In the year 642 AD, the Arab general Amrou conquers the prestigious city of Alexandria, famous for its library whose shelves are stacked with centuries of knowledge. From his fortress of Medina, Caliph Omar issues the following command: "If the books in the library contain anything that is not written in the Koran, destroy them! They are useless and injurious." <p/> But General Amrou, a cultivated and open-minded Muslim, hesitates before obeying such an order. He prefers first to consult the Alexandrian officials in charge of the library and finds himself in the company of the old Christian philosopher Philipon, his niece Hypathia who is an astronomer and Philaretos, a young Jewish doctor. Each will recount to Amrou some of the remarkable stories about this most extraordinary library: its founding by a companion of Alexander the Great, the visit by the famous mathematician, Euclid, and how the wisdom of countless other great thinkers, astronomers and inventors found its way to Alexandria as well as the battles fought to preserve and protect it there. Each of the nine stories is presented in the form of a highly entertaining fable, Arabian Night's style. <p/> Will Amrou be able to save these priceless treasures of knowledge before it's too late? Already the Caliph's men have invaded the city. <p/> Jean-Pierre Luminet is an astrophysicist, poet and novelist. A comet bears his name.
