Focused quietude: Mohammed Bin Rashid Library
Opened in 2022, this modern public library is home to more than a million physical and digital books, study and reading areas, a café, a bookshop, and an ampitheatre
Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is a public library in Dubai, in the UAE.
Quick Facts:
From the outside, this architecturally-iconic library looks like a giant open book - it was designed to resemble a lectern.
It hosts a number of cultural and intellectual events through the year, and it also has an art gallery component.
Part of the Emirates Literature Festival - a UAE-founded globally-renowned literary festival - was held here in 2023.
It’s free to enter, with memberships for book borrowing, and benefits like being able to reserve special study rooms.
The Write Benefits - features we loved:
The carrels on the 2nd floor are my absolute favorite. With plugs, an adjustable seat, and the ideal balance of coverage with a gap, it’s the perfect place for focused work.
Don’t miss:
The library hosts a number of exhibitions, including visiting and permanent collections. As well as an arm that helps to preserve and restore old books, they showcase rare literary treasures, while at the Dubai Creek-facing terrace is The Languages Garden, with 60 pillars displaying quotes from library founder His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and ruler of Dubai, on leadership, learning & knowledge, and more, translated into more than 170 modern and ancient world languages.
Top tip:
For weekend warriors who lack an office, it’s hard to find a quiet place to work, especially during weekends, when cafés get quite loud and busy (understandably). With amazing study/work areas available here - and for free - the prime seating fills up fast on a Saturday (it’s closed on Sundays). If you want to secure one of those with a more structured desk setup (available on the 6th and 2nd floor), it’s best to arrive on the early side.
Alas, you can’t have coffee, or food, in the rest of the library areas - but if you need a caffeine fix or snack, you can leave things at your desk while you pop to the café.
Writing fuel:
The library has a two-story café, with relatively spaced-out seating so it never gets too noisy people-wise - but there is a grand piano in the centre (behind the middle pillar in this pic!) that people can play. Tendain, the café, isn’t a fully-stacked F&B venue - there’s no in-house kitchen - but it has pastries, quick heatable meals, and sandwiches that are a cut above the average chain coffee shop. And coffee and tea, of course!
Opening hours & parking
The library is open every day of the week except Sunday (and it’s also closed on public holidays). It’s open from 9am to 9pm, except on Fridays, when the hours change to 2pm to 9pm. There is plenty of parking in the outdoor area outside the entrance, as well as an enormous underground lot. Accessible spots, bicycle parking, and electric car charging are also available.
Worlds within a world
Like a good book, it’s a gateway to many worlds within one place! Among its various sections are The General Library, The Young Adults Library, The Children’s Library, The Maps and Atlases Library, The Media and Arts Library, The Business Library, The Emirates Library, The Information Centre, The Periodicals Library, a Private Collections Library, and the Treasures of the Library exhibit.
Respect and consideration
There is a dress code in the library: shoulders and knees must be covered, and it’s quite strict, so you need to be dressed far more conservatively than someone just trying to avoid strappy tanks and Daisy Dukes. It can get quite cold in the library anyway, so trousers or a long skirt, and bringing a jacket, are a wise idea anyway. In short, just be respectful of the culture - and that also goes for noise. It is a library, after all, so while it’s not an entirely silent place, try not to yammer loudly while people are trying to study, work, read, and so on.
Searching the catalogue
If you’re going there to read or to borrow a book, and want to check if they have a specific title available before you go, you can search the catalogue on their website for a detailed list of what they have.
