The dark side of Babylon Fortress There was a time when Old Cairo's bats inspired legends such as that of Gayer-Anderson's "King of Watawit" -- righteous monarch of the underground kingdom and provider of gold for honest men. With their peculiar looks and habits, bats appear mysterious and somehow threatening to the common folk. Unfortunately, man's primeval -- and in most cases unjustified -- fears about these mystifying creatures have not changed, and while King Watawit's legend passes into obscurity, Sherif Sonbol's lens captured the bats of Old Cairo's Babylon Fortress, who soon will be dislodged in an attempt to make the area more attractive to visitors. The Sixth Alexandria International Song and Music Festival presided over by Ouf Hammam and actor-cum-singer Samir Sabri honoured a galaxy of singers at Sayed Darwish Theatre. The celebration included talented actor Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz honouring late veteran singer and composer Mohamed Fawzi -- his posthumous award handed to his ex-wife veteran actress Madiha Youssri and his son. Mesmerising Egyptian singer Hani Shaker and the powerful Tunisian voice Latifa were honoured during the celebration that was attended by an array of Egyptian and Arab singers and celebrities. Among them were talented actress Lebleba, veteran actor Hussein Fahmi and his wife actress-cum-singer Leqaa Swedan, actress Rogina, actress-cum-singer Boushra and music composer Hani Mehanna. The stunning voices of Lebanese singers Elissa and Fadl Shaker enlivened thrilling concerts at the Cairo International Conference Hall's Chinese Garden. A large audience of fans flocked to the concerts, enjoying the melodies of Shaker and Elissa until the early hours of the morning. Pop singer Tamer Hosni featured in a charitable concert at the Antoniadis Gardens in Alexandria allocating the concert's revenues to provide children with appropriate healthcare. Alexandria Governor Adel Labib welcomed Hosni in his office, granting him the governorate's shield for the charitable activities he supports in Alexandria. Singer Alaa Abdel-Khaleq joined Hosni in part of the performance. A prestigious celebration was held to welcome the new president of the Champollion Rotary Club (CRC) Mano Shousha succeeding former head Daniel Loro at the First Mall Hotel in Giza. Active members of the CRC, including Brigitte Louvivre, Mira Wanis, Amir Saba, Nahed Tadros, Adrian Fares and Haidy Lotfi, were present. photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid A lavish engagement party of budding actress Maye Nour El-Sherif and actor Amr Youssef took place at the villa of her father, veteran actor Nour El-Sherif, located in Sheikh Zayed. The young couple had met during the shooting of Ramadan's hit Al-Dali series, after which they fell madly in love. The star of the party was the bride's mother, beautiful actress Poussy. The reception was crowned by the attendance of many family members such as her aunt, retired actress Nora, and close friends who celebrated with the couple. photos: Ayman Barayez German Ambassador to Egypt Bernd Erbel bestowed the prestigious order of Merit from the German government upon Mohamed El-Sawy, director of Al-Sawy Cultural Wheel in Zamalek. The award went to El-Sawy 's relentless efforts in supporting the cultural relations between Egypt and Germany. The lavish party was crowned by the presence of Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Meselhi and his wife, Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga, plastic artist Farid Fadel as well as President of the International Union of Muslim-Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Semman. The American University in Cairo received a special award from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) for the construction and design of its new campus. The institute noted that the new campus is "designed to be a tool and stimulus in itself for learning and to anchor community development around the university". AUC Trustee Bruce L Ludwig, chairman of Ludwig & Company, a real estate consulting firm in Los Angeles concentrating on the Middle East, noted that this award places the new campus in the forefront of higher education institutions in Egypt and the Middle East. "The new campus is designed to support a liberal arts education, which fosters creative thinking and reasoning, community-based learning and a harmonious environment in a diversified community. The new campus also provides our students and faculty with cutting-edge facilities and state-of-the-art resources required for a global university." Selected from among 39 entries representing 17 countries, the new campus received the award based on key characteristics, including environmental responsive design for an energy efficient campus; architectural design that reflects the university's mission, melding traditional and new architecture; and a focus on community development through producing means for community interaction and cultural development. A jury of experts decided on the 2009 ULI awards for excellence. "These are wonderful examples of success that showcase creativity, innovation, and long-term thinking," said jury chair Ian D Hawksworth, managing director of Capital & Counties, London. The Semiramis InterContinental Hotel hosted recently the world-famous leading man on stage and screen for 50 years, Omar Sharif. The word "legend" does not begin to describe Sharif. He was warmly received by hotel General Manager Jurgen Baumhoff and his wife. Within the framework of the activities of the Second African Festival for Culture and Arts that is currently ongoing in Algeria until 20 July, Egypt is participating with a large cultural delegation where the Traditional Handicrafts Centre (THC) -- affiliated to the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) -- showcases its ethnic products. Head of the CDF Mohamed Abu Seada pointed out that Egyptian participation aims at reinforcing Arab and African cultural relations. THC Director Abdel-Hakim Sayed explained that it is displaying traditional handicrafts, including brass, Khayamia, ceramic, carpentry and other products. Activities of a training course on merging environmental concepts into youth programmes that was organised by the Arab Union for Youth and Environment, in cooperation with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), were concluded at the headquarters of the Environmental Studies and Researches Centre (ESRC) in Ain Shams University a few days ago. During the closing session, head of the union Magdi Allam and its secretary-general, Mamdouh Radwan, honoured President of Ain Shams University Ahmed Zaki Badr, ISESCO representative Khadiga El-Badawi, head of the Educational Sciences and Environmental Media Department Abdel-Maseh Samaan and deputy head of the ESRC Magda Ebeid for the great efforts they exerted in making the training course a big success. Last week, Al-Ahram Editor-in-Chief Osama Saraya organised a welcoming evening at Al-Ahram Panorama Hall in the old building honouring the newly appointed Al-Ahram Chairman of the Board Abdel-Moneim Said. During the warm celebration, Said was granted a silver shield from Saraya on behalf of Al-Ahram writers and journalists who were thrilled to hear the news and who look forward to a new and prosperous era. The celebration was crowned with the presence of a bevy of Al-Ahram veteran writers, heads of departments and editors-in-chief, among them veteran columnist Anis Mansour, satirist Ahmed Bahgat, poets Farouk Goweida and Ahmed Abdel-Moeti Hegazi as well as Al-Ahram Hebdo Editor-in-Chief Mohamed Salmawi, theatre critic Amal Bakir, plastic art critic Nagwa El-Ashri, Nisf Al-Donia magazine Editor-in-Chief Afkar El-Kharadli, back page editor Mona Ragab, Al-Beit magazine Editor-in-Chief Silvia El-Naqadi, senior diplomatic correspondent Aicha Abdel-Ghaffar and Al-Ahram Weekly Editor-in-Chief Assem El-Kersh.
