Greek Community of Alexandria

Author: Athanasios Koutoupas

  • Egyptian artist hopes for record with 700-meter Koran

    Egyptian artist hopes for record with 700-meter Koran

    An Egyptian artist who educated himself after dropping out of school has spent three years creating what he hopes is the world’s biggest Koran.

    Saad Mohammed, who has hand-painted Islamic motifs on the walls and ceilings of his home in the town of Belqina, north of Cairo, has reproduced the Muslim holy book on a paper scroll 700 meters long.

    He displays the intricately decorated manuscript in a large wooden box with rollers at each end.

    “This Koran is 700 meters long, and of course that’s a large amount of paper,” he told Reuters Television. “I self-funded this project for the past three years – and I’m an average person. I don’t have assets or anything.”

    Mohammed wants to submit his Koran for inclusion in Guinness World Records. Guinness says that while there is a record for the world’s biggest printed Koran, there is so far no record holder for the largest handwritten version.

    Mohammed says he is hoping for help with the costs of applying to Guinness from the government or any other interested party.

    (www.reuters.com)

  • Egyptian archaeologists unearth tomb of 18th Dynasty magistrate in west Luxor

    Egyptian archaeologists unearth tomb of 18th Dynasty magistrate in west Luxor

    An Egyptian archaeological mission in Luxor has announced the discovery of a major tomb in the city’s west bank area dating back to the 18th Dynasty and containing priceless artefacts.

    Mostafa Waziry, Director General of Luxor Antiquities, told reporters on Tuesday that the tomb, which was unearthed in the Deraa Abu El-Nagaa necropolis, most likely belonged to the city’s counsullor Usrhat.

    The New Kingdom funerary collection includes dozens of statues, coffins and mummies.

    Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany told Ahram Online that, despite the tomb’s small size, it represents an important discovery due to the funery collection being largely intact.

    Waziry, who heads the Luxor achaeological mission, told Ahram Online that the tomb was first mentioned in the early 20th century but it had never been excavated before because its entrance was only located in March.

    He said that, despite having been reused in the Late Period, the tomb still contains most of its original funery collection.

    The contents include well-preserved wooden coffins decorated with coloured scenes, as well as wooden funerary masks and almost 1,000 ushabti figurines carved in faience, terra-cotta and wood. Also found was a collection of clay pots of different shapes and sizes.

    The tomb is a typical example of a nobleman’s resting place, Waziry said, with a t-shaped structure consisting of an open court leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor and an inner chamber.

    Excavations continue to reveal the tomb’s secrets, with an inner chamber containing a cachette of sarcophagi from the 21st Dynasty with mummies wrapped in linen. Experts are examining the mummies to discover the identities of the dead and the reasons for their deaths.

    A nine-metre-deep shaft was also uncovered, connected to two rooms.

    (english.ahram.org.eg)

  • 7th Edition of Nassim El Raqs

    7th Edition of Nassim El Raqs

  • Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2017: Youthful, Alternative, Political

    Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2017: Youthful, Alternative, Political

    Since its inception in 1955 the “Athens and Epidaurus Festival” was staged at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in an attempt to bridge modern recollections of antiquity with contemporary artistic output. In recent years the Festival forged a modern identity opening up to cutting-edge international productions, and promoting young Greek artists who have something to say to contemporary audiences.

    Throughout this summer, the Festival will present a rich programme of open-air theatre, ancient drama, opera, classical music, concerts and dance performances at landmark locations in Athens and Epidaurus. Its new identity – a festival that is inclusive, that reflects its host city, and that brings the livelier aspects of society back into play is being enhanced this year launching a series of new sections, collaborations, and openings, which according to the Festival’s artistic director, Vangelis Theodoropoulos will “hopefully revitalize the Greek performing scene and over time bear fruit and become established parts of the Festival,” adding that its intention is to be “able to give a first taste of the direction in which we are interested, an initial positioning -youthful, alternative and at the same time political.”

    This year will see the launch of the Epidaurus Lyceum, an international summer school of ancient Greek drama intended for drama school students and young actors from all over the world. The 2017 Epidaurus performances and the courses on offer at the Epidaurus Lyceum, as well as other relevant activities will fall under a common theme. With the migrant and refugee crisis continuously testing and trying the identity of Western societies, this year’s umbrella title for all Epidaurus and Lyceum productions is “The Arrival of the Stranger” as reflected in ancient texts and in the interplay of ancient drama and the historical present.

    This year will also see the launch of another important new section of the Festival: “Opening to the City”. Encompassing performances and events at non-theatrical spaces, site-specific, poetic and musical performances, and activist interventions in dodgy or run-down areas of the city, this section seeks to counteract the increasingly withdrawn and introspective stance of society, responding to the fear of diversity, and taking a stand against parochial, insular, and racist attitudes at large.

    The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus will feature works by both accomplished and emerging Greek directors. The Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus will host productions with a more alternative take on ancient drama, including a Festival d’Avignon production, directed by Olivier Py. The stages of Peiraios 260 will be dedicated, as usual, to contemporary theatre and dance productions. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus will host principally musical productions, including operas, orchestras, and concerts of classical, modern Byzantine, folk, and contemporary Greek music.

    In an outgoing spirit that looks to connect the Athens and Epidaurus Festival with other institutional actors, the Festival also renewed its cooperation with the Athens International Film Festival “Opening Nights”, for the purposes of the Athens Open Air Film Festival. This year, with the support of the British Council, the Athens Open Air Film Festival has prepared a tribute to mystery, horror and dark surprises to turn your summer night on their heads! Gothic horror and romance stories based on the darkest fears and desires will be the cinematic myths featured in «British Gothic».

    As for the international program, it will include a multifaceted tribute to the world-famous Volksbühne, featuring three major productions, among which a performance by its outgoing artistic director, Frank Castorf, who ran the historic Berlin theatre for 25 years. 

    The Epidaurus programme will come to an end with a closing celebration at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus on Saturday 19 August, featuring music and dances from the Peloponnese region.

    (www.greeknewsagenda.gr)