Library Lovers
Down The Ages
HISTORICAL
The Ancient Library of Alexandria, built 2,300 years ago in Egypt, was one of history’s greatest knowledge hubs. Its goal was to gather all the world’s knowledge, holding hundreds of thousands of scrolls on science, literature, and philosophy from diverse civilizations. Scholars from across the ancient world studied there, shaping human thought. Tragically, it was lost to a great fire, said to have started during Julius Caesar’s invasion.
CONTEMPORARY
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt, built in the memory of the great Ancient Library of Alexandria, has a stunning façade of hand-carved stone covered with 4,000 unique symbols—alphabets, Braille, musical notes, and even barcodes—from 10,000 years of history. This 11-story wonder holds one of the biggest reading rooms in the world and space for 4 million books! Shaped like the sun rising over the sea, it celebrates knowledge that lights up the world.
INNOVATIVE
The Elephant Library. In the deep jungles of Thailand, some villages have no schools or libraries, and many people can’t read or write. The government came up with a great idea to fix that! Send books to these remote villages on elephants! These jungle giants stomp through the muddy paths, even during the rainy season, to bring stories and knowledge to people who’ve never had books before.
If you’d like to receive our newsletter filled with interesting insights and updates, please sign up today!