The Bibliotheca Alexandrina Opens

On 16 October 2002, Egypt officially inaugurated the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Conceived as a modern commemoration of the ancient Library of Alexandria that was lost centuries earlier, the institution arose from an initiative launched in 1974 by a committee at Alexandria University. Planners selected a site between the university campus and the seafront, situating the project close to the historical library's presumed location. Backed by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and international supporters through UNESCO, the endeavor sought to restore Alexandria as an internationally recognized focal point for research, learning, and cultural exchange.

The architectural design emerged from a 1988 international competition organized by UNESCO, which attracted 524 proposals. The Norwegian architectural practice Snohetta won the commission with a striking, circular structure that tilts outward toward the water like a giant sundial. A fundraising conference held in Aswan in 1990 secured sixty-five million dollars in early pledges, mainly from Middle Eastern and North African nations. Construction got under way in the mid-1990s, and some 220 million dollars had been spent by the time the complex was inaugurated. The finished complex features a curving outer wall of gray granite carved with thousands of characters drawn from many of the world's writing systems, designed by Norwegian artist Jorunn Sannes.