Like a Book Wide-Open on a Lectern

It’s not just a city for fun, for sport and for tourism. Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum wanted Dubai to have a new space dedicated to culture as well. The project took off in 2016 and will soon be completed - a library in his name, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library. Located in Al Jaddaf, the western section of Bur Dubai, overlooking the historic canal of the city, the Creek, the library, taking up an area of 60.000 square metres, is the largest in the Middle East. The shape of the building is that of an open book sitting on a lectern, the Rehl, which, in the Arab World, is particularly used to bear the Koran. The interior of the library is spread out over seven floors and, along with numerous sections dedicated to specific fields of study, there is also a workshop for the conservation and restoration of antique texts, an auditorium, a cinema and numerous exhibition spaces. The avant-garde architectural design is also highly energy efficient, thanks to the use of ecologically-friendly materials and the latest technology. It is a modern space dedicated to the protection and sharing of the heritage of both the past and recent history, but also envisioned to promote reading on a wider scale, creating new generations that are passionate about books and knowledge in general.