Sister Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt

The Great Library of Alexandria was famously lost in a fire caused by Julius Caesar, then dwindled away in time, and nothing at all remains today. No ruins, no artifacts, no nothing. But grieve not, dear bibliophiles, for there is another. The ruins of a Library of Alexandria can be found at the Serapeum site, one of the top tourist attractions in the city known for the enormous Pompey’s Pillar flanked by a pair of sphinxes. Originally built during the reign of Ptolemy III (246–222 BC), it is home to an underground network of tunnels and storerooms, which once served as a satellite location of the Library of Alexandria, established as the original facility began to run out of room for storage. Often described as a “sister” or “daughter” to the Great Library, the subterranean repository of ancient knowledge has been reduced to ruins through the ages, but still shows signs of what it was many centuries ago. On the walls in these dark tunnels are rock-cut niches, which must have once held a collection of papyrus scrolls, and it goes on and on, offering a glimpse into a lost ancient wonder.

Mar 14, 2025 - 19:22

Sister Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt

The Great Library of Alexandria was famously lost in a fire caused by Julius Caesar, then dwindled away in time, and nothing at all remains today. No ruins, no artifacts, no nothing. But grieve not, dear bibliophiles, for there is another.

The ruins of a Library of Alexandria can be found at the Serapeum site, one of the top tourist attractions in the city known for the enormous Pompey’s Pillar flanked by a pair of sphinxes. Originally built during the reign of Ptolemy III (246–222 BC), it is home to an underground network of tunnels and storerooms, which once served as a satellite location of the Library of Alexandria, established as the original facility began to run out of room for storage.

Often described as a “sister” or “daughter” to the Great Library, the subterranean repository of ancient knowledge has been reduced to ruins through the ages, but still shows signs of what it was many centuries ago. On the walls in these dark tunnels are rock-cut niches, which must have once held a collection of papyrus scrolls, and it goes on and on, offering a glimpse into a lost ancient wonder.