ALEXANDRIA, Egypt -- Down by the corniche, a legend of classical antiquity is rising from the ashes as miraculously as a phoenix. This summer, the new $200 million Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a spectacular piece of high-tech architecture billed as the revival of the Ancient Library of Alexandria, is due for inauguration, more than 20 years after the idea was conceived and seven years after construction began.
As opening day draws near, crucial questions are being asked. What will its function be? Will it become a beacon of science and progress as its predecessor was?
"I want it to be true to the spirit of the old library of Alexandria: a vibrant intellectual center, a meeting place for civilizations," says Ismail Serageldin, who recently resigned his job as vice president of the World Bank to focus his efforts on the library and who is seen as the most likely candidate to become its first director.