Dr Serageldin’s invitation to visit

I wish to welcome all organizations and individuals the world over, and particularly the Friends Associations, to visit the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina. We extend our sincere appreciation to all, and acknowledge your contributions and patronage in support of the Library over the past years, and encourage you to continue to offer your support for the next phase of operation and maintenance of this unique institution that will be a meeting place for dialogue and understanding between peoples and civilizations, and an important cultural institution for Egypt, the Region and the World.

I hope to meet you during this exciting Inauguration Year.

Sincerely,

Ismail Serageldin
Librarian of Alexandria
Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina



Egyptian Association Welcome Note


It is my honor and gives me great pleasure to initiate the new Egyptian Association of the Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (EAFBA). Launched in Alexandria, where our headquarters is located, the EAFBA has members in all parts of Egypt. From Alexandria, the city and its citizens offer their full support to the new Library of Alexandria, and we hope that our activities will benefit both the library and help to drive the new cultural awareness that the opening of the library is bringing to the city. We have a dedicated Board for the Friends, and many active volunteers wishing to participate in all our activities. Our center will be at the Library itself, in a room that has already been turned over to the Friends for our use, and for all our international colleagues as well. It is a large room on Level 1 just above the main entrance, with space for secretarial support, as well as for small meetings.

One of our first important activities will be to make our plans to host the meetings of the International Friends Associations to coincide with the official Inauguration of the library. I am counting on the support of all the Friends around the world to ensure a successful outcome to the meetings.

I wish to invite you to visit the Friends Room to meet with your colleagues here and make use of our facilities for the benefit of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Sincerely,
Secretary-General
Dr. Adel Abuzahra



Objectives of the Egyptian Friends



Assist Bibliotheca Alexandrina in carrying out its mission.
Support the Library in propagating culture, as well as being the link connecting it with civil society.
Promote the various activities of the Library.
Work to protect the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and its surrounding architectural environment
Welcome Friends and other visitors to the Library when appropriate
Establishing links with all international Friends of Bibliotheca Alexandrina Associations



Prospective activities



Organization of seminars, lectures, exhibitions, trips, etc...
Issuing a newsletter about the Library to the Egyptian Friends, as well as all the other Associations worldwide
Organizing media campaigns for activities and fundraising when requested by the Library and in accordance with the Organization's rules and regulations
Developing and training a cadre of members and volunteers to serve at the Library at appropriate functions, especially for the Inauguration
Establishing affiliated student societies within Egyptian universities.



Membership of the Egyptian Friends’ Association


Membership is open to all interested persons.
Full membership fees are 60 LE, in addition to a 25 L.E registration fee.
Partial membership fees are 25 L.E. with no registration fee.



Privileges of Membership in the Friends


The Bibliotheca Alexandrina will be a public/research Library used by people from all over the world through personal visits, telephone, post, fax and email, as well as through the Library's Internet website and portal.

Membership in The Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in any country, will enable you to:
Know about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina activities, and
Help widen public awareness through the library's role as a cultural complex and the part it plays in the economic well being of Egypt and its mission to the region and to the world through its services to social development.
Member's privileges include:
Use of the Friends Room in the Library, Level 1
Special programs of lectures and other events
The right to a Readers' Pass (subject to the library's normal regulations)
Invitations to special openings of Bibliotheca Alexandrina exhibitions
Occasional special offers from the Alexandrina
Announcements to keep you in touch with library events and activities



International Friends’ Fund-Raising Activities


Friends groups are independent organizations working to fulfill the aims and objectives established by the Library. They define their own modes of operation and types of fund-raising activities.

The External Relations Office and the Egyptian Friends will act as general coordinators for all the Friends. This will include setting up of the target contributions, developing the list of library needs with the help of the Outreach Office, source of information (press releases for the Friends' use), and planning the newsletter when the time comes.

The External Relations Office will offer organizational and administrative support if needed.



