Selection of Nizar Qabbani’s Poems in New, Four-Volume Collection

Book, poems, Nizar Qabbani
Book, poems, Nizar Qabbani
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Selection of Nizar Qabbani’s Poems in New, Four-Volume Collection

Book, poems, Nizar Qabbani
Book, poems, Nizar Qabbani

Beirut’s Hachette Antoine/Naufal Publishing has recently released a new collection composed of four volumes featuring a selection of Nizar Qabbani’s poems. The four volumes focus on love, women, words, and revolution.

“Every title gives a glimpse about the poems selected for each volume. The books are introduced by authors and poets who loved Nizar Qabbani including Algerian author Ahlem Mosteghanemi, Bahraini poet Parween Habib, Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi, and Egyptian poet Hisham Algakh. The poems are not new, but a selection of Qabbani’s timeless poetry. The late poet left behind many works that have represented a reference and heritage for all Arabs,” the publisher says.

About the “She in his Poems” volume, the publisher adds: “The Arabic audience have known Nizar Qabbani’s poems in songs they became fond of. His easy words have always had great significance. They were simple enough to express the lightness and joy of love, and deep enough to alleviate its pains.

Words that called the beloved woman, pleaded for her kindness, and hailed her superiority like a center of attention and a refuge. Nizar’s words have pictured the woman as everlasting inspiration, unfailing beauty, irreplaceable value, and a living embodiment of kindness and beauty.

The collection includes a volume dedicated to poems that revolve around women. This volume was introduced by Majida El Roumi who sang some of the late poet’s works. “I loved her ideas, and the clarity of her mind before I could even love her voice, she resembles me in my depths as a rebel. She feels the words and delivers them in a remarkable manner,” the late Qabbani had said, describing Majida.



UNESCO Launches Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue in Arab Region

Participants and experts discussed Wednesday the state of Intercultural Dialogue in the Arab region, and the ways to promote it using the UNESCO framework
Participants and experts discussed Wednesday the state of Intercultural Dialogue in the Arab region, and the ways to promote it using the UNESCO framework
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UNESCO Launches Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue in Arab Region

Participants and experts discussed Wednesday the state of Intercultural Dialogue in the Arab region, and the ways to promote it using the UNESCO framework
Participants and experts discussed Wednesday the state of Intercultural Dialogue in the Arab region, and the ways to promote it using the UNESCO framework

The UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut has hosted a conference for the Arab regional launch of the UNESCO Framework for enabling Intercultural Dialogue, in close collaboration with the Anna Lindh foundation.

Participants and experts discussed Wednesday the state of Intercultural Dialogue in the Arab region, and the ways to promote it using the UNESCO framework.

Recognizing the potential for Intercultural Dialogue and the need for better data on Intercultural Dialogue to effectively tackle pressing global issues, UNESCO has developed the UNESCO Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue in partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Including data from over 160 countries, the Framework serves as a guide on how best to improve the structures, values and processes that enable Intercultural Dialogue, knowing that Intercultural Dialogue can be defined as a process undertaken to realize transformative communication that requires space or opportunities for engagement and a diverse group of participants committed to values such as mutual respect, empathy and a willingness to consider different perspectives. An important tool for peace, conflict prevention, fragility reduction, and human rights promotion, a knowledge gap on what makes dialogue effective has hindered our ability to use this tool until now.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Princess Rym Ali, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation said: “Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice. I am proud to share Anna Lindh's powerful words during the Arab regional launch of UNESCO's framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue in Lebanon. In our collaboration with UNESCO, we strive to foster intercultural understanding among Euro-Med youth. Together, let's uphold the shared values of diversity, inclusion, and equality, as we embark on this transformative journey.”

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human sciences Gabriela Ramos said that the region is rich in cultural heritage that reflects a wealth of diversity.

