2008 Arab Capital of Culture

2008 Arab Capital of Culture

Dates	2008
Location(s)	Damascus, Syria
Website
http://damascus.org.sy/index.php

The 2008 Arab Capital of Culture was chosen to be Damascus, Syria. The Arab Capital of Culture is an initiative undertaken by UNESCO,^[1] under the Cultural Capitals Program, to promote and celebrate Arab culture and encourage cooperation in the Arab region. The preparation for the festivity began in February 2007 with the establishing of the Administrative Committee for “Damascus Arab Capital of Culture" by a presidential decree.

Events

The festival's events included:

January

Naseeb, a musical concert by Abed Azrie.^[2]

February

Sah al-Nom, a musical by the Lebanese legendary diva Fairouz.^[3]
Doxbox: Festival of Documentary Film, the first Documentary film festival in the middle east.^[4]
Opera of Carmen, by George Bizet.^[5]
An oud concert by Anouar Brahem.^[6]

March

A musical concert by the Orchestra of Mari.^[7]
Bahok, a dance performance by Akram Khan.^[8]
House of Cinema, a celebration of Arab cinema.^[9]
World Poetry Day, a series of poetry workshops in celebration of the World Poetry Day.^[10]

April

A musical concert by Italian opera orchestra I Solisti Veneti.^[11]

May

Women Sing... Their Voices Converse, a music performance by Arab female musicians at Azm Palace.^[12]

June

The Return of Ali Bey, a street theatre and music performance about Ali Bey al-Abbasi.^[13]
Just Flamenco, a Flamenco performance by Spanish bailora Isabel Bayon.^[14]
In Tribute to World Refugee Day, a concert by Naseer Shamma.^[15]

July

World Music Nights, a series of concerts by groups from different parts of the world, with focus on ethnic music. The concerts included Dhafer Youssef, Pink Martini, Faudel, Johnny Clegg, Angelique Kidjo, Lena Chamamyan and Tinariwen.
Classical Music Nights, a series of classical music concerts in tribute to Solhi al-Wadi.^[16]
The Falcon: Abdulrahman al-Dakhel, a dance show by the Syrian dance group Inana about Abd ar-Rahman I, the first Umayyad Caliphate in Spain.^[17]
Julio Iglesias performing at the Roman theatre of Bosra.^[18]

August

A series of concerts by the Lebanese musician Ziad Rahbani at the Citadel of Damascus. It was the first time Rahbani performs in Syria.^[19]
The Festival of Oak of Mallajeh, the 12th edition of this annual cultural festival was held under the patronage of Arab Capital of Culture festival.^[20]

September

Spiritual Music Days, a series of concerts by a number of traditional and spiritual musical groups.^[21]
Memory Club hosts Colette Khoury, an event and talk by the Syrian writer.^[22]

October

Zenobia, an opera by Luca Antonio Predieri about the Zenobia, the Syrian queen of Palmyra.^[23]
A series of concerts by Lebanese artist Julia Boutros at the Citadel of Damascus.^[24]
An Orient of Palaces: Claude Shaeffer and the Royal Palace of Ugarit, an exhibition at the National Museum of Damascus.^[25]

November

World Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum, an exhibition.^[26]^[27]
Damascus International Film Festival, in its 16th edition was held under the patronage of the festival.^[28]
Contract, a dance performance by the Myosotis Dance Theatre Group.^[29]

December

An adaption of A Streetcar Named Desire directed by Ghassan Massoud.^[30]
Aramel on the Bicycle, a play by Jawad al-Assadi.^[31]
And we also love life... a tribute to Mahmoud Darwish, a series of concerts by Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife. The tour included in addition to Damascus concerts in the cities of Latakia, Homs and Aleppo.^[32]

References

External links

Official Website of Damascus Arab Capital of Culture 2008

Arab Capital of Culture

Damascus

Historic and
other landmarks

Madrasas

Mosques

Churches

Chapel of Saint Ananias
Chapel of Saint Paul
Mariamite Cathedral
Cathedral of the Dormition of Our Lady

Historic gates

Souqs and khans

Culture and
education

National Museum of Damascus
Al-Assad National Library
Damascus Opera House
Damascus University
Syrian Virtual University
International University for Science and Technology
Syrian Private University
Arab International University
Higher Institute of Business Administration
Higher Institute for Applied Science and Technology
National Institute of Administration
Damascus Community School
Lycée Charles de Gaulle
Russian Embassy School in Damascus
Shami Hospital

Entertainment

Streets and squares

Nature

Sport

Venues	Abbasiyyin Stadium Al-Fayhaa Stadium Al-Jalaa Stadium Tishreen Stadium Al-Muhafaza Stadium Al-Fayhaa Sports Arena

Clubs	Al-Majd SC Al-Jaish SC Al-Shorta SC Al-Wahda SC Al-Muhafaza SC Barada SC Nidal SC

Municipal districts

Historical timeline

Category:Damascus

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