The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world. It is generally thought to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt. It was likely created after his father had built what would become the first part of the Library complex, the temple of the Muses — the Museion, Greek Μουσείον (from which the modern English word museum is derived).
The new library (Library Bibliotheca Alexandrina ) on which construction work began in 1995 was built with the aim of recreating in Alexandria a library that like its ancient counterpart would become a center of cultural and scientific excellence.
An architectural competition, organized by UNESCO in 1988 to choose a design worthy of the site and its heritage, was won by Snøhetta, a Norwegian architectural office, from among more than 1,400 entries. The final cost of this futuristic complex was $220 million and it was officially inaugurated on October 16, 2002.