Proposed Targets for the Friends


At least one substantial yearly contribution from funds raised throughout the year. This could be done through a joint-Friends contribution through collaboration of all or several of the Friends Associations.

Encourage donations of books, manuscripts and other materials of the nation and region to the library through efforts of Friends' Members (suggested subjects, titles, etc. available from the Library) from national, regional and local sources
Provision of scholarships for the librarians and other library staff for advanced study, special courses and international meetings.

Purchase or subscription to programs applicable to the library systems.

Contribution of software programs when possible, and in accordance with the needs of the library.

Consider developing a “traveling” Booth/Poster Exhibit for Friends' use at Library and Book Conferences, lectures and other programs (suitable for shipping around the world as needed or one per country).

Certain expertise may be available through the Friends' Membership, which could be called upon by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in a volunteer capacity.

The most famous among all ancient and medieval libraries was the Library of Alexandria. Not only was it the largest in all antiquity, but also it was associated with scientific research and was frequented by scholars from all over the Mediterranean. Even after its disappearance since 1600 years ago, it continues to survive in the memory of all scholars to this day.

The ancient Library of Alexandria was an amazing intellectual adventure that promoted knowledge and openness to the other, and for seven centuries was a beacon of learning and science.



Foundation of the Mouseion and the Library


The first Ptolemaic kings had determined to establish Egypt as the preeminent kingdom of their time. Alexandria became the center for science, arts, literature and philosophy. It was the policy of the Ptolemies to bring writers, poets, artists, and scientists to Alexandria from all over the ancient world to enrich the two unprecedented institutions: the “Mouseion” and the “Library”. The Mouseion, or shrine for the Muses (Museum in Latin) was the first scientific institute and the greatest university in ancient times. The Library was the first universal library.

There is hardly any doubt that it was Demetrius of Phalerum (an Athenian statesman, peripatetic philosopher and the counselor of Ptolemy I Soter since c. 297 BC) who suggested to King Ptolemy I Soter the idea of establishing a great research center in Alexandria to be known as the Mouseion with an important library attached to it. The precise date of the foundation of these two institutions is unspecified but it is probable that Soter took the very first measures towards their establishment in c. 290 BC, then the task was fulfilled by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, for it is well settled that both the Library and the Mouseion flourished and offered the ancient world their unique achievements during the reign of Philadelphus.
Foundation of the “Daughter Library”


At the beginning, there was the Library close to the Mouseion within the precincts of the royal palaces overlooking the great harbor. A little more than half a century later, when the amount of books acquired exceeded its capacity, it was decided to open an additional facility to accommodate the surplus books. This “Daughter Library” was incorporated into the Serapeum, or Temple of Serapis, which was situated at a distance from the royal quarter, in the Egyptian district south of the city. The Serapeum “Daughter Library” soon developed into a proper library and in the Roman period it became an active center of learning.



Chief Librarians


The Librarian of Alexandria (the chief of the library) was one of the highest and most honorable official posts and was appointed by the king himself. The chief librarian was usually chosen from the most prominent persons in science or literature. They personally enriched scholarship in Alexandria.
Unfortunately, there is no agreement (beyond Demetrius of Phaleron as the founding leader of the ancient Library) on any one list of the Library’s chief librarians. The most probable list is the following:
o Zenodotus of Ephesus (c.285- c.270 BC)
o Apollonius of Rhodes (c.270-245 BC)
o Eratosthenes of Cyrene (245-204/1 BC)
o Aristophanes of Byzantium (204/1-189/6 BC)
o Apollonius (Eidographos) (189/6-175 BC)
o Aristarchus of Samothrace (175-145 BC)
o Kydas (one of the Spearmen)(145-116 BC)



Holdings and Collections


The ancient Library was the only truly universal library. Although no exact count exists, probably at its peak it held some 700,000 scrolls, equivalent to about 100-125,000 printed books today. The Library also encouraged translations, and the Septuagint, the first translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, took place there. The Ptolemaic kings paid special attention to enrich the Library with the treasures of knowledge in all fields and branches of knowledge. They were anxious to acquire originals of works and the most valuable collections, beyond buying and copying books. They searched each ship that visited Alexandria and if a book was found, it would be taken to the Library to be copied and the copy would be returned to the owner.



