4 - 10 October 2001
Issue No.554
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 4 - 10 October 2001 Issue No.554 |
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A glorious heritage reborn
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina has finally opened its doors, dazzling its visitors and promising to be entirely worthy of its august name. Dahlia Hammouda reports
Against a background of gentle waves and soft, reflective tunes, a delicate voice recounted its life story to a mesmerised audience. It was the city of Alexandria, speaking of its past and its rebirth, proudly heralding the beginning of a new chapter in its long history with the opening of the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina. After having recently undergone an extensive facelift, the city is now adorned by the enthralling feat of architecture that is the Library of Alexandria.
The Alexandria Library's main reading hall (above), Alexandria Governor Abdel-Salam El-Mahgoub presenting Mrs Mubarak with two coin earrings from the time of Alexander the Great, which she redonated to the Library
More than 1,000 people gathered in the library's massive conference centre on Monday to attend the inauguration by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak of the new complex, which will be open to the public for a one-month trial period and will host a number of cultural functions throughout October.
Mrs Mubarak, the chairperson of the library's board of trustees, toured the vast and breathtaking cultural complex, accompanied by a host of public figures, including government ministers, foreign ambassadors and consuls, prominent academics and intellectuals.
"The Brush and the Pen" event, held on the occasion of the soft opening of the library, honoured Egyptian writer and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz and artist and painter, Salah Taher, among a number of other renowned Egyptian artists.
"We found it fitting that the dawn of the library should be marked by this event, as a signal that the Library of Alexandria not only focuses on ancient knowledge and future science, but also concentrates on the present, which abounds with inspiration and creativity," Mrs Mubarak said in her speech at the ceremony.
She said it was appropriate that the tribute to Mahfouz and Taher coincided with their both turning 90, thanking the two men for enriching contemporary cultural life.
Mrs Mubarak took a moment to remember the long journey that brought the library to its completion. "I recall the first spark for the launch of the Alexandria Library, the day when kings, heads of state and other dignitaries met in Aswan at the invitation of President Mubarak, and the "Aswan Declaration" was signed calling on governments, institutions and individuals to support the project. The response was overwhelming, which underlines the library's unique character as a project for the international community," she said.
Mrs Mubarak emphasised the need for such institutions in these difficult times -- institutions that can bring people together in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding and encourage cultures to meet and connect, rather than remaining distant or meeting in conflict. "The library will be Egypt's window on the world and the world's window on Egypt. It will be a meeting point for dialogue between ideas and cultures -- an openness that we desperately need at this time, especially after the tragic events the world has recently witnessed," she said.
A number of prominent personalities whose efforts and donations moved the Alexandria Library project forward were honoured. From ministers to architects, engineers and contractors; from the management of the project to the associations of friends of the library all over the world; from the eminent people who served on international commissions to governments and individuals -- all were lauded for their contributions to the endeavour. "We owe them great thanks for helping to build this world-class facility and we honour them today to remind future generations of what these loyal people have contributed to the Library of Alexandria," she said.
The library is situated on a magnificent site in the eastern harbour, facing the sea to the north and the Alexandria University Complex from its southern side. Located on almost the same spot where the old library stood in Brucheion, the ancient Royal Quarter, the library has 11 floors with a total area of 85,405 metres square.
The complex includes the main library, a young peoples' library, a library for the blind, a planetarium, a science museum, a calligraphy museum and an archaeological museum. It also houses the International School of Information Studies, a laboratory for conservation and restoration, the Alexandria Conference Centre and exhibition areas. The library is now home to 200,000 books, a figure that is ultimately expected to reach eight million.
The library's design concept is unique -- a circle tilted towards the sea, partly submerged in a pool of water, with an inclined roof that allows indirect sunlight to illuminate the facility and permits a clear view of the sea. A granite wall engraved with the letters of all the world's alphabets surrounds the building.
Saluting Mrs Mubarak as the driving force behind the project, Ismail Serageddin, the library's director, said she has tirelessly championed the cause of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and has charted the course for its continuing development. He highlighted her vision for the library -- that it should be "a beacon for science and knowledge, a centre for dialogue between peoples and nations, a centre of excellence in research and documentation and a source of pride for Egypt and the entire world."
To implement this vision, a unique legislative framework has been created based on Law No 1 for 2001, which made the library an autonomous entity under the direct jurisdiction of the president. A presidential decree created two bodies responsible for the library -- a council of patrons, chaired by the president himself and a board of trustees, chaired by Mrs Mubarak -- and the position of director to which Serageddin was appointed.
The council of patrons is still being formed, but is to include several heads of state and other eminent personalities. The board of trustees is composed of a group of renowned persons from throughout the world. It also includes five ex- officio members -- the ministers of higher education, culture, and foreign affairs, the governor of Alexandria and the president of the University of Alexandria.
Plans for the library assure that it will have an exciting future. The library's acquisition strategy will be directed towards establishing it as a an international centre of excellence in a number of specific fields. The library will be partnered with many distinguished institutions of learning throughout the world, either in an ongoing manner or to support specific endeavours, such as seminars, conferences and exhibitions. Equally important will be the links forged with civil society in Egypt and internationally -- a goal for which friendship associations will play a key role. The library will also connect electronically with programmes at leading institutions of learning worldwide, thus providing access to almost limitless resources, as well as making Egypt's own contribution to them.
The giant structure rising majestically on the shores of the Mediterranean will be ready to serve Egypt and the world next spring, with an inaugural ceremony scheduled for 23 April 2002, UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day.
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