The inscriptions etched on a marble slab to the right of the entrance to Al-Sultan Hassan Mosque, carrying no name, appear to be mysterious, holding room for different interpretations, even to Sherif Sonbol 's lens. Often overlooked by the throngs of visitors, they depict three buildings. The general director of the Al-Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifaai Antiquities, El-Said Helmi Ezzat, says that these allude to "the three most important mosques in Islam", Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca, Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and the Prophet Mohamed's Mosque in Medina. However, Ezzat adds that according to Hertz Pasha, the British director of Egypt's Arab Antiquities in the 1920s, Al-Sultan Hassan meant, by placing these inscriptions, to indicate that the mosque which he built, carrying his name, is comparable to the Dome of the Rock, the Kaaba in Mecca, and a church in Anatolia. The Cairo Capital Lions Club, headed by Nagwa Emad, recently celebrated the reopening of the Helwan Al-Balad Joint Primary School, which was being renovated -- the first in a club initiative targeting schools in underprivileged areas and named Madrasty (My school). Governor of Cairo Abdel-Azim Wazir inaugurated the newly refurbished school in the presence of a number of officials as part of the Cairo National Day celebration. Vodafone Egypt Chief Technical Officer Mohamed Henna and Corporate Social Responsibility and Foundation Manager Noha Saad also attended, along with members of the club, underlining the collaborative nature of the project, with the club, Vodafone, the National Democratic Party's Women's Secretariat in Helwan and the government. The popular American band Ozomatli will be in Egypt from 28 to 31 July as part of their Middle East tour, where they will give two free concerts in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture at the Qaitbey Fort in Alexandria (29 July, 8pm) and the Salaheddin Citadel in Cairo (30 July, 8pm). The tour is funded by the US State Department with support from local sponsor companies. Ozomatli is a multiracial troupe of 10 members playing mainly hip hop and rock, though it is best known for its virtuosity in the widest range of genres, including salsa, funk, and reggae; it came into being in Los Angeles in 1995, and has since been associated with the term "people's music" -- providing an example of how music can transcend culture and class boundaries. The tour includes outreach activities like visits to orphanages, schools and community centres. The Grammy award-winning Ozomatli's aim is to spread a global message of peace and understanding through diversity; their last album is entitled "Don't Mess With the Dragon". Last week, together with the head of the General Organistion of Cultural Palaces Ahmed Nawwar, Governor of Assiut Nabil El-Ezabi inaugurated two children and young people's libraries in the New Assiut and Al-Quseiya districts, a LE1.5 million project, together with two cultural palaces in Abu Tig and Manfalout. Present were the deputy of the Organisation Mohamed El-Sayed Eid and the head of South and North Upper Egypt Cultural Region Talaat Mahran, who were treated to folk dance and children's choir performances. Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan Juichi Takahara and Chairman of the Tersa Community Development Association (Tersa CDA) Eid Sayed Kamel signed a Japanese assistance grant contract amounting to more than $85,000 for the provision of school desks and seats. Tersa CDA is pursuing activities to improve the educational environment of schools, and the Japanese government is providing support for schools in the city of Sinnouras in Damietta and in the governorate of Fayoum. The Japanese government will provide 13 primary and two secondary schools with desks and seats benefiting a total of 10,000 students. This week the Bibliotheca Alexandrina celebrates the centenary of Egyptian cinema, issuing a catalogue entitled The Birth of Cinema in Alexandria together with an exhibition, "Cinema of Alexandria". The event will be inaugurated by director of the bibliotheca Ismail Serageddin and director of Alexandria Studies Centre Mohamed Awwad. Figures like Youssef Chahine, Omar Sharif, Dawlat Bayoumi, Tawfik Saleh, Mezrahi, Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, among others, will be honoured on the occasion. Head of the General Organisation of Culture Palaces Ahmed Nawwar and Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Ismail Serageddin have concluded a deal to restore and bind the invaluable manuscripts in possession of the organisation, starting with the Tahta and Shebeen Al-Koum Palace manuscripts, which will be returned to the libraries following their restoration and binding in Alexandria. photos: Ayman Barayez Several public figures attended the book launch of former UN secretary-general and head of the National Council for Human Rights Boutros Boutros-Ghali. The event was organised at the Four Seasons Hotel in Giza and boasted the presence of the head of the Egyptian Publishers Union Ibrahim El-Moalem, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, head of the People's Assembly Foreign Relations Committee Mustafa El-Feki, Editor-In-Chief of Alaaeddin magazine Magda El-Guindi and media figure Sanaa Mansour. The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) and the Embassy of India are organising Odissi dance and sitar performances by Kavita Dwibedi and Purbayab Chaterjee. Odissi is India's most graceful dance, tracing its origins to the temples of the East Indian state of Orissia in the second century BC, while sitar is a plucked string instrument used predominantly in Hindustani classical music. The troupe's visit takes place under the auspices of the Indian-Egyptian Cultural Exchange Programme and is supported by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi. The MACIC is also organising an exhibition of the work of Tawfik Helmi entitled "Indian and Nubian Arts". In collaboration with Al-Sawy Culture Wheel, the Yale Arab Alumni Association (YAAA) will present the Yale Whiffenpoofs -- the world's oldest and most famous a cappella group, founded in 1909 -- on 27 July at 8.30pm at Al-Sawy. The Yale Arab Alumni Association serves as an international network for Yale alumni, students, faculty and affiliates with an interest in the Arab world. The community includes Arab nationals and Arab-Americans as well as American residents of the Arab world. The YAAA facilitates exchange between Yale and the Middle East. The Whiffenpoofs have entertained US presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton as well as Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama ; they have made television appearances on The Gilmore Girls, Saturday Night Live, NBC's Today Show, and The West Wing. Their a cappella arrangements of jazz standards, classic ballads, traditional Yale songs, and recent popular hits continue to delight audiences all over the world. The Cairo concert is part of their 17-week World Tour, which will also take them to Australia, China, Japan, Thailand, India, South Africa, Turkey and many more countries.