The Library Vanishes


Despite serious contradictions between different studies on the fate of the Library of Alexandria, we can piece together the history of its destruction over some 450 years. The first fire was in 48 BC during the Alexandrian war in which Caesar became involved to support Cleopatra VII against her brother Ptolemy XIII. According to some sources nearly 40,000 books were burned in the fire of 48 BC, other versions of the story place the number at 400,000. Marc Anthony compensated Cleopatra with the gift of the 200,000 scrolls from Pergamum. The Mouseion itself was destroyed along with the Royal Quarter sometime in the third century AD during the strife and accompanying power struggles that shook the Roman Empire.

The “Daughter Library” survived till the end of the fourth century. A decree by Emperor Theodosius in 391 AD forbade non-Christian (pagan) religions. Theophilus (the Bishop of Alexandria from 385 to 412 AD) destroyed the Serapeum and its “Daughter Library” as being the house of pagan doctrine. Scholars survived for another generation till the murder of Hypatia in 415 AD and the end of the era of Alexandrian scholarship. In 415 A.D., the Christian historian Orosius visited Alexandria and reported: “There are temples nowadays, which we have seen, whose bookcases have been emptied by our men. And this is a matter that admits no doubt” (Orosius 6.15.32). His statement confirms that the library never existed since the fifth century. This was over two centuries before the Arab conquest to Egypt in 642 A.D.

The YES Campaign and the YES Country Networks are organizing many events,
activities and celebrations today to mark International Youth Day and its
theme of youth employment for 2003. Below is a selection of some of the
activities planned by members of the YES Global Alliance.

On behalf of the YES Campaign Office in Boston I take this opportunity to
congratulate the hard work of the volunteers and coordinators working on
today's activities. Everywhere the results of your hard work are bearing
fruit, and there is more evidence of that below. Let's celebrate
International Youth Day 2003!

Fred Clark

Pakistan

The Pakistan National Youth Service (PNYS), a province-wide youth
volunteerism program launches today from Lahore by YES Network Pakistan.
Ali Khan, YES Coordinator, says the national service program will
subsequently be extended to other provinces.

"A valuable national asset of 100 YES volunteers, all between 15 and 29
years of age will commit to dedicate a valuable part of their lives, a
period of one full year, to community service, to demonstrate their
capacity for involvement in societal change and uplift. This project will
also immensely contribute to improving the employability skills of the
youth of Pakistan."
Contact: Ali Khan < aliaccessed@hotmail.com>.

Namibia

YES Namibia is very busy today. The YES Namibia Coordinator is attending a
YES Regional Consultative Workshop from 12-14 August 2003 in Johannesburg.
The National Youth Council is also hosting a ICT/NEPAD conference from the
11-14 August 2003. In addition, members of the network are also holding a
press conference today involving different stakeholders in youth
employment.

One of the panelists will be the Minister of Higher Education, Training and
Employment Creation, Hon. Nahas Angula, the Patron of the YES Namibia
Network. Mr Donald Charumbira, the Secretary General of the World Assembly
of Youth is also assisting in the preparations and will also be a panelist.
The press conference will be broadcast on national radio networks,
according to Coordinator Samuel Agies Aochamub.
Contact: Samuel Agies Aochamub < info@youthcouncil-namibia.org>.

Argentina

Today, YES Argentina and partner organization Pastoral Youth is hosting a
Roundtable Discussion on Youth and Employment: Ideas and Proposals for
Public Politics. The event is sponsored by the government's National Youth
Directorate and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences.

Coordinator Dacil Acevedo says the objectives of the roundtable are to
create a space for reflection and discussion on youth employment. "It is
also to share visions and strategies that will help generate public
policies that have a real impact in this area. Finally, we hope to help
reach a consensus between public officials and representatives of
organizations to develop concrete actions in this field."
Contact: Dacil Acevedo Riquelme .

