. Dozens of work rooms are intended for researchers who can rent them for variable periods. The reading hall is equipped with computers, lighted tables and particularly comfortable chairs and, above all, a sophisticated air conditioning system. So far, the library has collected 200 thousand books, and the goal is to accumulate about eight million books, manuscripts and ancient writings.
"The library will become a spotlight," said Ismail Saragaldin, the manager of the complex. "She will represent universal Egypt in the best possible way."
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