Believing in music as food for the soul and a language appreciated by people of whatever stripe, The Egyptian Gazette, the Middle East's oldest daily newspaper, which first hit the newsstands in 1880, has chosen to celebrate its 130th birthday with a gala featuring world-renowned musician Omar Khayrat. The Gazette and its weekly edition, the Egyptian Mail, have always taken pride in delivering an unbiased message to their readers. This time, the message is a musical one, delivered by Khayrat, whose piano playing helps take his audience's mind off life's burdens. The Gazette's 130th anniversary celebration Tuesday tonight will be held in the Cairo Opera House under the auspices of Safwat el-Sherif, the Chairman of the Shura Council. During the event, former Egyptian editors-in-chief of The Gazette will be honoured: Mr Ramez el-Halawani, Mr Sami el-Shahed, Mr Mohamed el-Ezabi and Mr Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, the incumbent Editor-in-Chief of Al-Gomhuria newspaper. More than 42,000 issues of The Gazette, which was originally set and printed by the British, have been published. They form a marvellous archives of Egypt's modern life and history. The archives of The Egyptian Gazette, the parent of all Egyptian newspapers and the oldest English-language publication in the region, is a very valuable treasure, which we hope one day will be available electronically. Attendees at tonight's event will include senior officials, diplomats, Egyptian artists and businessmen, who will be welcomed by Ali Hashem, the Board Chairman of Al-Tahrir Printing and Publishing House, and Ramadan Abdel-Kader, the incumbent Editor-in-Chief of The Egyptian Gazette. The Gazette, which first appeared on January 26, 1880, was set and printed in Alexandria as a four-page weekly tabloid. The newspaper was founded by five Britons, including Andrew Philip as Editor and Moberly Bell, who later became Managing Editor of The Times of London.