“From the Maghreb to the Arabic peninsula, the region holds one of the most ancient civilizations and is home to 450 million people. Despite this richness, the region is home to many of today’s global challenges ...Investing in Intercultural Dialogue is therefore a vital step towards building the trust and collective will to build a better future for all,” added Ramos.

“We now can prioritize and sequence investments to enhance dialogue for transformative impact. Today, we have the opportunity to take a significant step towards our goal, here in the Arab States, by using this initiative as a means to evaluate opportunities in the region for fostering intercultural dialogue and finding concrete ways to implement and contextualize this framework locally.”

Director of the UNESCO Regional Office Costanza Farina said: “As you may know that the Framework offers data sets and a rich analysis of key macro- and micro-level societal factors that create the space and opportunity for successful Intercultural Dialogue. According to its findings, the Arab region performs at different levels in Social Cohesion and Skills and Values. Inclusion, and Global Citizenship Education and Freedom of Expression are the areas which require more attention and hence actions.”

“In these consultations over next two days, we will share and use data and findings from the framework to deepen your collective analysis of gaps, challenges, and opportunities in the Arab region. In this regard, global conversations, and normative instruments such as the Mondialcult Declaration (2022) and Windhoek +30 Declaration (2021) respectively offer a robust policy framework for Intercultural Dialogue. Leveraging youth social innovation and skills enhancement is the core of the Youth Declaration of the recent Transforming Education Summit held in NY in September 2022. In this regard, youth perspectives in analyzing challenges and opportunities in the region and reflecting youth aspirations will be very important.”

“The key outcome of our consultations will be a roadmap which identifies priorities and actionable recommendations for the systemic use and operationalization of the Framework. The roadmap will enable the scaling up of a more sustainable intercultural dialogue in the Arab region.”

The Framework includes nine domains consisting of 21 indicators. Global, regional, and country level data on all nine domains can be accessed through the online platform for the Framework, serving as a guide on needs and priorities in regard to supporting intercultural exchange for policymakers. The first of its kind, the Framework provides stakeholders not only with an understanding of the environment behind intercultural dialogue, but also how to enable intercultural dialogue within their specific context. The Framework also shows for the first time the direct connection between peacefulness, conflict prevention and non-fragility, and human right protection with intercultural dialogue creating an additional incentive for countries to foster this important tool.


Marrakech to Host Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue

An aerial view of Jemaa el-Fna square and marketplace in Marrakech, Morocco November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg/File Photo
An aerial view of Jemaa el-Fna square and marketplace in Marrakech, Morocco November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg/File Photo
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Marrakech to Host Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue

An aerial view of Jemaa el-Fna square and marketplace in Marrakech, Morocco November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg/File Photo
An aerial view of Jemaa el-Fna square and marketplace in Marrakech, Morocco November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg/File Photo

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Morocco’s legislature are organizing the three-day Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue: Working together for our common future on June 13 in Marrakech.

The conference will be held under the patronage of King Mohammed VI and will bring together Speakers and members of parliament, religious leaders, representatives of civil society and experts to engage in constructive dialogue and share good practices in addressing key issues standing in the way of sustainable coexistence, according to a joint statement by the organizers.

The meeting is being held in cooperation with Religions for Peace, and with the support of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the Mohammadia League of Scholars.

The conference will offer an opportunity for participants to jointly explore action points for building more peaceful and inclusive societies and to develop a roadmap for joint action, the statement said.

During three days of debate, dialogue and reflection, participants will identify avenues of collaboration in areas such as peace and the rule of law, building a common future, gender equality and youth participation, trust and mutual recognition, solidarity, and inclusion, the statement stressed.

The conference will conclude with the adoption of a declaration.


