In the front court of the Dandara Temple in Qena -- an hour's drive north of Luxor -- carvings of Egyptian deities adorn the 18-metre ceiling, glorifying the goddess Hathour. Untouched for centuries, the ceiling has been in need of extreme makeover. Early this year the Supreme Council of Antiquities began a clean-up job, using chemical removers applied by professional antiquities renovators. Scaffolding was used to reach the five storeys high ceiling. Along with the cleaning crew ascended our photographer Sherif Sonbol who snapped an angled shot of the ceiling. With the renovations now almost completed, the scaffolds are down probably never to return, at least not in our lifetime. The photo will endure, however, having captured the fleeting moment that will in all probability never repeat itself. President Hosni Mubarak granted the Republic Order of Merit of the first class to the diligent Italian Ambassador to Egypt Antonio Badini on occasion of his ending his stint in Cairo. The award honours Badini 's tireless efforts exerted to strengthen Egyptian-Italian ties. What great news for Giza's Pharaonic Village goers! A museum depicting models of rare sailing boats that date back to the Pharaonic dynasties will soon be inaugurated. The select collection will include representations of the Re boat with which the Pharaohs crossed the Atlantic Ocean. On display as well will be models of the Khufu boat, demonstrating the Ancient Egyptians' brilliant building technique, and the Solar boat that belonged to King Tutankhamun which symbolises resurrection and eternity. On display as well will be samples of a group of British boats used in fishing and racing, the May Flower boat with which the first Pilgrims landed in America, and ancient fishing boats from Kuwait and Qatar. US Ambassador to Egypt Francis Ricciardone visited Duroub gallery in Garden City to watch its collective exhibition of 2007, which is currently on show. It showcases the new creations of 40 artists including Abdel-Wahab Moursi as the guest of honour. Ricciardone was welcomed by Duroub owner Samia Hagrass. ( See Exhibitions in Listings p.16 ) photos: Ayman Barayez At the garden of the French Embassy, French Ambassador to Egypt Philippe Coste hosted a reception celebrating the anniversary of the French Revolution. The gathering was crowned by the presence of head of the People's Assembly Fathi Sorour, Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Helal, actress Poussi, veteran actor Gamil Ratib, actor Hisham Abdel-Hamid, and novelist and editor-in- chief of Akhbar Al-Adab magazine Gamal El-Ghitani. Attending as well were Al-Ahram's back page editor Mona Ragab and Al-Dimoqratiya quarterly magazine's Editor-in-Chief Hala Mustafa. At the Semiramis InterContinental's Cleopatra Ballroom was held the unforgettable wedding party of optician Ahmed Fouad and Soad El-Beleidy. Professor of Organic Chemistry at Tanta University Fouad Abdel-Hay and his wife Mahasen Kashaf warmly received their guests and Ahmed El-Beleidy, president of Dima Hosiery with his wife Effat, parents of the bride, were busy making sure that every thing was perfectly organised. Soad looked dazzling in her ravishing gown, while dancing with her father. Graduated from the American University in Cairo (AUC), Soad was the vice-president of "incoming exchange" of AIESEC, the international students' organisation in 2005-2006. Along with the executive board of AIESEC, they succeeded to rank AIESEC AUC as Local Committee number 37 from over 700 local committees worldwide, based on the high number of exchange, which is why the party was crowned by the presence of her colleagues from different nationalities, who came to share the bride and groom their happiness. As my colleague Nesmahar Sayed told me, singer Hakim added a touch of festivity to the atmosphere of the party, along with the bride's brother Mahmoud who performed brilliantly on the oriental drum, tabla. The couple flew to Florida and Mexico to spend the honeymoon. Assistant professor at Helwan University's Engineering Department Suzanne Abu Ouf was invited to participate in the "German-Egyptian Tempus Seminar" held in Cairo to discuss the possibilities of cooperation between Egyptian and German professors in joint research and projects, within the framework of programmes of the European Commission. Abu Ouf presented a national and international project proposal that she designed, with a view to developing the skills and knowledge of university staff. The project involves Egypt, Germany and Italy for the first time together in the field of higher education. Under the auspices and presence of Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George, Al-Ahram Regional Institute for Press and the Arab Media Forum for Environment and Development (AMFED), together with the British Embassy in Cairo organised a two-day workshop on "Media and the Issues of Weather Changes". The opening session was opened by Al-Ahram's Editor-in- Chief Osama Saraya in the presence of British Ambassador in Egypt Sir Derek Plumbly, head of the International Centre for Environment and Development Mustafa Tolba, counsellor of Al-Ahram Regional Institute for Press Howeida Mustafa, and head of the AMFED Randa Fouad. photo: Gamal Said Veteran Egyptian choreographer Mahmoud Reda organised an international cultural event at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina featuring folk dance shows from six countries: Egypt, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland and Finland. Reda 's own troupe performed a spectacular show that revived age-old techniques of Egyptian folk dancing, which he teaches in Europe and the United States. Titled "The World Dances with Mahmoud Reda", the show witnessed a smashing success for three consecutive days. The surprise of the grand finale was the presence of Farida Fahmi, the lead dancer in Reda 's famed Reda Troupe, that was acclaimed in the 1960s. Present too was actress Hanaa El-Shourbagi, who was also one of the dancers and her husband choreographer Hassan Afifi. Under the auspices of the Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga and Greek Ambassador to Egypt Panayotis Vlassopoulos, a major international cultural event was held at the Cairo Opera House's open-air theatre. It was organised by the Arab Investors Union, along with the Egyptian Businesswomen Development Association, presided over by Hoda Galal Yassa and the Organisation of Greek Action in Africa. The event comprised an exhibition by artist Marios Eleftheriadis, a performance by world-renowned ballet dancer Daniel Lommel, and fashion shows by the famous designer Laskaris and Egyptian designer Nevine Raafat.
