With the advent of World Heritage Day on 18 April, Egypt will be celebrating the nation's rich and diverse culture of folk arts and crafts with a range of stimulating events. Backed by the Ministry of Culture, several venues in Cairo will be providing craft shows, photo exhibitions and folk performances over a period of several days. We look at four venues with a lot to offer the folk culture enthusiast. Cairo Opera House The El-Hanager Arts Center will be hosting a number of events, including a two-day exhibition by the Siwa Shop for Hand Craft, from 18 and 19 April, starting at 1 pm each day. There will also be authentic handicrafts from Halayeb, Shalateen and Fayoum on display. El-Hanagar will also be holding a photography exhibition based around Egypt's religious moulid festivals. The Egypt National Folklore Troupe will make an appearance on 18 April, putting on a dance show starting at 5 pm. On April 19th, at 6 pm, there will be a puppet performance, including traditional Egyptian shadow puppets and the famous Aragouz character. The Museum of Islamic Arts The museum will put on several folk handicraft workshops on 18 April, between 10 am and 2 pm, along with various live performances. Among the highlights will be the whirling "tanoura" dance and music played on the mizmar, Egypt's famous wind instrument. The Arts Academy The academy will open its premises in Haram district at 11 am on World Heritage Day, with a full program of events planned. The celebration kicks off with music on the mizmar and drums, followed by the inauguration of a photo exhibition. The famous Aragouz puppet will make an appearance, after which there will be stick-dancing from Sohag governorate. The day ends with one hour of enchanting and authentic folk music from Rayes Zakaria and his band, based around El-Semsemya tunes. Prince Taz Palace Last but not least, this Mediaeval palace in historic Cairo will be putting on a photo exhibition titled Minarets and Bells in Egypt's Sky, running from from 21 to 28 April.