Mawhiba Presents Saudi "Gifted Arabs" Initiative Outcome at Arab Education Conference

The two-day conference on the “Future of Education in the Arab World in the Digital Transformation Era” concluded in the capital of Morocco under the auspices of King Mohammed VI. SPA
The two-day conference on the “Future of Education in the Arab World in the Digital Transformation Era” concluded in the capital of Morocco under the auspices of King Mohammed VI. SPA
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Mawhiba Presents Saudi "Gifted Arabs" Initiative Outcome at Arab Education Conference

The two-day conference on the “Future of Education in the Arab World in the Digital Transformation Era” concluded in the capital of Morocco under the auspices of King Mohammed VI. SPA
The two-day conference on the “Future of Education in the Arab World in the Digital Transformation Era” concluded in the capital of Morocco under the auspices of King Mohammed VI. SPA

King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) presented on Tuesday the outcome of the “Gifted Arabs” initiative at the 13th Conference of Arab Ministers of Education in Rabat.

The two-day conference on the “Future of Education in the Arab World in the Digital Transformation Era” concluded in the capital of Morocco under the auspices of King Mohammed VI.

It was organized by Morocco’s Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports in cooperation with the National Commission for Education, Sciences and Culture and in partnership with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).

The “Gifted Arabs” initiative highlights Saudi leadership in nurturing talents as well as the role of Mawhiba foundation in nurturing the gifted worldwide through the top comprehensive program, said Mawhiba Secretary-General Dr. Amal bint Abdullah Al-Hazaa.

The initiative allows Mawhiba to share its well-established qualitative expertise with the relevant authorities in the Arab World to foster responsibility toward the scientific, technological, and knowledge requirements and challenges, Al-Hazaa added.

Dr. Khaled Al-Sharif, director general of Mawhiba’s Center of Excellence, presented the results of the initiative through its first and second rounds, given that the initiative has aimed at investing in the talented and creative young Arabs.

So far, the Saudi initiative has discovered 606 gifted people representing 16 Arab countries, Al-Sharif said. The initiative has provided the talented students with qualitative enrichment and academic programs to develop their knowledge and capabilities, he added.

Mawhiba explained the efforts made in all aspects to discover and nurture gifted students, according to its vision represented in empowering talent and creativity as a main source of human prosperity.


ICESCO, Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States Sign Cooperation Agreement

ICESCO, Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States Sign Cooperation Agreement
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ICESCO, Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States Sign Cooperation Agreement

ICESCO, Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States Sign Cooperation Agreement

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States have signed a new cooperation agreement to strengthen the existing partnership between the two institutions in areas of common interest.

The agreement was signed on behalf of ICESCO by its Director General Dr. Salim bin Mohammad Al-Malik, and on behalf of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States by its Director General Dr. Abdulrahman bin Mohammad Al-Assimi.

The agreement stipulates the joint organization of international workshops, seminars, and forums in the field of education, the launch of training programs and courses for teachers, the joint preparation of studies, and cooperation in the fields of educational technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

The agreement also aims to support scientific research in the field of education and encourage initiatives in open education, publications, publishing and translation, the establishment of networks for the development of technical, artistic and vocational education, and the development of educational systems in the countries of the Islamic world.


Presidency of Grand Mosque, King Salman Global Academy Sign MoU to Promote Arabic Language

Worshippers perform Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Worshippers perform Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Presidency of Grand Mosque, King Salman Global Academy Sign MoU to Promote Arabic Language

Worshippers perform Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Worshippers perform Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque signed a memorandum of understanding with King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language to promote the language, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The agreement will kick off activities, programs and training courses in Arabic language and calligraphy. It covers lessons and lectures in Arabic language at the Two Holy Mosques, writing and publishing Arabic books, and building written or audio linguistic blogs.

The MoU will enrich the experience of visitors of the Two Holy Mosques and Umrah pilgrims by teaching them the Arabic language and calligraphy.