Paraguay

YES Paraguay is organizing a public debate on "Poverty and Youth
Entrepreneurship" from a multi-sectoral perspective with the help of the
local UNDP office.

Organizer Mirian Nunez says the objectives of the debate are to analyze the
current situation from a multi-sectoral perspective. "We will do so by
considering the possibilities of entering the workforce and youth
entrepreneurship based on the realities of our population. It is a
population that is predominantly made up of youth who have few
opportunities to enter the labor market."
Contact: Mirian Nunez .

Tanzania

Youth in Tanzania will march in a Peace Rally for Youth Employment today,
according to YES Coordinator Kaanaeli Kaal. "Youth will carry posters
through the streets carrying powerful messages about youth employment, and
there will also be a variety of public debates and sporting activities",
she said. The day's events are organized by YES Tanzania lead organization
the Tanda Youth Development Association (TAYODEA) in collaboration with
other Youth NGOs.
Contact: Kaanaeli Kaal < kaanaeli@hotmail.com>.

Nigeria

YES Nigeria is participating in a day's celebration in Abuja, capital of
Nigeria. Celebrations are hosted by the Women's Development Center, and YES
Nigeria Coordinator, James Olawale Ajani says "this year's IYD focuses on
"Finding decent and productive work for young people everywhere". On this
International Youth Day, let us ensure that we young people are given the
opportunity to contribute to the development and the progress of this
nation."
Contact: James Olawale Ajani . Tel. 234-080-330
14234

Benin

YES Benin is organizing a full day of activities today. The highlight of
the day is the presentation of YES Benin's National Action Plan for Youth
Employment. Coordinator Honvou Toussaint reports that officials are
attending from a number of Ministries, local government and UN agencies. He
says the day's objective is "to awaken the awareness of development actors
on the situation of youth employment in Benin and to search for suitable
convenient solutions together."
Contact: Toussaint Y. HONVOU . Tel. +229 96 46 46

Albania

YES Albania is hosting a seminar today as part of a summer-long Work Camp.
Organizers report the seminar is focusing on the use of the internet as an
organizational tool. Coordinator Floriana Hima reports the activities are
organized by a partnership between Albania's National Youth Council, the
Albanian Youth Parliament, and the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport.
Contact: Floriana Hima . Tel. 355 69 209 5487

Somalia

Coordinator Faiza Abdi Noor reports a celebration will take place today in
the Puntland city of Bosaso. "All youth organizations in the area of YES
Somalia along with the local UN office and other international
organizations have been preparing for a celebration."
Contact: Faiza Abdi Noor < faiza_abdi@hotmail.com>.

Guinnea Bissau

YES Guinea Bissau is holding a press conference as well as an animation
musical and cultural sports, according to Coordinator Algassimo Ba.
Organizations invited include all UN Agencies in Guinea Bissau, the
Ministry of Youth, NGOs, and the Chamber of Commerce, he says.
Contact: Algassimo Ba < algassimo@hotmail.com>.

Romania

YES Romania is hosting a celebration today with sixty young people from
twelve different countries. Coordinator Rodica Pop says "we are expecting
youth from Romania, Moldovia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic,
Italy, Spain, Scotland, Holland, Macedonia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Nigeria and
Egypt. They are all in town for the 4th Session of the Young General
Assembly."

South Africa

In South Africa, a three-day Regional Consultation Workshop on Youth
Employment starts today in Johannesburg. Hosted by the Youth Development
Network (YDN), this workshop forms part of YDN's Regional Support Plan
(RSP). This plan seeks to promote and stimulate youth employment in the
region through various targeted initiatives. The main aim of the workshop
will be to win collective support on the implementation of the plan. YES
Networks from Southern Africa will be participating in the workshop.

Organizer Hlanga Mqushulu says "the support for this process from the YES
Country Networks has been tremendous."
Contact: Hlanga Mqushulu .

