In a press release by the Cairo Opera House, Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem announced that the ‘Luxor: The Capital of Arab Culture’ festival, which is taking place from March 15-18, will be under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. At 4 pm, Hantour carriages will perform the classic ‘Luxor Baladna’ (Luxor, our country) – a rendition based on a classic Egyptian song – and will roam the streets. The Arab Arts Capital is a title given by the standing Committee on Arab Culture, which is a committee chosen and agreed upon by the ministers of culture in all Arab countries, in collaboration with UNESCO. Last year, Safakis in Tunisia was the capital, and the next capital of arts is Wagda in Morocco. The first ever Arab capital of Culture was Cairo in 1996.

Source: Egypt Independent March 12, 2018 13:41 UTC