On a Culinary Homecoming, Influencer Chefs Look to Perpetuate Palestinian Dishes 

Palestinian chefs from North America taste local Palestinian products as they explore the quality and richness of Palestinian products and sustainable agriculture, in Gaza City May 8, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinian chefs from North America taste local Palestinian products as they explore the quality and richness of Palestinian products and sustainable agriculture, in Gaza City May 8, 2023. (Reuters)
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On a Culinary Homecoming, Influencer Chefs Look to Perpetuate Palestinian Dishes 

Palestinian chefs from North America taste local Palestinian products as they explore the quality and richness of Palestinian products and sustainable agriculture, in Gaza City May 8, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinian chefs from North America taste local Palestinian products as they explore the quality and richness of Palestinian products and sustainable agriculture, in Gaza City May 8, 2023. (Reuters)

For Canadian celebrity chef Suzanne Husseini, a first culinary tour of the Palestinian territories was a chance to preserve and promote the dishes and folk-remedies of her ancestry.

During a farm-to-table tour of the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, Husseini and four other high-profile chefs encountered a Palestinian cuisine often unfamiliar to foreigners more accustomed to news of conflict with Israel.

"I'm back home, in Palestine, to follow, to see, to explore and document and research and reconnect with my people, with the land, with the farms, with the food - because food is my language," said Husseini, whose family comes from a town near the West Bank city of Nablus.

The tour was sponsored by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with a view to expanding the international appeal of Palestinian cuisine despite the relative scarcity and expense of some of its ingredients.

The chefs, with Palestinian roots, focused on traditional techniques such as how to turn the poisonous dark purple Palestine lily, which blooms in the spring, into an ingredient for soups and a traditional medicine.

They also learned about the nutritional benefits of "freekeh", wheat picked while still green, smoked to retain its natural proteins and served like rice.

Mirna Bamieh, a chef and founder of the Palestine Hosting Society, which curates and seeks to revive traditional Palestinian recipes, discovered a local variant of the "kubeh" meat dumpling frequently associated with Kurdish kitchens.

"It was super fascinating because you know, we always think that we don't have a kubeh culture in Palestine,” Bamieh said.

Ismail Abu Arafeh, head of Solutions Mapping at the UNDP, said the tour gave the chefs a window into the wider culture of Palestinians amid their decades-old struggle for statehood.

"They want to see the history, the cultural significance, but also, most importantly, the nutritional value of what these old dishes bring," he added, suggesting the process could "position Palestine as a niche market that serves really the old traditional ways of production".


Egypt Commemorates 118th Anniversary of Heliopolis

Baron Empain palace's in Heliopolis. (Shutterstock)
Baron Empain palace's in Heliopolis. (Shutterstock)
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Egypt Commemorates 118th Anniversary of Heliopolis

Baron Empain palace's in Heliopolis. (Shutterstock)
Baron Empain palace's in Heliopolis. (Shutterstock)

Egypt held weeklong celebrations to mark the 118th anniversary of Heliopolis, or New Egypt, one of the capital Cairo’s most famous neighborhoods.

During Heliopolis Week, the ministries of tourism and communications organized a cultural and arts festival at the Granada Palace to highlight historic events from the neighborhood.

Heliopolis was established by Belgian Baron Édouard Empain in 1905 after the “Heliopolis Oases Company”, currently known as the “Heliopolis Company”, signed a contract to construct a railway line linking the Cairo city center to New Egypt. Empain began building the neighborhood over an area of 25 square kilometers and he later named it Heliopolis.

In a speech at a festival marking the end of Heliopolis Week on Thursday, Ahmed Issa, minister of Tourism and Antiquities, said: “New Egypt was born in the Cairo desert and it boasts several unique breathtaking sights, such as castles, gardens and places of worship.”

Cairo enjoys unique tourism characteristics that can transform it into one of the world’s greatest tourism cities, he stressed.

The Baron Empain palace is a major historic building in Heliopolis, a landmark, and a tourist attraction in the Egyptian capital, he noted.

In 2020, the Egyptian government opened the palace after renovation and development, and turned it into a museum that highlights the history of Heliopolis.

Built by the Barron on Salah Salem street on an area of 12,500 square meters, the palace dates back to 1911. French Architect Alexander Marcel was inspired from the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, and the Odisha Hindu temples.

