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All Egypt Alexandria Sister Library of Alexandria
AO Edited

Sister Library of Alexandria

Underneath the Serapeum ruins lies a dark passage with nooks for books, the lesser-known “sister” to the famous ancient library.

Alexandria, Egypt

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the dark tunnel.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
These niches once served as bookshelves.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The Serapeum site.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

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.

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Ancient Egypt Ancient Subterranean Sites Ruins Libraries
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Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

March 14, 2025

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Sister Library of Alexandria
Pompey's Pillar
Alexandria, 5341142
Egypt
31.182347, 29.896287
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Photo of Alexandria

Alexandria

Egypt

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Stories 1

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Ali El Hendy Coffeehouse

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alexandria

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Stories 1

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