The world's most significant library?
The Great Library of Alexandria was the pinnacle of enlightenment. It contained around 70% of all manuscripts that existed at the time, and it was where the Old Testament was first translated from Hebrew into Greek.
Ismail Serageldin is Emeritus Librarian of the new Library of Alexandria, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In this entertaining interview with Nuala Hafner, he reveals how the original library came to be and what the world lost when it was destroyed.