Empain lived in the palace, whose belongings were auctioned in the early 1950s. It remained neglected until its ownership was transferred to the Egyptian culture ministry in 2007. Its renovation was completed in 2020.

The Heliopolis Heritage Foundation organized Heliopolis Week under the sponsorship of different government agencies. The festival was aimed at “putting Heliopolis on the tourism map,” according to officials at the ministry of antiquities and tourism.

The festival included seminars and panel discussions about the history of Heliopolis, and how to revive historic buildings and areas to boost tourism. It also included art exhibitions that highlighted the history of the neighborhood.

Issa said these activities “help shed light on the historic and touristic landmarks in Egypt,” noting recent renovations and restorations in several regions that will help boost the sector.

Egypt plans to attract 30 million foreign tourists by 2028 through the National Tourism Strategy that calls for developing aviation and improving the quality of services in the tourism sector.

Issa had previously revealed tourism to Egypt had grown by 43 percent in the first three months of 2023 compared with the same period last year. Fifteen million tourists are expected by the end of the year.


Egypt Unveils Recently Discovered Ancient Workshops, Tombs in Saqqara Necropolis

An Egyptian antiquities worker brushes a recently unearthed embalming bed at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, May 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
An Egyptian antiquities worker brushes a recently unearthed embalming bed at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, May 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
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Egypt Unveils Recently Discovered Ancient Workshops, Tombs in Saqqara Necropolis

An Egyptian antiquities worker brushes a recently unearthed embalming bed at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, May 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
An Egyptian antiquities worker brushes a recently unearthed embalming bed at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, May 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian antiquities authorities Saturday unveiled ancient workshops and tombs they say were discovered recently at a Pharaonic necropolis just outside the capital Cairo.

The spaces were found in the sprawling necropolis of Saqqara, which is a part of Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the workshops had been used to mummify humans and sacred animals. They date back to the 30th Pharaonic Dynasty (380 BC to 343 BC) and Ptolemaic period (305 BC to 30 BC), he said.

Inside the workshops, archaeologists found clay pots and other items apparently used in mummification, as well as ritual vessels, Waziri said.

The tombs, meanwhile, were for a top official from the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt, and a priest from the New Kingdom, according to Sabri Farag, head of the Saqqara archaeological site.


Iconic Beirut Museum Reopens 3 Years after Massive Damage from Port Blast

Guests tour the Sursock Museum's exhibitions after relaunching an opening event for the iconic venue in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Guests tour the Sursock Museum's exhibitions after relaunching an opening event for the iconic venue in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Iconic Beirut Museum Reopens 3 Years after Massive Damage from Port Blast

