Work will soon start on the ambitious Mohammed bin Rashid Library in Dubai with the awarding of a Dh1-billion ($272 million) contract for the construction of the biggest cultural project in the Arab world, said a report.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance, and chairman of Dubai Municipality, approved the contract for this ambitious project.

The library, which is expected to be completed in mid-2018, will include eight specialised libraries, 1.5 million printed books, two million digital books and one million audio books, reported the Emirati news agency Wam.

Designed in the shape of an open book on a lectern, the seven-storey building will host over 100 cultural and cognitive events every year, a permanent art gallery, and a home for specialised institutions that support development of the Arabic language content.

The library includes a centre for conservation and restoration of books, manuscripts and documents, a special library for the Al Maktoum collection and a civilisation museum, it stated.

On completion, the 650,000-sq-ft property will be able to receive 42 million visitors annually and also house more than 4.5 million printed, digital and audio books.

Hussein Nasser Lootah, the director-general of Dubai Municipality, said the library was the most valuable cultural and knowledge gift presented by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for generations to come.

The project was announced by Sheikh Mohammed at the launch of the Year of Reading, declared for 2016 by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the report.

"The library has six pillars of wisdom that constitutes its message and distinguishes its mission: the libraries; encouraging reading; spreading content; supporting authoring and translation; protecting the Arabic language, and preserving cultural heritage," observed Lootah.

"The library will significantly harness modern technology to serve scientific research, dissemination of knowledge and advanced sciences. It will be a credible reference in Arabic language and a destination for specialists, scientists, researchers, writers, poets, intellectuals, talented minds and students. It will also serve as an incubation for publishers,'' he added.