History’s first library gets a facelift

Officially called the ‘‘Bibliotheca Alexandrina’’, the resurrected library reflects all the ambition of a bold 20-year project costing $200 million with backing from the UNESCO and numerous countries.

The 11-storey edifice — on the spot where scholars believe the ancient library stood before it was destroyed — emerges from the ground as a giant disc tilting 20 degrees north towards the Mediterranean and forming a striking image when directly aligned with the sun.

Its southern-facing, windowless wall of granite carries engraved letters of most of the world’s alphabets, a silent pledge to promote diversity, culture and unfettered learning.

Controversy has dogged the project since the beginning, from claims that valuable antiquities from the original Greek city of Alexandria were destroyed in the construction, to criticism that it amounted to an expensive gimmick which in itself does little to improve education in a developing country of 68 million.

An initial target of eight million books has been shelved for a new focus on creating a state-of-the-art cyber-library, says the library’s high-profile director, Ismail Serageldin.

‘‘How many books you have is not that relevant.

The issue of being at the forefront of building an electronic library becomes more relevant, and that’s one of the reasons why we want to jump forward in the electronic realm,’’ he said.

The library will also focus on certain areas of specialisation, backed up by holding global seminars on issues in various fields of knowledge.

Previous luminaries included Archimedes, Euclid, Eratosthenes, St. Mark and Manetho, who established today’s system of classifying Egypt’s Pharaonic dynasties.

The library saw the first translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek.

An official opening planned earlier this year was delayed because of tension over Israel’s attempts to crush a Palestinian uprising.

Alexandrians think the library could do a lot to revive the fortunes of the city that houses one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Pharos lighthouse. (Reuters)