Library of Alexandria Real

The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, was the largest in the world during its time. Located in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, it is believed to have been created at the beginning of the third century by Ptolemy I Soter and to have held up to 700,000 volumes. Its destruction is one of the greatest mysteries of Western civilization. A new library sponsored by UNESCO was inaugurated in the same city on October 16, 2002.