When I decided to add Egypt to my round-the-world travel itinerary, I chose so based on two things: seeing Alexandria and climbing Mt. Sinai. All those pyramids and temples were just a happy coincidence.
Why was Alexandria so high on my travel list? And did it live up to my expectations?
I love books. And Alexandria’s ancient library has always fascinated me. So much knowledge was stored at the Ancient Library of Alexandria throughout history. The ancient library was destroyed multiple times, not standing today. Probably why I find the notion of an ancient library so romantic: so much was lost so many times here. All that information—disappeared.
But today Alexandria is trying to revive that lost history. The library today is a massive collection of museums, books, artifacts and new technology. I spent a few hours wandering around inside (there are at least four museums inside including an interactive science museum). Maybe we’re using libraries less and less these days but if they were anything like this place, I think we’d still be reading.
wow, amazing pictures. I've always been intrigued as well – can't wait to visit.
Wow I had no idea about this! Pretty awesome.
I love this place. An interesting fact is that the outside wall represents all the alphabets of the world throughout history. So fascinating…
If I had a place like this at home, I'd be happy to start studying again:)
Wow. Definitely not what I expected it to be. Alexandria was one of the few places I didn't make a visit to in Egypt. Looks neat!
Gorgeous shots!!!! I love the wall with cuneiform, and the reflecting pool. Thanks so much for sharing!
Whoa. What an amazing library. It completely lives up to its legacy. And it's kind of porn for geeks isn't it?? (I mean that in the best way)! You take amazing photos and this is something everyone should get to see, thank you for sharing.
It's well worth a visit!
Really? I would've thought another book nerd like yourself might've heard of it. Glad I could share something you didn't already know!
I think if you're in Egypt during the summer, a visit to Alexandria is practically required.
Thanks Sarah! It's a really historical place and they make a point of proving it.
Thanks Giulia! Words and alphabets are so cool, in my opinion. There were some fragments of old Roman texts in one of the museums inside. It's always great to see handwriting and printed words from so so so long ago.
Thanks Melissa! Libraries are an important institution and Alexandria's is no exception.
A pretty impressive library! Thanks for sharing
Cheers!
Will totally have to put this on my hit list. I could shoot those curves and angles all day!
had no idea about this place, looks and sounds amazing though! Kirsty
Dustin – it's some pretty stunning architecture, for sure. Especially inside, I thought.
Thanks Kirsty – I didn't realize so many people DIDN'T know about the library! Funny how that happens.
Yep – just a different side of Egypt. It's not all temples & monuments.
What an amazing place!
Wow, I must put that library on my agenda next time I head that way, looks amazing. I feel I should also share with you an amazing course I did while I was in Cairo – Sarah Merron of Fire Dragon Coaching teaches strategies that really helped me focus on getting the best out of myself and others around me, for both my work and personal life. She runs courses all over the world, so it’s a fantastic way to combine travel with self improvement. Here’s the link, it’s definitely worth checking out: http://egyptnlptraining.com/
Wow, what an amazing library, I must put that on my agenda next time I head that way. I feel I should also share with you an amazing course I did while I was in Cairo – Sarah Merron of Fire Dragon Coaching teaches strategies that really helped me focus on getting the best out of myself and others around me, for both my work and personal life. She runs courses all over the world, so it’s a fantastic way to combine travel with self improvement. Here’s the link, it’s definitely worth checking out: http://egyptnlptraining.com/
[…] the temples and pyramids, one of the sites I was most interested to visit in all of Egypt was the Alexandra Library. It didn’t […]