Library of Alexandria

Meshini trusted guide for tourism

The New Alexandria Library is one of the most famous global landmarks that every visitor to the city must experience, whether they are Arab or international academic researchers or knowledge enthusiasts of all ages. It has become one of the most important tourist destinations in Alexandria, especially with its various seminars, artistic, and cultural events that attract attention. Notably, the new library, located in the Shatby district within the university complex, is a revival of the ancient Library of Alexandria, established in 2002. It has become the fourth largest Francophone library in the world and the second largest in terms of its collection of books, references, and audiovisual materials, just after the New York Public Library.

The best activities that you can do in the Library of Alexandria:

You can visit the Audio-Visual Materials Library, which includes a variety of media, both audio and visual, covering a wide range of topics such as educational, cultural, religious, and cinematic subjects. It also features recordings of conferences, musical performances, artistic events, and exhibitions held at the Alexandria Library.

• You can also visit the Blind Library, a unique concept that opens up vast opportunities for the visually impaired and blind individuals. It allows them to access all the resources of the Alexandria Library and online sources.

• Your children can visit their own dedicated library, designed for children aged 6-14. This library aims to encourage reading, research skills, and provides all its services and resources for young readers.

• For those interested in microfilm materials, the library offers access to a range of manuscripts and documents, as well as daily Egyptian newspapers from their inception to the present day.

• You can also explore the Rare Books and Special Collections Library. The reading room holds a vast collection of rare books owned by the Alexandria Library, including those printed before 1920, as well as books gifted to the library and manuscripts in various languages such as Arabic, Turkish, and Persian.

• Another interesting spot is the Map Library, which houses about 7,000 maps covering the entire world, with a special focus on Egypt, Arab countries, and Mediterranean coastal nations. One of the most notable items in the Map Library is the map drawn by Al-Idrisi in 1154 for his book “The Book of Roger” (Kitab al-Majma).

You can visit the museums within the new library, as it houses six museums that display artifacts from various periods of Egyptian civilization, ranging from the Pharaonic era to the Islamic period, as well as items from other civilizations such as the Greek.

• You can also visit the Rare Containers Museum, which holds valuable treasures preserved in the Alexandria Library, including original manuscripts, rare books, maps, ancient coins, personal items of famous individuals, and precious gifts presented to the library.

• After completing your tour through the museums and different sections of the library, you can head to the Alexandria Library’s Planetarium, which offers a beautiful view overlooking the city of Alexandria.

Visiting Hours

The library is open for visits from Sunday to Thursday, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
On Saturdays, it is open from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
On Fridays, the library is open from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM.