For thousands of years, Egypt has always been a beacon for successive civilizations and cultures which interacted and merged leaving behind such a remarkable cultural heritage. From its deep-rooted history, Egypt sought distinction, and thus derived what rendered it unique among other nations via interaction with other cultures, she also managed to cope with the information revolution witnessed nowadays.

In 1952, the Revolution government gave special attention to culture and established the National Guidance Ministry, comprising different departments with culture affairs. In 1958, the first Ministry of Culture and National Guidance was established. In 1965, it was renamed as the Ministry of Culture. During that period, many pioneering cultural projects flourished, namely the projects of "The One Thousand Books", "Humanity Heritage", and "the cultural library", among others.

Since 1981, the cultural work has witnessed such a remarkable advancement in different fields, concomitant with paying due attention to creative intellects, establishing huge cultural edifices that stand as our window to the world, as well as holding different activities and festivals in the fields of cinema, theatre, arts and literature.

 

Throughout her long history, Egypt has embraced successive civilizations, namely the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic, each leaving behind great antiquities that reflect the pattern of life and the peculiarities of science and arts of each era respectively. Thereupon, Egypt has become an open museum that houses matchless collections of antiquities.

 

Incessant efforts are being exerted so as to unearth more monuments. Among the most recent archeological discoveries are:

- The ancient monumental port used by the pharaohs to receive and transport the stones and statues of Al-Karnak Temple.

- An ancient tablet of sandstone with golden and colourful protrusive inscriptions, the first of its kind to be discovered.

- In Saqqara, wooden coffins that date back to the middle and modern dynasties were discovered. In addition, a graveyard of the carrier of the royal seal, dating back to the era of king Eknaten was unearthed. Another graveyard for the scribe of the holy records was discovered, dating back to the end of the 5^th Dynasty and the beginning of the 6^th Dynasty. A third graveyard of the so-called "Arch-priest god" to Amun was also discovered.

- A city that dates back to the old dynasty was unearthed in al-Baharia Oases.

- A complete church was discovered in al-Qantara, dating back to the Roman era.

- Archeological expeditions unveiled the oldest military fortresses that were used to protect Egypt's eastern gate.

- Efforts led to the discovery of the remnants of a volcano that erupted in 1500 BC.

Within the framework of the project of unveiling the ram road in Luxor, a statue that looks like the Sphinx was discovered. In addition, a very important tablet of the senior of Amun priests was among the discoveries, thus, adding very significant historical and monumental information about the 20^th Dynasty and manifesting the family tree for the first time.

One of the most remarkable results of recent discoveries was determining the real mummy of Queen Hetshepsut after the huge controversy that continued for a very long time as regards the real mummy of the queen who ruled Egypt for 22 years during the 5^th Century BC. It has been also found that the mummy in the Egyptian museum, previously believed to be that of the queen, is of her wet nurse.

 

Year (2007) witnessed the development and implementation of major archeological and historical projects, salient of which are:

- The project of developing and lightening Horus Temple, Edfu. It received its visitors for the first time at night on January 1, 2007.

- The project of salvaging and restoring Cairo's monuments.

- The project of developing Islamic Art Museum; allocating new areas for displaying archeological pieces chronologically and specifying halls for all Islamic arts.

- The project of developing Suzanne Mubarak Child Museum, regarded as the first of its kind in view of providing museum services for children.

- The project of restoring and developing the monumental building of Dar- al Kotob in Bab al-Khalq that was inaugurated by President Mubarak in February, 2007.

- The project of developing and restoring the collection of antiquities of Sultan Qalawoun in al-Moez lideen Allah al-Fatimi Street, within the framework of developing this street and preparing it to be an open museum for Islamic monuments.

-The project of enhancing the system of the museum display in the Egyptian Museum, especially after transporting a large number of pieces to be put on display in the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Museum of Egyptian Civilization in al-Fustat.

- The National Project for Documenting Egypt's Monuments that aims at documenting monuments in view of their monumental and geographical dimensions.

- The project of preserving Luxor: It includes a number of sites, namely Luzor and al-Karnak temples. In addition, efforts are being exerted to unveil the of the ram road original path (sphinx road) that was linking between Luxor and al-Karnak temples, in addition to developing the area of the kings' Valley. It's noteworthy that Luxor ranked second in the competition of Islamic Heritage Cities, held by Islamic Capitals and Cities Organization every three years.

- The project of developing and securing the Pyramids Plateau that has begun 8 years ago in three phases, of which phase I and II were accomplished.

- The Museum of Egyptian Civilization: It lies in al-Fustat on an area of 25 feddans. It stands as one of the most distinguished museums all over the world as it houses more than 25,000 archeological pieces that depict the evolution of the Egyptian civilization since pre-historic ages.

- The Grand Egyptian Museum: Established over an area of 117 feddans, close to the Giza pyramids. It comprises 100,000 archeological pieces, representing the Pharaonic, Greek and Roman eras. The museum is due to be officially inaugurated in 2011. The project includes the establishment of a recreational area, a museum for children, a conference hall and a lecture hall. The "Times" newspaper placed the museum in the 2^nd rank among the most remarkable 10 projects that have a major effect on human civilization.

 

During 2007, many exhibitions for Egyptian monuments were held in a number of international museums.

 

On November 13, 2007, Mrs. Mubarak and Prince Charles inaugurated the exhibition of Tut Ankh Amun, one of the most prominent pharaohs of the 18^th Dynasty, amidst a fabulous reception that reflected the British Egyptomania. The exhibition was inaugurated for public on November 15, and it is due to continue until August 30, 2008. The number of its visitors is expected to range between 2 to 3 million.

The exhibition tour started in 2004 in Bazel, Switzerland, and then to Bonn, Germany. In addition, it toured many American cities and states (Los Angles- Florida- Chicago and Philadelphia), before reaching its last destination in London.

The exhibition narrates the story of the golden pharaoh and some of his family members, namely Ekhnaten, Toya and Yoya. Another exhibition, called "Tut Ankh Amun and the World of Pharaohs" is due to be held in London in 2012, comprising archeological pieces about some of the major pharaohs (Cheops- Ramsis II, Hour Moheb, Tuhotmos III in addition to king Tut Ankh Amun).

 

In view of her deep-rooted history and entrenched cultural heritage, Egypt revived the Alexandria library so as to be Egypt's window to the world and the world's window to Egypt. The library stands as a pioneering institute in the new digital era, and a centre for enhancing learning and reading the values of tolerance, dialogue and understanding. To this end, the library is not only a building, but rather a huge cultural edifice that comprises the following:

- A library that accommodates millions of books.

- Six libraries, namely an audio-visual library, a library for the deaf and the blind, a child library, a youth library, a microfilm library and a library for rare books.

- Three museums, including the antiquities museum, the manuscripts museum and science history museum.

- A dome.

- An exploration   hall for facilitating sciences for children.

- Three permanent exhibitions.

- Five halls for temporary artistic exhibitions.

- A conference hall, accommodating four thousand attendants.

- Seven research centers, covering the following fields:

* Manuscripts.

* Documentation of heritage.

* Calligraphy and writings.

* Informatics.

* Mediterranean and Alexandria studies.

* Arts.

* Scientific Research.

* A dialogue forum.

On October 16, 2007, Bibliotheca Alexandrina celebrated its fifth anniversary, with more than 300 celebrities including writers, men of letters, scientists, Nobel laureates, as well as friends of BA associations from all over the world.

During the celebration, many artistic, scientific and social activities were held, including showing a documentary about the library since its early beginnings and Aswan Declaration until its fifth anniversary, passing by all the conferences held by the library and the international celebrities that visited the library. In addition, the French film "The Golden Age of Islam" was shown, tackling the development of different branches of science through studying the works of famous Arab scientists.

 

BA has become a bridge of interaction among different cultures and civilizations; it receives thinkers, scientists and men of intellect and holds conferences and scientific, cultural and artistic seminars and remarkable events that totaled 550 this year, salient of which are as follows:

Among BA remarkable achievements comes the establishment of "Immortal Egypt" site that narrates the history of Egypt using the-state-of-the-art technology represented in high-resolution pictures, graphics, vertical surroundings, at-distance cameras and 3D patterns. The site, launched in three languages, present the largest amount of data, information and multimedia about the Egyptian civilization heritage.

 

 On October 3, 2006, a significant declaration was made as regards launching the simultaneous interpretation project via the Internet, under the sponsorship of the UN with the aim of providing vast information and knowledge in all languages. This project enables internet users to get the Arabic translation of any text via the internet.  

 

In March, 2004, the Arab Reform Conference came as one of the most major events sponsored by the BA, resulting in both the issuance of Alexandria Document that drew up trends of reform in the Arab World, and the establishment of Arab Reform Forum. It aims at expanding the vision of comprehensive Arab reform crystallized by the first reform conference and deepening this vision through more studies and consultations regarding reform issues in the Arab world.

 

On April 3, 2004, the BA Academy was established with the aim of breathing some life into the old library that contributed to building the community of major scientists. Thus, the Academy aims at enhancing distinction in sciences and arts, contributing to building strong international ties through fruitful cooperation among scientists, intellectuals and artists, disseminating the value of science, boosting openness on others' cultures through conducting dialogue among cultures as well as encouraging tolerance and rationalism.

On October 15-19, 2007, the general conference of the UNESCO was held in Paris and witnessed launching the World Digital Library (WDL) onto the Internet, as the product of cooperation between BA and the Library of the Congress.

The establishment of the million book project was established by the BA, in cooperation with its partners in China, India and the USA. The project aims at digitizing one million books during three years and launching them via the Internet so as to be available for millions of users.

 

During the first week of March, 2007, BA launched, in cooperation with the Development Gate Institution in Paris, the Arab digital version of the development gate. It is an electronic gate concerned with sustainable and comprehensive development.

 

The site documents very important stages of Egypt's history, starting from the era of Muhammad Ali. It comprises the largest collection of pictures, documents and the history of Egyptian sports clubs.

 

On October 24, 2007, "One Thousand Women for Peace" Exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of Mrs. Mubarak who appreciated the significant role undertaken by the Arab woman to achieve piece in the whole area. This project is a joint work between Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Swiss Embassy.

 

On the occasion of the 30^th anniversary since the inception of Aga Khan Institution Awards for Architectural Projects that serve Islamic societies, received by the BA in 2004, the BA hosted a two-day exhibition of Aga Khan Awards in Architecture. The exhibition comprised a huge collection of the 95 projects chosen from 28 countries over 30 years to get the Aga Khan Award. It also highlighted the lessons derived from such projects to preserve heritage, pinpointing that wealth is not a prerequisite to beauty and that elegance and high standard of architecture could be found in developing countries.

In addition, the BA organized an exhibition for displaying some of the works of the senior Egyptian architect, Hassan Fathi, in cooperation with the Arab World Institute in Paris. On October 25, 2007, the BA organized a seminar to celebrate the great artist Hassan Fathi who won Aga Khan award in architecture in 1980. The seminar shed light on many aspects of his life and work; his unique talent in combining between old building and designing methods and modern science as well as his pioneering role in using clay in such a matchless construction technology that suits the Egyptian environment.

 

The BA undertook a number of important activities as follows:

* Issuing and launching the first complete digital copy of the book "Description of Egypt."

* Placing book No. 55,555 on one of the BA shelves. It is a rare copy, issued in Germany in the 16^th Century of the famous book "Elements"(Al-'Anaser) by Iqleidus in the 3^rd Century BC. It is regarded as one of the valuable books ever written in the field of mathematics and geometry during the Hellenistic era.

* Launching the Arab version of "Woman for Sciences" Report.

* Launching the Arab version of "Women in an Un-safe World" conference issued by the Democratic Control Centre of the Armed forces in Switzerland and inaugurated in BA in 2006, concomitant with the inauguration of Peace Studies Center in BA.

* Organizing an international two-day conference entitled "Women in Sciences", attended by a galaxy of scientist, top figures and women leaderships from different countries. The conference gave a new dimension to the role undertaken by women in different scientific fields and the obstacles that hinder their way.

* Hosting the meeting of the Arab Network of Women in Sciences and Technology (ANWIST).

* Preparing for hosting Wikipedia Conference; the most significant multi-language encyclopedias. This Conference will be held in the BA's 4^th session in 2008; thus, Alexandria would be the first Arab and African city to host this annual conference.

 

In addition to being one of the important means of transforming thought and knowledge, cinema is also a means of recreation and communication. Over 100 years, the Egyptian cinema played a major role in determining the general features of the national and Arab personality in its different forms.

During 2007, the Egyptian cinema celebrated its centenary since its inception on June 20, 1907; that date that marked the production of the first Egyptian film that took shots of the visit of Khedive Abbass Helmi to the religious institute at Sidi Abul Abbass district in Alexandria.

Egyptian started acting when the first Egyptian actor Muhammed Karim stood in front of the camera in the movie called (Sharaf el Badawi) "The Honour of the Bedouine", in 1918. Then, the Egyptian cinema moved in great strides and proceeded forward with the return of director Muhammad Bayoumi from Germany in 1923; he produced the first long narrative film that was a silent movie called "In the Country of Tut Ankh Amun". Amun newsreel was the first one to be issued at the hand of Muhammed Bayoumi.

In 1927, two films were produced, namely (Qubla fi Al Sahara) "A kiss in the Desert" and "Laila". In 1932, the first speaking movie was produced, entitled (Aulad el Zawat) "Sons of the Upper Class" that marked the beginning of a new phase in the history of the Egyptian cinema.

In 1935, Tal'at Harb established Studio Misr and consequently, the cinema witnessed a tangible change. Subsequent to World War II, the number of Egyptian films produced annually witnessed a huge leap. With the eruption of the 23 July Revolution, the name of the film star affected the marketing of the film abroad in view of the public preference of a star more than another. During that period, many films that attack the British occupation were produced, namely "Mostafa kamel", (Allah Ma'ana) "God Be With Us" and (Rodda Qalbi) "Give me My Heart".

During the sixties, many remarkable films that achieved noticeable success were produced, namely (Fi Baytena Ragol) "A Man in Our House", (al-Qahera 30) "Cairo 30", (Al Haraam) " Impermissible", (Al Ard) "The Land" and (She' men al Khoaf) " A Bit of Fear". Other movies of historical value were produced such as "The Mummy" by Shady Abd el-Salam; this movie gained wide international recognition and won many awards, in addition to being chosen as one of the best 100 films all over the world.

During the 1980s a new group of academic directors; graduates of the Cinema Institute, took the lead in depicting Egyptian reality, such as Atef el Tayeb, Raafat al-Meihi and Khairi Beshara.

Since the 1990s, due attention has been paid to renovating the existing cinemas and establishing new ones.

Undoubtedly, some top figures left significant prints in the field of cinema, namely the director Youssef Shahine and the actors Omar al Sherif and Gameel Rateb.

 

During 2007, a seven-week tour was held for screening Egyptian movies abroad in addition to strong Egyptian participation in 21 international film festivals. On the other hand, many film festivals were held in Cairo as follows:

The 17^th round of the Cairo International Child Film Festival (1-8 March), with the participation of 42 Arab and foreign countries. The number of participating films hit 245. The festival honored some artists and stars who started their artistic career since their childhood.

- The 13^th Egyptian National Film Festival (22-30 April). A number of 136 narrative, documentary short and cartoon films participated in the festival.

- Fayyoum 4^th International Youth Film Festival (22-30 April) with the participation of 75 films from 8 counties. The Festival honored a galaxy of romantic film stars from different generations.

- The 11^th round of Ismailia Festival for Documentary, Narrative and Short Films (3-9 September). A number of 41 countries participated in the festival with 96 films in the official competition. Morocco was chosen as the festival guest of honour in this round.

- The 23^rd round of Alexandria International Film Festival (7-11 September). Some 25 countries participated in this round with 42 films. In addition, the festival witnessed, for the first time, the participation of 20 documentary and short narrative films that competed for the Digital Awards. The distinction of this round stems from the return of the Egyptian Cinema Panorama that has been suspended for four rounds.

- The 31^st round of Cairo International Film Festival, in which 55 countries participated with 160 films. The festival logo this year was Queen Isis carrying the pyramid.    

The festival celebrated the Egyptian cinema centenary and dedicated its round to the soul of late comic actor Naguib al Rihany. Unprecedentedly, Egypt participated with four films. Britain was chosen to be the guest of honour this year. 

 

"Reading For All" project, under the auspices of Mrs. Mubarak , stands as a vivid embodiment of the due care paid to enhancing culture and strengthening its role in building the aspired – for balanced personality capable of coping with the requirements and challenges of our modern age. The early beginnings of this remarkable project date back to (1991) with the initiative of "A Book For Each Child", that consequently gave rise to the huge cultural project of the family library  that started with issuing three series in 1994 , hitting now 58 series including various literary, scientific and heritage works , as well as books for youth and children , not to mention the world – famous masterpieces of literature. In 2007, the decision by the higher committee of "Reading for All" project, to change it from a summer festival into a non – stop national campaign, came to encourage all categories to read and make reading an entrenched habit inside youngsters, youth and adults.

 

Libraries … Integrated Cultural Centres

Libraries spread widely in all governorates. The traditional concept of the library changed from being merely a place trodden by books' seekers to integrated cultural centers. The Ministry of Culture adopts a plan to spread libraries in remote and deprived areas through establishing five to ten libraries annually. Till 2007, a number of 100 public and mobile libraries equipped with the- state-of–the–art technology were established and developed. In this vein, school libraries witnessed a remarkable development over the past years, culminating in the pioneering national project of school libraries that added hundreds of important titles to national and international publications, in an attempt to make libraries capable of coping with the latest developments.

  In May 2007, Mrs. Mubarak inaugurated Mubarak Public Library in Luxor. It houses a department for Egyptology, and is considered the first of its kind in Egypt. This department includes all publications, scientific studies and Egyptology- related encyclopedias. In addition, the library comprises a hall including all detailed charts of archeological sites in Egypt.

It comprises thousands of books, documents and rare manuscripts. Among its major activities comes the publication of original masterpieces. In September 2007, the international consultative committee of the world's memory programme, affiliated to the UNESCO agreed on including the collection of Persian manuscripts possessed by the General Authority of National Books and Documents House within the world's memory. Number of Persian manuscripts hit 1102 volumes, including 2208 titles on different aspects of knowledge (moral, social, political, literary or medical).

 

On January 23, 2007, President Mubarak inaugurated the 39^th session of Cairo International Book Fair that continued until February 4, 2007. Number of participating countries hit 26, including 10 foreign countries, while number of publishers totalled 667.

It is deemed one of the most significant Arab book fairs, besides its international status, in view of its importance, the number of books on display, the number of publishing houses and participant countries as well as its visitors. The fair was held for the first time in 1969 on the occasion of celebrating the 1000 anniversary of Cairo city, and it was a real success. Since then, the fair is held annually after becoming a great cultural festival trodden by millions of readers, Egyptian; Arab and foreign publishers as well as a galaxy of men of intellect, artists and cultured figures.

The name of the Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz was given to the 2007 session, as the man of the year.

A special stand was set up for displaying Naguib Mahfouz masterpieces in Arabic as well as all translated versions in different languages. Furthermore, many seminars were held, discussing his works and their major effect on social and political conditions. An exhibition was held for Nobel Laureate photo and personal possessions.

During the period (August 22- September 3, 2007) the 2^nd session of Alexandria Arab Book Fair was held in Qaitbey Citadel, with 16 participating Arab countries and 108 publishers. On the sidelines of the Fair, many cultural activities and seminars were held, discussing Naguib Mahfouz's stories and how Alexandria was presented in his works.

 

On December 4, 2007, Mrs. Mubarak inaugurated the 24^th session of Cairo International Child Book Fair which effectuations continued until December 14, 2007. The fair included many cultural and artistic activities, salient of which were theatrical shows, drawing workshops, calligraphy teaching groups, cultural, artistic, literary and scientific seminars in addition to thorough discussions on child books.

 

It started in 1995 with the aim of translating thousands of titles in different branches of knowledge, including world-famous masterpieces from about 30 languages. In 2006, a presidential decree was issued to establish the Translation National Center, to be the first of its kind in the Arab World as an institutional body assigned with accomplishing the main target of the translation national project. In this vein, more than 1200 titles were translated from 30 languages. In conformity with the president's electoral platform, the Translation National Center outlined a programme to translate 300 titles under six stages till the end of 2011. An amount of LE 10 million was allocated for the translation national project. This manifests the President's keenness on raising the citizens' cultural and intellectual awareness and enabling them to have access to the world's cultures and civilizations.

Egypt has been a cradle of literature since ancient times. Ancient Egyptians knew the art of the story and took it either as a source of fun or a literary means to deliver a message or a moral lesson. Autobiographies represented the most ancient type of literature during the old age.

Alexandria was a beacon of Greek literature. Narrative and lyric poetry appealed greatly to Alexandrians. The Coptic literature was highly affected by the Greek literature, the translation of the Bible is undoubtedly regarded as the most significant literary product by Egypt's Copts. By the advent and spread of Islam, Islamic literature flourished. In the Fatimid era, the literary movement prospered due to the Fatimids' noticeable care to libraries, books, poetry and oratory.

In the modern age, narrative literature, namely novels and short stories, advanced in great strides and the literary arena became a gathering of eminent men of letters and intellectuals such as Abbass Al-'Aqqad, Tawfiq al-Hakim, Ihsan Abd El Qoddous, the Noble Laureate Naguib Mahfouz, Taha Hussein, Dr. Muhammad Hussein Heikal, Tawfiq al-Hakeem , among other top figures in the field of literature.

During 2007, many literary events and activities were held, salient of which are as follows:

 

It was held in February, 2007 under the name of "Poetry in our life" with the participation of about 100 poets and researchers.

 

In March 2007, the Arabic Language Complex celebrated its diamond jubilee. It realized many of its objectives, namely setting up scientific and language terminology, safeguarding Arab heritage and boosting cultural activity.

 The 22^nd session of Egypt's Writers Conference was held during the period (November 14-17, 2007) under the title "Literature and Questions of Contemporary Reality". The conference was based on a number of pillars, namely the relation between literature and reality, the literary approach of Arab region issues, awareness of the future in Arab novels and man in literature, among others.

 

In November 2007, a four-day celebration was held, marking the 75^th anniversary of the death of poets Laureate Ahmad Shawqi and the Nile Poet Hafez Ibrahim. The celebration included many seminars about the two poets and their major works, with the participation of a galaxy of Egyptian critics.

 Since the Pharaonic era, music has received due care and attention. As days passed and at the beginning of the 19^th century, there were many attempts to present "home-made" music at the hands of Abdu el-Hamouli and Muhammad Othman. At the outset of the 20^th century, music composition emerged and the musical theatre appeared thanks to the remarkable efforts of Sheikh Salama Hegazy. The advent of Sayed Darwish led to a radical change in music.

In the mid 20^th century, music witnessed a clear boom, especially after the establishment of the Conservatoire Institute that contributed to boosting the musical movement by graduating talented musicians and maestros. Then, the Arab Music Troupe was formed in Cairo.

 Egypt is considered the first Arab and regional country to embrace an opera house. In October, 1988, President Mubarak inaugurated the New Opera House that comprises three theatres, namely the Grand Theatre that is dedicated for big-size shows and international troupes, accommodating 1200 seats, the Small Theatre dedicated for small-size shows, cultural events, and seminars, accommodating 500 seats, as well as the open theatre, accommodating 600 seats. The building also houses a hall for plastic arts, a library and a museum.

In January 2003, President Mubarak inaugurated the Alexandria Opera House that comprises a theatre accommodating 1000 seats, in addition to the Roman Theatre. In 2006, Damanhour Opera House was inaugurated after being renovated and developed according to the-state-of-the-art technology as regards sound, lightening and display systems.

The Opera House contributed to enhancing Egypt's cultural role on both regional and international levels through safeguarding musical heritage, thus maintaining the Arab identity. On the other hand, all artistic troupes, affiliated to the Opera House, namely Cairo Opera Troupe, Opera Ballet Troupe, Cairo Symphony Orchestra and Modern Theatrical Dancing Troupe, tour the world and compete on equal footing with international troupes to present their shows in different opera houses.

 

The festival was held during the period (July 22-26,2007), with the participation of singers from 44 countries including, for the first time, China, Switzerland, France and Germany. This round was dedicated to the great musician Muhammad Abd el-Wahhab.

 

This round was held in Hurghada from July 27 to July 30, 2007. Within the effectuations of this round, many parties were held with the participation of top Egyptian and Arab singers. The festival honoured the name of late musician Hassan Abul So'oud and the round was dedicated to his soul. In addition, the festival honoured late artists Ismail Yassin and Taheya Karyoke as well as the great director Youssef Shahin.

 

It was held from August 9 to August 14, 2007. The festival honoured the name of late musician Muhammad Al-Moagy in recognition of his role in developing and enriching Arab Music. On the sidelines of the festival, two seminars were held: one entitled "The Message of the Opera House in the Arab World to Elevate Public Taste", and the second "Absence of the Role of Productive Information Bodies in Traditional Arab Singing", with the participation of a galaxy of men of intellect.

It was held during the period (November 1-November 10, 2007) on the Opera House Grand Theatre with the participation of 20 countries, 15 singers and 15 Arab musical troupes.