A message from Poonam Ahluwalia, Executive Director of the YES Campaign

Dear Friends,

Today is one of our favorite days ? the International Youth Day! On behalf
of the Global Campaign for Youth Employment ? the YES Campaign, I want to
restate our commitment to working tirelessly to promote this year's theme -
youth employment! Last year the Alexandria Youth Employment Summit placed
the issue of youth employment firmly on the global agenda.

As we celebrate our young people, let us also reflect on the challenges
youth face, and take stock of the youth employment crisis unfolding before
us. Data fails to reflect the true nature of youth unemployment, leaving
researchers to guess at the real rate. However, we do know that given the
fact that over 3 billion people are below the age of 25 all around the
world (UNFPA, 1998), large investment must be made to effectively address
the youth employment challenge. Research, capacity building, skills
training and policy formulation must begin to focus more directly on youth
livelihoods given the current statistics. Young people themselves must
ensure that this issue is given the priority it deserves.

The YES Campaign is working as a partner organization with the UN Youth
Employment Network and appreciates the high-level attention being provided
to this issue by them.

As always the YES Country Networks are doing breakthrough work under the
leadership of young people. They stand ready to work alongside other
stakeholders to fulfill the goals of the YES Campaign.

In solidarity

Pyramids were constructed by large work gangs over a period of many years. The Pyramid Age spans over a thousand years, starting in the third dynasty and ending in the Second Intermediate Period. The Greek historian
Herodotus was told that it took 100,000 men 20 years to build the Great Pyramid at Giza. Scholars today, however, think it may have been built by only 20,000 men over 20 years.

A pyramid's large square base creates a very stable structure. A number of astronomical observations were used to precisely align its corners with the four cardinal points. Approximately 80% of the building materials are found in the lower half. This means that relatively few stone blocks were hauled to the upper levels. Since pyramids are solid, no walls or pillars were required to support the structure. Despite its simple design, a pyramid is an incredible engineering feat. Several theories attempt to explain how pyramids were constructed, but for now, the mystery has yet to be solved.

One theory suggests that causeways were used to haul the stone blocks on wooden sleds up the side of the pyramids. The ramps were lubricated with water to reduce friction when hauling the blocks. As few as 10 men were needed to drag a stone block up a ramp. There may have been several ramps on each side of the pyramid at different levels, and a ramp may have been coiled around the pyramid as it grew in height. Once a stone block reached its desired level, wooden rockers may have been used to manoeuvre it into position.

Another theory suggests that a wooden crane with a counterweight on one end may have been used to lift the blocks from one level to the next. This theory has been disputed, since the Egyptians did not have access to trees that were strong enough for this type of work. The average weight of the stone blocks used to build the Great Pyramid at Giza has been estimated at 2.5 tonnes (2.5 tons). Such an enormous weight would undoubtedly break a wooden crane before the block could be lifted.

Another possibility involves the use of pulleys to hoist the blocks up the ramps and fulcrums to manipulate the blocks into place. Pulleys were used on ships at the time.

The pyramids were probably not built by slaves because slave labour was not widely used in Egypt at the time. Peasant farmers, however, were required to spend a number of weeks working on construction projects. This provided the paid labour needed to build these gigantic structures.

Since the fields were under water during the summer, wages earned in building the gigantic pyramids supplemented the family's income.

Pyramids did not stand alone; they were part of a funerary complex. The complex includes a processional causeway that links a funerary temple to the pyramid, solar barques buried on the four sides of the pyramid, and mastabas and smaller pyramids where the family of the king and nobles were buried.

The pyramid built by King Sahure (2491-2477 B.C., Old Kingdom) is the largest of the three at Abousir and the one that is best preserved. Today, it is a mound of rubble, but the mortuary temple on the east face is still discernible. Its striking features are the red granite date-palm columns and the deeply incised hieroglyphs of the king's name and titles on the huge granite blocks.