Luxor :The new Arab capital for arts

CAIRO- 11 March 2017: Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi approves that Luxor becomes the capital of arts and culture during a period running from March 15 to March 18, according to a released statement by the Cairo Opera House on Sunday.

The four-days period will be celebrated through various culture activities across several villages and cities in Luxor. The events are conducted as collaboration between Culture Minister Ines Abdeldayem and Luxor governor Mohamed Badr.

The city of Oujda located in Morocco has been declared the previous capital for arts and culture in the MENA region, the statement read.

Mohamed Mounir is set to perform at the Karnak Temple on March 18 as part of a ceremony celebrating Luxor being the Arab Cultural Capital for the year 2017, before handing the Arab Cultural Capital flame to the city of Oujda, Morocco for 2018.

The Arab Cultural Capital is a title given by the standing Committee on Arab Culture, which is a committee chosen and agreed on by the ministers of culture in all Arab countries. The title is given to a different city of a different country each year, as it aims to encourage cultural exchange and expand cultural activities in the Arab world.

Egyptian Minister of Culture Ines Abdeldayem has organized a huge ceremony to hand the Arab Cultural Capital flame from Luxor to Oujda, and she invited famous Egyptian pop star Mohamed Mounir, known as “the King”, to perform a special show for the historical event.