 

Theatre was first introduced in Egypt by the advent of the French Expedition in 1798, and consequently the formation of Comedy Francaise" Comic troupe. In 1869, Khedive Ismail established the comic theatre and the Old Opera House that he prepared for the reception of the delegations participating in the outstanding celebrations he held on the occasion of the inauguration of the Suez Canal. In 1870, Khedive Ismail established another theatre, south of Al-Azbakeya Park, regarded as the first national theatre that presented its first shows in 1885. Since then and as time passed, the number of theatres increased, theatrical arts varied and consequently the number of troupes rose. Among the pioneers of theater in Egypt come George Abyad, Naguib Al Rihany, Youssef Wahby, Fatma Roshdy, and Salama Hegazy.

Ministry of Culture adopts a comprehensive plan to develop all existing theatres in Cairo and other governorates and back free theatrical troupes to intensify their distinguished shows.

- Hanager Center for Arts.

- Creativity Center Theatre.

It was held in March, 2007 with the participation of 11 Arab theatrical troupes. This round was dedicated to Lebanon.

It was held in June 2007 with the participation of 13 troupes from 5 countries, namely Egypt, Canada, France, Germany and Sweden.

It was held on September 1 and continued until September 10, 2007 with the participation of 50 Arab and foreign countries, presenting 85 shows. The festival issued 20 translated books about theatre and theatrical experimentalism.

 

It was held from September 1 to September 12, 2007. This round took place, with 30 theatrical shows participating. The best theatrical show award went to (Iklil Al-Ghar) "Laurel" Show by Al-Talee'a theatre troupe, the best theatrical script award to Yousry Al-Gendy for (AL Qadeya 2007) "Case 2007" and the best director award for Shady Sorour.

 

Held from November 11 to November 20, 2007. The festival is mainly concerned with shedding light on women directors' contribution in the field of theatre. A number of 11 theatrical shows participated in this round. The festival honoured many top women figures who contributed to promoting the art of theatre, namely the festival chairwoman Sameeha Ayoub, the name of late actress Mary Mounib, Dr. Hoda Wasfy; the director of Hanager Centre for Arts, the famous journalist Amaal Bakeer, the critic Fawzeya Mahran, the writer Fatheya Al-'Asaal, the actress Fardous Abd El Hameed and the critic Menha Al-Batrawy.

 

The Egyptian cultural life is teeming with pioneering plastic art movements that keep pace with international artistic trends. In this vein, many artistic museums were established so as to exhibit both the works of contemporary artists and the heritage of the pioneers.

 

The Symposium is regarded as an open workshop where artists work side by side, henceforth, exchanging different ideas and visions on their works. The 12^th round of the symposium was held from January 27 to March 17, 2007 with the participation of 15 artists from 6 countries, out of which 9 are from Egypt.

Within the framework of cooperation between Egypt and Italy, Egypt participated in November, 2007 in the exhibition of "Paul Gauguin… The Myth and the Dream" with the painting of "Death and Life" by Paul Gauguin.

It was held in November, 2007 upon an invitation by the Egyptian Cultural Office in Paris. It embraced 33 works of art by 15 artists in the field of graphics, oil painting, mosaic, sculpture and photography.

It was held in November, 2007, comprising 66 works of art by 7 artists who excelled in weaving genuineness with innovation, using different materials (silver, copper, semiprecious stones …).

 

It was held in March 2007. Its effectuations included the inauguration of the two murals of the Harram and Al-Sudan streets and the plastic art market in the Palace of Arts that comprised 495 works of art by 308 artists in the fields of photography, painting, sculpture, graphics and multimedia.

 

It was held with the participation of 40 artists from 14 countries, including 7 Arab countries. Participants presented their contributions in the fields of photography, engraving, sculpture and pottery.

Within the Biennial, an international seminar was held, entitled "University of Knowledge… Privacy of Culture". In addition, an exhibition for multimedia was held, as well as a workshop for children arts.  

The significance of folk arts stems from that fact that it is the expression of the ethos of the people. During the first half of the 20^th Century, folk arts were scattered in different areas. Thus, Zakareya el-Hegawy played a major role in collecting about 72 epics and presented some of them on radio such as (Mal'aeeb Sheeha, Ayyoub, and S'aad Al-Yateem).

In 1957, the Folk Arts Centre was established to be a scientific centre for documenting all kinds of folk heritage. Then, Redha Troupe for Folk Arts was established, followed by the National Troupe for Folk Arts in 1960.

In view of the unique importance of this art, due attention was paid to elevate the standards of shows and artists alike and to maximize troupes' participation in national and international events in a bid to boost interaction with different cultures and maintain the prestigious status of this art.