Mohammed directs distribution of 3 million books to schools in the Arab world

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued a directive to distribute 3 million books to schools across the Arab world to support of the objectives of the newly opened Mohammed Bin Rashid Library.

Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter, “Yesterday we opened the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library... the most modern Arab library... Today we directed the distribution of 3 million books to thousands of schools in the Arab world in support of reading... The library's message is Arab, and its positive effects will include the region, God willing... and we have a reading challenge that includes 22 million Arab students to support the message of the library.”

The library, built with an investment of Dhs1 billion, aims to cultivate a culture of reading, while supporting the development of creativity, knowledge and art at both individual and social levels. It will provide a platform for intellectual, literary and imaginative minds across the region and the world.

The library will officially open its doors to the public on Thursday, 16th June, 2022.

Sheikh Mohammed said, "The economy needs knowledge, politics needs wisdom, nations need to learn, and all of that can be found in books. Through this library, we have brought together millions of books to develop our path, consolidate our identity, culture and roots, and create our future."

Across its seven floors, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library features a significant amount of content. This includes more than 1.1 million printed and digital books in Arabic and foreign languages, over six million dissertations, around 73,000 music scores, 75,000 videos, approximately 13,000 articles, and more than 5,000 historical print and digital journals within an archive covering 325 years, along with about 35,000 print and digital newspapers from around the world, and nearly 500 rare collectibles.