Bibliotheca Alexandrina Museum

Address: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, El Shatby, Alexandria, Egypt

Website: https://www.bibalex.org/

Admission: Main library access is free; on-site museums/exhibitions have separate admission fees

Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a modern library and cultural centre on Alexandria’s waterfront, inaugurated in 2002 as a commemoration of the ancient Library of Alexandria. The project is an international cultural and research hub combining a major reading room, museums, and lecture spaces.

Facilities include large public reading rooms, manuscript and archival collections, exhibition spaces devoted to the history of Alexandria, and a planetarium and science centre. The building’s distinctive tilting disk design and waterfront location make it a prominent contemporary landmark.

The complex was constructed as a multinational effort and serves as a regional centre for scholarship, public programmes and cultural events.

It occupies a prominent site on Alexandria’s eastern harbour along the Corniche, facing the Mediterranean and within the modern city.

• Opening and design: Opened in 2002 as an international project to revive the spirit of the ancient library, with a striking circular design by the Norwegian firm Snøhetta.

What to See#

• Main reading room: A domed, circular reading space with tiered seating and a large central reading room designed to house millions of volumes and provide general public access.
• Manuscripts and Special Collections: Houses preserved manuscripts, rare books and specialised archival collections with conservation facilities for research and scholarly access.
• Antiquities and History Museum: A museum presenting artefacts and exhibitions on the history of the ancient Library of Alexandria and the city’s cultural past, integrated into the library complex.
• Planetarium and science centre: An attached planetarium and science centre offering public astronomy shows and educational programmes as part of the cultural complex.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina sits on Alexandria’s waterfront on the Corniche (the coastal road) near the eastern harbour. From Alexandria’s main train station or city centre take a taxi or local microbus along the Corniche to the library; it is directly visible from the coastal road and reachable on foot from nearby Corniche stops.

• Visit early on a weekday morning when the museum spaces and the reading hall are quieter-that's when the architecture and engraved exterior wall facing the Mediterranean are easiest to enjoy without tour groups.
• Enter via the main plaza on the Corniche side (the grand entrance facing the sea) and buy combined tickets at the desk: the library complex, manuscript center and planetarium have separate exhibits and often separate admissions.
• Don't skip the Manuscripts and Rare Books displays and the map room on the lower levels-these specialized collections are less crowded than the main reading areas and contain items not visible from the main public spaces.