Minister of Culture attends Souk Okaz Festival’s closing ceremony

CAIRO – 12 July 2018: Minister of Culture, Inas Abdel Dayem, attended Tuesday the closing ceremonies of the cultural and artistic activities presented by Egypt as the honor guest at the 12th edition of Souk Okaz Festival in Al-Taif city, Saudi Arabia, according to the Ministry of Culture's press release.

Abdel Dayem inspected the preparations of the cultural activities of the festival, held under the supervision of General Supervisor of the Cultural Affairs Abdullah al-Kanani.


Minister of Culture, Inas Abdel Dayem, attended Tuesday the closing ceremonies of the cultural and artistic activities presented by Egypt as the honor guest at the 12th edition of Souk Okaz Festival-The Supreme Council of Culture's official Facebook

In a press conference held on the sidelines of the closing ceremonies, the minister highlighted the ways to enhance the cultural and artistic cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, ensuring that the intellectual heritage of the two peoples should be preserved; the festival is an important historical hub that gathers writers, intellectuals and artists from all over the Arab world.

Abdel Dayem indicated that choosing Egypt to be the festival’s guest of honor for the first time reflects the strong relations between the two countries.

Minister of Culture, Inas Abdel Dayem, attended Tuesday the closing ceremonies of the cultural and artistic activities presented by Egypt as the honor guest at the 12th edition of Souk Okaz Festival-The Supreme Council of Culture's official Facebook
The press conference was followed by a concert, presented by The Arab Music Ensemble and led by Maestro Mostafa Hilmi; Saudi singer Rami Abdullah and the stars of Egypt’s Opera House, including the violinists Hazem al-Qasabji and Mohammad Zuhair, guitarist Wahid Mamdouh and Oud players Mahmoud Abdel Fattah, Hamada and Wael el-Naggar participated in the concert.

During Souk Okaz Festival that kicked off on June 28, Egypt organized several cultural seminars, poetry evenings, photo exhibitions, and a series of artistic concerts held in Jeddah, Abha, Taif and Al-Dammam.