Few haven’t heard of the Great Library of Alexandria, which was said to have contained all the wisdom of the ancient world. Likely established during Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter’s reign (323–285BC), its destruction robbed us of untold knowledge. But, more than 2,000 years after fires lit by Julius Caesar’s forces sparked its decline, a successor appeared. Inaugurated in 2009, the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a story in itself. The curved facade is made from huge granite slabs etched with languages spanning some 10,000 years, and a tilted roof shades its collection of some eight million books. Though its design bears little resemblance to descriptions of its predecessor, the tiered reading room echoes the amphitheatres of old. Tours in English (Saturday–Thursday) tell the stories of both libraries.