Sixth Edition of Cairo Int’l Forum for Arabic Calligraphy Celebrates the Pioneers

Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Sixth Edition of Cairo Int’l Forum for Arabic Calligraphy Celebrates the Pioneers

Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Artwork by Mohammed Al-Arabi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The sixth edition of the Cairo International Forum for the Art of Arabic Calligraphy is celebrating pioneers in the field.

These pioneers have laid the technical foundations of this art form in several Arab and foreign countries.

“Teach by the Pen” is organized by the Cultural Development Fund of the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the Egyptian Association for Arabic Calligraphy, the Fine Arts Sector and the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector.

Held at the Palace of Arts, it will run from June 1-7.

At total of 153 artists from 18 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Yemen, China, Indonesia, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Tanzania, Lebanon and Egypt will participate in the forum. This year’s event will feature workshops, scientific seminars, documentaries and art exhibitions.

The forum bears the name of the great Arabic calligrapher Yusuf Ahmed, who is considered among the pioneers of Kufic calligraphy in the modern era.

A documentary film dedicated to his lifelong contributions to calligraphy will be screened, and his paintings will be exhibited. The forum will also honor Emirati calligrapher Fatima Al-Baqali, Jordanian calligrapher Ibrahim Abu Touq and Egyptian artists Ahmed Al-Masry and Mustafa Al-Omari.



Heat Wave Forces Iran to Shutter Government Offices and Banks

 An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Heat Wave Forces Iran to Shutter Government Offices and Banks

 An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

A heat wave blanketing Iran has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities Saturday and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter the following day as hospitals receive over 200 people for heatstroke treatment.

The temperature ranged from 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 42 C (about 107 F) in the capital, Tehran, according to weather reports.

State-run IRNA news agency said banks, offices, and public institutions across the country would close on Sunday to protect people’s health and conserve energy, due to extreme temperatures and that only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded.

Babak Yektaparast, Spokesman for the country’s emergency department told the semi-official Mehr news agency 225 people had to seek medical help for heatstroke, adding that some had to be hospitalized.

Mehr also cited Sadegh Ziaian, an official at the National Meteorological Organization, as saying Saturday that the temperature reached over 45 C (113 F) in 10 Iranian provinces, with the highest temperature of 49.7 C (about 121 F) recorded in the last 24 hours in Delgan, the southeastern city in Sistan and Baluchistan province which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He added a drop in temperature was expected Monday, with the heat letting up a bit, but still, he warned that “this does not mean that the air will cool down.”

Authorities also cut working hours on Saturday in many provinces due to the sweltering heat, IRNA reported, adding that high temperatures, over 40 C (104 F), have been registered in Tehran since Friday. Iranian media also warned people to stay indoors until 5 pm local time.

Authorities also said electricity consumption reached record levels of 78,106 megawatts on Tuesday, as the scorching heat persisted and people tried to stay cool.

Nournews, close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported Wednesday that Iran’s temperature is rising at twice the pace of the global temperature which has increased by more than one degree compared to the long-term average. Meanwhile, Iran has become warmer by 2 degrees over the past 50 years, the agency said.

Last year, Iran ordered a two-day nationwide holiday due to increasing temperatures.