Between the ancient pyramids and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt now has the best of the old and new. Like a giant discus landed at an angle or an enormous light switch, Alexandria's oceanfront library is arguably the first great design of the new millennium. Completed in 2002, it's inspired by the original Alexandrina library, founded in the 3rd century BC and acclaimed as the greatest of all classical institutions. The building's sloped design represents a second sun rising beside the Mediterranean. The vast rotunda space can hold eight million books.
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Text reproduced with permission from Bluelist 2007, copyright 2006 Lonely Planet Publications. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.
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