One thousand and six hundred years down history's winding road, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina has risen again on the shores of the Mediterranean. Fatemah Farag witnessed the rebirth Click to view caption Some 2,000 years ago, Alexandria drew to its ancient library and Temple of the Muses -- the Mouseion -- the luminaries of the ancient world. Archimedes, Euclid, Eratosthenes, St Mark and Manetho, to name only a few. Within its walls, the first translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek took place. The institution and the city came to symbolise diversity, culture and boundless learning, and it was the point at which cultures and civilisations met and flourished. It is this legacy, in particular, that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which officially opened its doors to the world yesterday, evokes. In a world increasingly plagued by war, intolerance, bigotry and the hegemony of the "clash of civilisations" paradigm, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina rises from its ancient ashes, a symbol that another world is possible. To mark the event, some 3,000 dignitaries from across the globe converged on the coastal city of Alexandria on 16 October to celebrate the inauguration of the new incarnation of one of the most celebrated centres of learning in human history. Among those in attendance were French President Jacques Chirac, President Carlo Ciampi of Italy and Greek President Costis Stephanopoulu, Queen Sophia of Spain, Romania's Ion Iliescu and Croatia's Stipe Mesic. The visiting dignitaries will join President Hosni Mubarak and Mrs Suzanne Mubarak in the gala celebrations inaugurating the library. Mrs Mubarak, who is chairperson of the library's board of trustees, has been closely involved in the 20-year project which brought together the efforts of the international community including the United Nations cultural body, UNESCO, and cost approximately $200 million. And while the purpose of the library references a strong sense of ancient history, the current structure is ultramodern to the core. The 11-storey disc-shaped structure, which is tilted towards the sea at a 20 degree angle, stands proud on the Chatby corniche where scholars believe the ancient library was situated before it was destroyed. The design is Norwegian (by the architectural firm Snohetta), however, it was developed and constructed by Egyptians; some 3,000 artisans, craftsmen, engineers and other specialists laboured to create it under the direction of architect Mamdouh Hamza. In preparation for the inauguration of the library, Alexandria has worked hard for three years to rehabilitate the city, which was home to the Pharaos lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, but has been dubbed more recently "the Bride of the Mediterranean". Alexandria's governor of close to four years, Abdel-Salam El-Mahjoub, has spearheaded public and private initiatives to revamp the city. The corniche was widened, public squares landscaped, palm trees planted along the water's edge, and old-style lampposts installed all over town. "It is really great, what has happened here in Alexandria," exclaimed Khamis, a taxi driver, as he sped along the flag-decked corniche on the eve of the official opening. Alexandrines crowded the western harbour area in front of the library where they were treated to naval and parachuting shows as well as a light show on the walls of the library. "They will be closing the area off tomorrow and so we decided to celebrate the opening today," Khamis added, by way of explaining the crowds. The city had been brought to a virtual standstill in preparation for the official ceremony. Schools and offices were given a three-day holiday starting 15 October, some buildings and the Chatby hospital in the vicinity of the library, were evacuated. And while security may have been a concern, particularly in light of the imminent strike against Iraq, continued Israeli violence in the occupied territories and a politically active Alexandrian student body, most Alexandrines seemed to take the measures in stride. And so, while a group of young men at a late night cinema discussed the latest pro-Palestine demonstration that took place that day, Mohamed, a taxi driver, explained, "The roads near the library need to be washed in preparation for the grand opening tomorrow. After all, it is not every day that all these presidents and queens come to the city. The opening of our library is a huge international event." At the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's helm is Ismail Serragedin, former vice-president of the World Bank, candidate for the leadership of UNESCO -- not to mention architect, sociologist, writer, agronomist and economist. He is the man charged to walk in the footsteps of Demetrius of Phaleron (the first librarian of the ancient library), a responsibility he described to Al-Ahram Weekly as "a challenge that is qualitatively apart from anything else: the challenge of a lifetime". After all, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is not just a pretty building or merely a storehouse for books; the library resurrected -- as stipulated in its mission -- is "the world's window on Egypt... Egypt's window on the world... [and] Egypt's leading cultural institution in dealing with the information revolution... [and] a centre for both learning and dialogue." 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