Former Iranian President – Mohamed Khatami – came to the Library of Alexandria to speak about the Dialogue of Civilizations. President Khatami started off his speech by speaking about the value of books, science, and rationality. On the role of the Library of Alexandria as a modern knowledge center, Khatami spoke fondly of the efforts to revive the Library of Alexandria, as a center of knowledge, research and information for the whole world. He also spoke about the Library’s role in spreading the history of knowledge, culture, and civilization, especially that of the golden age of Islamic civilization. President Khatami and Serageldin are members of the high-level group on the Alliance of Civilizations.