Library of Alexandria hosts If on 17 November

Library of Alexandria (Maktabat al-Iskandaria) will host the public dance performance If in Alexandria, Egypt, on 17 November 2026. The Arts Center lists the plaza as the venue and the performance as open to the public.

If brings dance to the Alexandria library plaza

The performance is part of the November programme of the Arts Center, the cultural arm responsible for music, theatre, cinema, exhibitions and related activities at the library complex. The official November events listing gives 17 November 2026 as both the start and end date.

The same listing names the activity as Dance Performance: If and records the event as open for the public. A programme document identifies Ziad Medhat and Ziad Wallace as the work's choreographers and directors, and places it in the plaza rather than in one of the site's indoor theatres. No performance length is stated in the verified listing.

For visitors, that distinction matters. The event uses the outdoor plaza, while the complex also contains a conference centre and several indoor cultural spaces. The listing does not publish a regular admission policy for the wider site, so the event should be treated as a programme item rather than as a change to general library access.

A 2002 opening shaped the library's cultural complex

The modern building opened to the public in 2002 after construction ran from 1994 to 2001. Its architect was Snøhetta, working with Hamza Associates, and its circular form rises beside Alexandria's Eastern Harbor.

The building is more than a reading facility. It contains a planetarium, a conference centre, facilities for rare books and manuscripts, and spaces for cultural programming. The Institution of Civil Engineers describes the reading room as covering 20,000 square metres and extending across seven cascading levels, with capacity for more than 2,000 reading spaces.

That architecture gives the November programme a specific setting: If takes place in the plaza outside a building whose main reading room is organised vertically around terraces and daylight. The relationship between the open performance venue and the inward-facing reading spaces reflects the site's combined role as library, research centre and arts complex.

The Arts Center extends the library's public programme

The Arts Center's programme places If alongside concerts, cinema and other performances scheduled at the complex during November 2026. The library therefore functions as a cultural venue as well as a place for reading, exhibitions and research.

The public listing does not give a ticket price, a seating plan or an indoor alternative for the plaza performance. Travellers planning around the event will need to distinguish the listed venue from the Great Hall, Small Theater and Lecture Hall, which are separate parts of the wider complex.

Visiting Library of Alexandria: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• If is listed for 17 November 2026 at the Library of Alexandria plaza in Alexandria.
• The event is recorded as open to the public, and the listed venue is the outdoor plaza rather than an indoor theatre.
• The complex stands beside Alexandria's Eastern Harbor, facing the sea, with the University of Alexandria complex to the south and a footbridge connecting the two areas.
• The building's circular form, terraces and seven-level reading room mean that the visit involves a large architectural complex rather than a single exhibition room.
• Arabic is Egypt's official language and the national currency is the Egyptian pound.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Library of Alexandria

When does If take place at the Library of Alexandria?

If is listed for 17 November 2026 in the plaza of the Library of Alexandria.

What is the Library of Alexandria?

It is a modern library and cultural complex in Alexandria, Egypt, which opened to the public in 2002 and includes reading, research and arts facilities.

Where is the Library of Alexandria and how do you get there?

It stands beside Alexandria's Eastern Harbor, with the University of Alexandria complex to the south and a connecting footbridge.