The much anticipated opening of the Mohammed bin Rashid Library was finally realized when the eye-catching, lectern-shaped building was inaugurated by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai on 13 June, 2022. It is the biggest library and cultural centre in the MENA region.
Located in Al Jaddaf and overlooking the scenic Dubai Creek, the sprawling seven-storied edifice is shaped like a rehal, the traditional wooden book rest used to hold the Holy Quran.
Across its seven floors, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library features a huge content which includes more than 1.1 million printed and digital books in Arabic and foreign languages, over six million research theses, around 73,000 music scores, 75,000 videos, approximately 13,000 articles, and over 5,000 historical print and digital journals from an archive dating 325 years, along with around 35,000 print and digital newspapers from around the world, besides 500 rare collectibles.
The project features nine specialized libraries including the general library, the Emirates library, the young adults’ library, the children’s library, the special collection library, the maps and atlases library, the media and arts library, the business library, and the periodicals library.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Library is one among the worlds most advanced, using the latest technology and artificial intelligence featuring everything from augmented reality and smart robots, to an automated storage and electronic book retrieval system, a book digitization laboratory, and self-service kiosks. Other modern features include a café spread over two floors, an amphitheatre for live outdoor events, and a garden with 60 colourful pillars displaying HH Sheikh Al Maktoum’s quotes on government, leadership, learning, knowledge, and nation building.
“Today we launch a cultural and intellectual edifice for our new generation and our aim is promote reading, spread knowledge, and support researchers and scientists. Our goal is to enlighten the human mind,” HH Sheikh Al Maktoum tweeted. “Through this library, we have brought millions of books to develop our path; consolidate our identity, culture, and roots; and create our future,” he adds.
On the occasion of the inauguration, Chairman of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation Mohammed Al Murr says, “The library embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which aims to strengthen the cultural and knowledge sector in the UAE and build a generation armed with science and knowledge to lead our future and advance the components of our civilization.”
“The library is one of the most unique public library buildings in the region and the world, as it constitutes an architectural icon and a unique knowledge and cultural beacon that combines traditional with the contemporary, reflecting Dubai’s past cultural heritage, its present, and future aspirations,” Al Murr points out. “The Mohammed bin Rashid Library also adds a new dimension in terms of changing the concept of libraries of the 21st century, and to express the future trends of the next generation of libraries based on the latest technologies.”
Emirati writer and TV presenter Yasser Hareb says, “The library constitutes a great literary and scientific value for the Arab world, and embodies one aspect of the cultural renaissance.”
