Alexandria – Tombs – Library
Anfushi Tombs
Near the Ras at-Tin Palace (ok. 2 km west of Fort Kaitbeja) there is an ancient necropolis cut into the soft, limestone rocks. There are not too many tourists here, so please wait, until the guard opens the gate. Five Greek rock tombs were carved in the 3rd and 2nd centuries. p.n.e. They were discovered by accident in 1901 i 1921 r. Each consists of an open courtyard surrounded by chambers with one or more tombs.
Cape Sisila and the ancient Royal Quarter
On the other side of the Eastern Port, in front of the Kaitbeja Fort, Silistra Cape runs out to sea, where navy ships are moored. To check, if there are no sunken ancient monuments in the bay, w 1996 r. the team of Franck Goddio was allowed to go underwater. It was not expected, that archaeologists in the muddy waters will discover the remains of the sunken Royal Quarter, including buildings conventionally named Cleopatra's Palace. Red granite columns found, statues, sfinksy, paved road, pier and lots of pottery and jewelry.
W 1998 r. the first statues were excavated. One of the most interesting was the black granite statue depicting a woman (perhaps Isis) with the dish in hand. Many sphinxes were pulled out. The appearance of the palace from the last years of Ptolemy's reign was reconstructed by computer. The conservation finds were placed near the Roman theater. The statue of Ptolemy stands by the New Library of Alexandria.
Biblioteka Aleksandryjska
One of the greatest jewels in the crown of ancient Alexandria's glory was the Library. W 2002 r. The New Library of Alexandria was opened, erected according to a design by a Norwegian-Austrian team led by Christoph Kappeler. It is the largest and most modern library in the Arab world, which is to surpass its ancient predecessor.
The construction was supported by UNESCO (1987), which along with Saudi Arabia, Arab Emirates, Iraq and Egypt participated in the financing of the project (172 min dollars).
State-of-the-art shape of the building, covered with engravings, with pictograms and letters in every alphabet that exists on earth, symbolizes the sum of the knowledge contained in the Kulista collection, a sphere illuminated at night – the rising sun of knowledge, stainless steel pillars, enormous plane of flowing water, sundials referring to the Alexandrian science in antiquity and the bronze bust of Alexander the great in the open courtyard create an amazing atmosphere.
Eight million volumes of books preserved using traditional methods have been collected on seven floors, as well as the latest techniques. (www.touregypt.net/featurestories/alex museum.htm)
Next to the Manuscript Museum illustrating the history and culture of Alexandria (its activity was inaugurated in August 2003 r.) a large conference center and planetarium have been opened. The facility is located in an appropriately adapted Italian-style palace. The three floors display exhibits from the time of the pharaohs to the present day, as well as the most valuable finds of submarine archeology. There is an amphitheater nearby.
Former Library of Alexandria – It consisted of a great library, related. Bruchejonem (from the district of Alexandria), located at the school of philosophers (Musejonie) and from a small library, that is, Serapejon (its collections were in the temple of Serapis). It contains almost all Greek writings, Ethiopian, Hebrew, Indian and Persian. Everything counted from 400 thousand. do 700 thousand. handwritten scrolls (Serapejon approx. 43 thousand), which probably corresponded to approx. 130 thousand. modern books. The Ptolemaic passed a law compelling travelers to return all the works they were carrying for duplicate items. The books were written on papyrus, which gradually deteriorated. W 47 p.n.e. during the fights of Julius Caesar with the inhabitants of Alexandria (Alexandrian War) Bruchejon burned down (ok. 40 thousand. or more turns). To make up for the loss, Marek Antoniusz donated to the city the collections of the Pergamon Library (ok. 200 thousand. coils). W 293 r. a crowd of Christians set fire to the main library, a w 391 r. During the riots, the Serapejon and the library were destroyed. W 641 r., when Alexandria was conquered by Caliph Omar I., the remnants probably burned down.