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Egyptian National Library and Archives
The Egyptian National Library and Archives (Arabic: دار الكتب والوثائق القومية‎; "Dar el-Kotob") are located in Cairo and is the largest library in Egypt. The second largest libraries in Egypt are Al-Azhar University and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (New Library of Alexandria). The Egyptian National Library and Archives are a non-profit government organization dedicated to providing access and services throughout Egypt and the Arab world.

The National Library of Egypt is home to several million manuscripts and books on nearly every subject and in several languages. It is located in a seven story building in Ramlet Boulaq, a district of Cairo. The National Archives, located in an annex beside the library, houses a vast and diverse collection. Mainly relevant to the history of Egypt, the holding are particularly significant to those who work on Egyptian social and political history, although it is open to the public.

The National Library and Archives of Egypt are one of the largest and oldest in the world, containing thousands of ancient collections. The collections are of importance because they hold a vast variety of Arabic-language and other Eastern manuscripts, all free to scholars, researchers, and professors.

Mission
The National Library and Archives of Egypt are dedicated to the following purposes:


 * 1) To provide facilities and services required to do research.
 * 2) To take part in the revival of Egypt's intellectual heritage by making its collections available for use.
 * 3) Render collections into a useable format so that they are available for research.
 * 4) To continue collecting anything recording Egypt's national history or other significant content related to Egyptian cultural heritage.

History
Khedive Isma'il Pasha, also known as Ismail the Magificent, was devoted to cultural development and modernization of Egypt during his rule. He introduced the project of the National Library of Egypt (formerly, Kotub Khana of Egypt) in March 23, 1870. Ali Pasha Mubarak, the Minister of Education of Egypt during that time, was appointed the job of collecting materials to place in the library by Ismail. He built the library’s holdings, placing many different languages within the collection, a representation of the diverse sources of Egyptian culture and knowledge.

The library, which was originally housed in Darb al-Gamamiz, was built to look like the National Library of Paris. After a mandate passed in 1886 that required all new books and publications to be deposited within the library’s holdings, it outgrew its repository. A new building was erected for the library in 1904, and shared its space with the Museum of Islamic Art. The library played a significant role in enhancing the cultural life in Egypt which was Khedive Isma’il's original intention in initiating a collection as immense and old as this. The library was moved to its current and much larger location in 1971, where it overlooks the Nile.