Legends of the temple The Karnak Temple in Luxor bears testimony to the magnificence of ancient Egypt; according to Luxor governor Tarek Saadeddin, “the city of Luxor started preparations to celebrate the inclusion of the temple's covered hall of pillars in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest ancient temple complex.” Saadeddin adds that the hall is regarded as a masterpiece and one of the greatest architectural achievements in history. The celebrations are organised in collaboration with the Tourism Activation Authority. Though it is difficult to estimate its original size in its present, shrunken state, early records state that Karnak was once a very large complex where many temples reflected the skills of generations of Egyptian builders. The building that still stands among the ruins of Karnak is the Great Hypostyle Hall, an area of some 50 thousand square feet, where 134 gigantic columns set in 16 rows once support a roof. On the occasion of the 68th India Independence Day, a flag hoisting ceremony was organised at India House in Zamalek, where Ambassador Navdeep Suri and his wife Mani raised the tri-colour and read out the president of India's message on the occasion. In the presence of a large number of Indian community members, Egyptian friends and media figures, Suri praised the bilateral relations between Egypt and India. The Wust Al-Balad band gave a concert at the historical Al-Muizz Street in Fatimid Cairo, organised by the Tourism Activation Authority. As part of its dynamic programme, the Shoghlana (A Job) project and free, bimonthly newspaper participated in the International Youth Day, a UNESCO-organised event held at the AUC's Greek Campus in downtown Cairo. The event brought together many ambitious young people for whom the Shoghlana team conducted presentations and workshops, providing tips and guidelines for seeking work. Organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the presentations were conducted by Siza Zayed and Ahmed Sobki, who also coordinated workshops on how to find a suitable job, how to write a CV and how to prepare for a job interview. In addition to ILO, the event saw contributions from the United Nations Development Programme (UNPA), the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), the Women's Economic Empowerment organisation and the British Council in Egypt. Shoghlana is the first non-profit newspaper in Egypt to focus on blue-collar work and workers. It aims to promote the value of workers and improve appreciation of the important role they play in society. The General Organisation for Cultural Palaces is participating in the seventh Egyptian National Theatre Festival with the show Oum Al-Dunia (Mother of the World), written by Hassan Al-Imam, directed by Mohamed Al-Ganayni and performed by the Sharaa Al-Suaiss (Suez Street) theatre company at Al-Midan Theatre on the Cairo Opera House grounds. The event featured the history of Egypt starting from ancient times to the present. The Fifth Forum for Arab Youth Leadership Training, on “Integrating Environmental Concepts into Working Programmes”, concludes its activities today. A four-day event held under the auspices of the Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Khaled Fahmi in cooperation with the Islamic Organisation for Education, Science and Culture represented by Salaheddin Al-Gaafarawi, according to the Secretary-General of the Arab Union for Youth and Environment Mamdouh Rashwan the forum aimed at bringing into existence a new calibre of young environmentalists as well as discussing environmental issues. Present were the Dean of the Institute of Environmental Research at Ain Shams University Abdel-Messih Samaan Abdel-Messih, environmentalists Magdi Allam and Emadeddin Adli as well as Al-Ahram Weekly's environment editor Mahmoud Bakr. Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb opened the exhibition of the seventh National Festival for Heritage and Traditional Handicrafts at the Palace of Arts on Tuesday, in the presence of Culture Minister Gaber Asfour, Minister of Youth and Sports Khaled Abdel-Aziz, Minister of Investment Ashraf Al-Arabi, Cairo Governor Galal Al-Said and the artist who founded the Asala Society for Heritage Preservation, Ezzeddin Naguib. Mehleb toured a number of the exhibition pavilions including that of the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces (GOCP), where its newly appointed head Massoud Shuman received him. Mehleb stressed the importance of building a new generation of skillful artisans and expressed admiration for the quality of the work on show. For his part Asfour said the festival helps to protect the Egyptian cultural identity from sinking into oblivion (see Listings P21). A delegation of actors, writers and journalists paid a visit to the work site of the new Suez Canal project with the aim of supporting the employees and boosting their morale. The Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Mamish received actors Ahmed Bedeir, Kamal Abu-Rayya, Somaya Al-Khashab, Ahmed Siyam, actress Afaf Shoeib, writer Farida Al-Shoubashi, singer Sameh Yousri and head of the Arab Producers' Union Ibrahim Abu-Zikri.
