Calling all book lovers. One of Dubai’s highly anticipated cultural attractions is set to open its doors with much excitement this summer.
Mohamed bin Rashid Library is the largest library of its kind in the entire region and one of the most modern as well with state-of-the-art facilities that will blow your mind. Here are all the details you need to know.
About Mohammed Bin Rashid Library
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is a large and modern library in Dubai, UAE, that opened to the public on June 16, 2022. It has a unique design inspired by an open book on a lectern and covers 650,000 square feet of property.
It houses over 4.5 million printed, digital, and audiobooks, as well as eight specialized collections and a center for the conservation and preservation of books. Besides, It is a cultural landmark that attracts millions of visitors annually.
Location
Mohamed bin Rashid Library is located in Al Jaddaf area overlooking the beautiful waters of Dubai Creek.
Nearest Station to Mohammed bin Rashid Library: Al Jaddaf Metro Station about 200 metres away
Nearby Communities
- Dubai Festival City: 10 minutes away
- Downtown Dubai: 15 minutes away
- Mirdif: 15 minutes away
- Business Bay: 15 minutes away
- City Walk: 15 minutes away
- Jumeirah: 20 minutes away
What to Expect
One visit will not be enough to explore the entire library for sure. The building is spread over a total area of 54,000 sqm to host 1,000 visitors at a time. How impressive is that?
This libarary includes more than 1 Million books available in various languages. This massive collection is divided over 7 floors in 9 libraries:
- General
- Emirates
- Young Adults
- Children
- Private Collections
- Maps and Atlases
- Media and Arts
- Business
- Periodicals.
For those looking to discover more than books, here’s a list of what you can find there as well:
- 35,000 print and digital newspapers from all over the world
- 500 rare items and collectibles
- 6 Million research papers
- 73,000 music scores
- 75,000 videos
- 13,000 different articles
- 5,000 historical journals in both print and digital form.
The Design
The first thing you will notice is the beautiful architecture of Mohamed bin Rashid Library, which is creatively designed after the shape of a book. However, there is more to it; the library is actually designed after a real.
Beautifully representing the Islamic culture in the UAE, a rehl is the stand of the Holy Quran. It is an X-shaped usually wooden tool to hold the Holy Quran open in place as a Muslim recites from it.
The Facilities
In true Dubai fashion, this library was created to represent the future of learning. This means that interactive reading facilities are installed and a robotic system is set in place to retrieve books for readers in less than 10 minutes.
There are also many VR and AR technologies used within the building and the library is designed to be eco-friendly with facilities like solar panels and water recycling for the green spaces.
Things to Do
When you visit the library it could become overwhelming to decide where to go and what exactly to explore first. Here’s a list of ideas to get you started:
- Visit the General section; your jaw will drop to the floor
- Explore the Treasures on the 7th floor where you’ll find old manuscripts of The Quran
- Take the kids to the children’s library section of the library where they will not want to leave
- Visit The Languages Garden in the library, which had pillars with inspirational quotes from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
- After taking it all in, you can sit in the coffee shop for a bite to eat or a quick drink.
Interesting Facts
- The library is very well-equipped for people of determination, with Braille services and comfort spaces for autistic individuals
- Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated the library back in 2016
- The total cost of the project is AED 1 Billion.
Entrance Fee
All visitors can enter Mohamed bin Rashid Library free of charge, although pre-booking is required on the app or website.
Membership
Annual memberships for Mohamed bin Rashid Library will be announced soon.
Opening Date
Mohamed bin Rashid Library opened its doors to the public on Thursday, June 16th, 2022.
It’s time to encourage reading again and make this a weekly habit for you and your family. Find out about properties available for rent in Al Jaddaf on Property Finder to be close to this remarkable attraction.
You can also choose to rent an apartment in Dubai Festival City which is just 10 minutes away. Check out the available ones on Property Finder.
