CAIRO, March 14 (MENA) - Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el Tayyeb decided to appoint former director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) Dr Ismail Serageldin as adviser of the new Al Azhar Library. Serageldine was the director of BA since its inauguration in 2002 till 2017. Earlier, he worked as a deputy to the World Bank chief and has penned more than 45 books in various cultural and development fields. The new Azhar library, which is currently under construction, is being established on an area of 14,000 square metres near Salah Salem road in Cairo. The project's vision is to establish a world-class public library that accommodates state-of-the-art technologies to enhance the role of Al Azhar in promoting Islamic culture. The library will allow local and international scholars and researchers to access electronic versions of its valuable manuscripts and other educational assets. The library building will comprise two basements, a ground floor and three additional floors. The library will include spaces for the following; Main Library and specialised libraries on an area of 13,770 square metres, restoration center on an area of 575 square metres, a conference and exhibition center on an area of 1,190 square metres, administration offices on an area of 400 square metres, a culture and other panoramic interactive system, research centers) and a data and IT services centre on an area of l00 square metres in addition to a car parking that has a capacity of 400 spaces.
