Middle East Mosaics: Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco

So, here we are on the internet in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina! This modern building stands near the site of what was once the foremost libraries in the world. Although its architecture is distinctly modern, the columns reminiscent of those in Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, this building is clearly meant to invoke a feeling of reverence for the knowledge that it contains. Walking around this massive structure, which rises like one fourth of a windowed pyramid, I feel almost as spiritual as I did when we visited the the 10th century Ibn Tulun Mosque a few days ago in Cairo.

After the hustle and bustle of the capital city, Alexandria has been, on whole, much more relaxing and meditative than Cairo so far. The program is such that we are allowed to have most of our two days here free to explore. Today in his morning lecture, President Oden compared our time here to an odyssey where the journey is more important than the destination.

His comparison rang true this afternoon when a few of us walked from our downtown hotel to the Catacombs. During the 45 minute walk, we passed nearby a walled area that turned out to be a cemetery. As I pushed my way forward, in the direction of the ancient tombs, Hal observed that the folks in front of us, mostly dressed in black, were in fact part of a funeral procession. The six of us stopped in our tracks and simply stood for several minutes, very aware that the people passing us by were in mourning. I tried my best not to stare as these people in front of us led their dead loved ones to burial. After days of being noticed by every one else on the street, it was a good opportunity for me to really take notice of those whose streets I was passing through.

After the procession made its way into the cemetery, I sensed a change in our group. The destination that followed, a burial site for ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians, was transformed by the scene we had just left. Had we taken a different route or hailed a cab from our point of departure I don't think I would have quite appreciated the importance of the burial site that we finally reached.

In the same way, this library stands as a testament to the journey of Egypt. Alexandria, we have learned has not always been the center of civilization but has survived numerous ups and downs throughout its fascinating history. Yet the building in which I am writing today is here as a testament to Alexandria's journey. It is a symbol if its past, present, and future and I feel truly lucky that we have enountered it as part of our travels through the Middle East.