Library & Specialized Libraries

The Map Library houses a collection of more than 6000 maps covering all parts of the world with special focus on Alexandria, Egypt, the Arab world and the Mediterranean region. The collection contains maps of various types including topographic, thematic, geologic maps, as well as world maps, street maps, estate maps, contour maps, transportation and communication maps, facsimile maps, atlases, nautical charts, aeronautical charts, satellite and aerial images, and globes.

The Map Library provides access to two computer programs developed by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America), namely: the Celestia and World Wind. The Celestia is a 3D astronomy program featuring a database of over 100000 stars; planets and galaxies of the entire solar system; satellites and space orbits; and the cosmic distance between planets and their distance from the Sun. The World Wind, which is an open source virtual globe, provides a rich set of features for displaying any region in the world, with the ability to add any geographical data related to place names, location-based services, natural phenomena, as well as images of monuments and tourist sites. Moreover, the Map Library provides access to Google Earth.
 

One of the most significant maps in the collection is a rare facsimile of Al-Sharif Al-Idrissi’s Map of the Earth drawn for King Roger II of Sicily in 1154. Another valuable addition is the facsimile edition of the Manuscript Chart of the Gulf and Mesopotamia, among the oldest examples of topographical maps of the region.
 

The Map Library is located in B4 at the Main Library.