Guests tour the Sursock Museum's exhibitions after relaunching an opening event for the iconic venue in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Guests tour the Sursock Museum's exhibitions after relaunching an opening event for the iconic venue in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Lebanon’s Sursock Museum has reopened to the public, three years after a deadly explosion in Beirut's port — set off by tons of improperly stored chemicals — reduced many of its treasured paintings and collections to ashes.
The reopening Friday night offered Beirut residents a rare bright spot in a country reeling from a crippling economic crisis that has left around three-quarters of Lebanon's population of 6 million in poverty.
Originally built as a private villa in 1912 on a hilltop overlooking the city’s Ashrafieh neighborhood, the opulent residence integrated Venetian and Ottoman styles. Its owner, famed Lebanese art collector Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock, bequeathed his beloved home to his people, to be tuned into a contemporary art museum upon his death in 1952.
The museum housed Lebanese art dating back from the late 1800s, including the work of distinguished painter Georges Corm and Fouad Debbas’ library of 30,000 photographs — one of the largest private photo collections. The photos are from across the Levant, a region encompassing countries along the eastern Mediterranean, from Turkey to Egypt, from 1830 until the 1960s. In 2008, a seven-year project renovated and expanded the museum, relaunching it in 2015.
But the Aug. 4, 2020 blast in Beirut's port — only about 800 meters (875 yards) away — hit the museum fully front on. Its stained glass windows were shattered, doors were blown out, and almost half the artwork on display was damaged. The explosion ripped through much of Beirut, killing more than 200 people and injuring over 6,000.
The destruction was unprecedented, said museum director Karina El Helou, a level unseen even during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. Seventy percent of the building was badly damaged, as were 66 of the 132 art pieces on display, she said. Glass shards tore through Dutch artist Kees Von Dongen’s portrait of Nicolas Sursock.
Two months after the explosion, then-museum director Zeina Arida launched a fundraising campaign, estimating the damages to be around $3 million at the time. The museum eventually raised over $2 million to restore the building and the artwork with support from Italy, France, UNESCO and various private organizations.
The restoration was long and painstaking work. Sursock's portrait was taken to Paris, along with two other art pieces, and restored there. Experts from Lebanon and abroad flocked to the museum to piece together damaged terracotta sculptures and fix tears and scratches that had marred the paintings. Dust and debris from the explosion were carefully removed to bring back the splendor of many items.
“White powder from the blast that we saw everywhere in Beirut even reached our storage room four stories underground," The Associated Press quoted El Helou as saying. She hopes the reopening will boost the morale of many Lebanese amid the country's economic meltdown — and offer a “safe space” for free expression.
Art is now more important than ever, she added. “In the face of darkness, (artists) fought through art and culture," she said.
Dozens gathered in Sursock's large, tree-lined courtyard on Friday evening, serenaded by a choir and a band performing on the entrance stairs for the reopening. The museum, looking almost exactly as it did before the blast, drew sighs of appreciation. Others remembered how much Beirut has withered since then and how scores of artists have left the country.
“I now hope all the friends of the Sursock who may have left Lebanon in recent years at least come back to visit us,” the museum's chairman, Tarek Mitri, told The Associated Press as he greeted guests.
The Sursock Museum was not the only art space damaged in the port explosion and restored in the years since.
Marfa Projects, a gallery close to one of the port's entrances, was eventually rebuilt and reopened. Others, like the Saifi Urban Gardens, a family run hostel that over the years has become a vibrant cultural hub with art studios and an exhibition space, were destroyed and closed for good.
Without financial support, many heritage buildings, including Ottoman-era houses built in the 19th century and damaged in the blast, could ultimately be sold to developers. Lebanon's cash-strapped government has been unable to fund major restoration projects.
Mona Fawaz, professor of urban studies and planning at the American University of Beirut, said the Sursock Museum's ability to raise funds through its networks and management is a valuable lesson for others.
“I think it's good to think of it as potentially one of our rare success stories,” Fawaz said.
At Friday's reopening, visitors could view five new exhibitions of both classical and modern art — a testament to Lebanon's artistic and cultural history and the perseverance of its people despite the country's troubled past.
One of the exhibits, titled “Ejecta,” is set up in a darkened room where a video and an audio recording reflect on the port blast. Zad Moultaka, the artist behind the installation, said he hoped it would inspire people to turn their dark thoughts about that day into hope for the future.
“Throughout the days of the civil war, we always found a way to rise up," he said.
"But my initial feeling after the blast was doubt. I wondered if we will be able to persevere after what happened," Moultaka added.


Saudi Arabia Achieves Two Advanced Places in Khalifa Award for Education

Saudi Arabia Achieves Two Advanced Places in Khalifa Award for Education
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Saudi Arabia Achieves Two Advanced Places in Khalifa Award for Education

Saudi Arabia Achieves Two Advanced Places in Khalifa Award for Education

Saudi Arabia has achieved two advanced places at the Arab world level in the 16th session of Khalifa Award for Education, announced in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Nuha bint Mohammad Al-Rifaei from Makkah Education Directorate won the Khalifa Award for Creative Teacher in Public Education, while Qassim University has won an Excellence Award in Educational Research.

The Khalifa Award for Education is among the most prestigious awards in the Arab world, aiming to enhance education in the region by honoring and rewarding distinguished educators.