The official opening of the new library in Alexandria, Egypt, has been set for October 16, after being postponed last April due to the violent incidents between Israelis and Palestinians. On April 24, the day after what was to have been the official opening, the library’s board of directors met for the second time. The only board member from Greece is Marianna Vardinoyianni, in her capacity as UNESCO goodwill ambassador and at the instigation of Suzanne Mubarak, wife of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, president of the board and member of the International Committee for the Revival of the Ancient Library. The board met for that purpose for the first time in 1990 in Aswan. At that time, Greece was represented on the committee by its then-culture minister, the late Melina Mercouri. The committee also included personalities such as Queen Sofia of Spain, Queen Noor of Jordan, Sultan Al Nayan of the United Arab Emirates, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Prince Abdel Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and the late French president Francois Mitterand. In 2001 a special law was passed for the library, making it an independent organization, its board headed by Suzanne Mubarak. Apart from Vardinoyianni, current members are the writer Umberto Eco, former president of Iceland Vigdis Finnsbogandottir, and Nobel laureate for literature Wole Soyinka. In May 2001 the board met for the first time and Dr Ismail Serageldin was appointed as the library’s Director. In September of that year, work was completed on the wonderful building complex, while books and other exhibits were installed. At the first presentation of the library in Athens, on December 3, 2001, Egyptian Ambassador Magda Shahin welcomed Dr Serageldin and referred to the considerable contribution to this major cultural event. The latest news is that Dr Sergeldin is coming back to Greece on September 24, and that the day after, a dinner will be held in his honor at the Yacht Club of Greece in Kastella, Piraeus. On September 26 he will be the guest speaker, along with the rector of the European University, Professor Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler, at a conference to be held at the University of Rethymnon, whose rector, Professor Nikolaou, will also address the proceedings. UNESCO is the cultural force which made possible the revival of the Alexandria Library, funded by business interests. As Serageldin has said: “The goal of the library’s founders is that it functions as a center for an exchange of ideas between the peoples of the Mediterranean, and between East and West.” So the official opening is set for October 16, in a spirit of peace and wisdom as befits such a vast cultural undertaking in the third millennium.