it was originally one of the largest and most significant libraries in the ancient world. When Julius Caesar was cut of by a fleet of Egyptian boats in the harbor of Alexandria he ordered them burned. Unfortunately the flames spread to the city and destroyed the library and with it, the body of Greek tragedy and comedy. The current site built in 2002 is said to be the spiritual successor – it’s massive ( holding 8 million books in the main reading room alone) and includes a few really wonderful museums as well.
