Bibliotheca Alexandrina★★★
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is the modern successor to the ancient Library of Alexandria — and one of the most impressive cultural buildings of the 21st century. Opened in 2002, it was designed by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta: a massive, slanted circular structure (160 m in diameter) made of Aswan granite, with its exterior wall engraved with script from 120 different alphabets.
Inside, the library houses space for 8 million books, a large reading room (the largest in the world on a single level), four museums, a planetarium, a cultural center, and regular exhibitions. The architecture alone — light floods through the slanted roof over cascading terraces — is worth the visit.
Museums in the Bibliotheca
- Antiquities Museum: Archaeological finds from Alexandria and the surrounding area
- Manuscript Museum: Rare Arabic and Islamic manuscripts
- Sadat Museum: Dedicated to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
- Science Museum: Interactive exhibition, great for families
💡 Tipp
The reading room of the Bibliotheca is accessible even without a library card — just say at the entrance that you want to visit the hall as a tourist. The view from above over the cascading reading levels is spectacular.