Lebanon, UAE, KSA, Jordan... Our selection of cultural events to attend this weekend
Every Thursday, we'll handpick the cultural happenings across the Middle East that are actually worth your time, whether it's a Beirut book launch, a rooftop concert in Amman, or an experimental film screening in Tunis. Consider this your weekly shortcut to what matters in the region's buzzing cultural scene.
Starting Thursday, the city of Ehden (in Zgharta) kicks off its annual "Ehdeniyat International Festival," giving everyone a chance to run away from the sweltering Beirut heat and take refuge in North Lebanon's evergreen mountains. Famed pianist Guy Manoukian will be there to christen weeks of performances by local and international artists like Abeer Nehme and our moms' favorite, Kadim al-Sahir.
You have until August to catch Caracalla's rendition of 'One Thousand and One Nights,' a story as iconic as the dance crew on stage. Known for their ruthless attention to detail and commitment to perfection, their dancing promises to transport you through each tale's endless twists and turns.
Catch them at Theatre Caracalla, Horsh Tabet. For tickets and details, click here.
This weekend in Al Quoz, Dubai, Ayyam Gallery's multimedia exhibition "Wavering Hope" continues to explore the different facets of Syrians' collective trauma. How do 14 years of civil war and decades of cruel rulers impact a people? And in the aftermath of conflict, is there space for hope? The 12 artists on display try to answer these questions and make space for optimism, no matter how fragile.
For details, click here.
In the same neighborhood, artist Nazgol Ansarinia is bringing you the streets of Tehran with her exhibition "Instruments of Viewing and Obscurity" at Green Art Gallery. Ansarinia zooms in on Iran's urban sprawl and Brutalist architecture, turning them into points of departure through which to question state and social control, in a world where the house is an extension of the body and the window that of the eye.
This month, Ithra, known as the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, is hosting its annual July festival, offering a program packed with something for every age and interest. When it's too hot to do anything else, skip the beach and catch the children's activities this week, or pick up a chessboard, paintbrush, or calligraphy pen to create your own fun.
Check the full program here.
If Ithra's too much of a drive, Al-Ula in Medina Province is offering an equally immersive experience of exhibitions, shows and activities sprinkled around the city, so you never run out of things to do. And if somehow nothing entices you, strolling through the larger-than-life naturally formed sculptures in the desert landscape would be enough to keep you occupied.
Check the full program here.
This weekend, painter Laila Shaw's "Voices from Gaza" continues to take center stage as part of the artist's reflections on her homeland's violent destruction. Shaw invites us to walk along the walls of Gaza, through layers of graffiti, political slogans and symbols of resistance, building a landscape of resistance as emotional as it is visual. What once represented the cornerstones of where she lived are now being used as calls against erasure and exile.
The exhibition is on display at the Contemporary Art Platform, Shuwaikh Industrial, Kuwait. For details, click here.
In its first weekend at Orfali Art Center in Amman, Jordan, painters Ashtar Nasralla and Hiba al-Lami explore people's connections with each other and nature, and how the two are often interchangeable. Though the paintings are faceless, they still lure you in to feel the bond of the figures standing behind the blue and green trees; a feeling both experimental and human.
Cairo's landmark Mashrabia Gallery is welcoming back artists, new and old, who have shaped its journey and turned it into a hub for local contemporary art. Their exhibition is not a retrospective but rather a new beginning in a genre that is always evolving.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
21 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Saida prepares for the 6th edition of its summer festival
The city of Saida is getting ready to organize the 6th edition of its summer tourist festival, which will take place from Aug. 6 to 9, reported L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent in the region. Construction work has started on the quay at the old port of the city and along the ramparts of the Saida Castle, in preparation for the performances scheduled by the National Committee of Saida International Festivals. This festival, launched in 2016 and generally featuring a series of events spread out over time, was stopped for several years due to the economic crisis, COVID-19 and the war between Hezbollah and Israel, with only one edition held in 2023, during which Lebanese-Armenian pianist and composer Guy Manoukian performed. The program for this edition includes: August 6: A musical evening entitled "Rajini belhan jadid," in partnership with the National Higher Conservatory of Music Orchestra, conducted by composer Hiba Kawas, under the baton of maestro André Haj, with the participation of singer Ghassan Saliba. August 7: Concert by superstar Nancy Ajram, making her second appearance at the Saida festival. August 8: Instrumental evening with the group Ayyam al-Lira. August 9: Closing with a concert by the great musician Marcel Khalifeh, whose song "Ya Bahrieh Heila Heila" has become an anthem engraved in the collective memory and among generations of activists. A few days before the opening, the committee chairwoman, Nadine Kaain, and her members were overseeing preparations at the site on the quay of the old port, in coordination with the port administration. The work includes cleaning the quay (with the NTCC company), removing rocks and machinery (with maritime agents Tiriaki, Beshasha and Rano), as well as leveling the ground (with the Denesh company), the organizers said. The next steps will include installing the stage and bleachers, which can accommodate more than 2,000 spectators each night.
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
What not to miss at the Night of the Museums
For 'Night of the Museums,' 24 museums across five cities (Tripoli, Jbeil, Jounieh, Beirut and Saida) will open their doors for free entrance tonight from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m., with buses shuttling visitors around Beirut. Ahead of the event, L'Orient Today asked curators to break the sacred vow of loving all their work equally and name the one piece that can't be missed… The Colossus of Byblos at the National Museum Unearthed in Byblos in 1926, the Colossus is a towering Egyptian-style statue that has watched over the National Museum of Beirut since it opened in 1942. Once part of a trio guarding a sacred pond, it's the only one to survive intact from the Bronze Age. 'It's the guardian of the sanctuary,' says Tania Zaven, Director of North Mount Lebanon at the Directorate General of Antiquities. 'And the museum is a sacred place too. Lebanon's past is here and we are all trying to protect it. At least, this is what I feel whenever I enter the place.' The broad-shouldered limestone Colossus was burnt during the Civil War, then sealed in cement cases for its protection. 'Covered then uncovered and covered then uncovered and it's still standing, it's still there!' Zaven says. 'It's protecting us… and it witnesses everything.' Artefacts and art at Sursock Museum At Sursock Museum, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige use history as their metaphorical paintbrush in a new collection that spans nearly 10 years of multi-media artwork. Coming in parallel to a retrospective of their films at Metropolis Cinema, Hadjithomas and Joreige's 'Where is my Mind?' springs from extensive research and collaboration with archeologists, geologists and historians. It's their first showing since 2012 and a rare solo exhibition, says curator Karina al-Helou, despite the Lebanese duo's international recognition. Born into a lineage of Palestinian, Greek and Syrian refugees, the versatile artists' work is nonetheless rooted in Lebanon's heritage, and the vast collection of work is shaped by their knack for storytelling. The exhibit is a natural continuation of the history on display at the National Museum, Helou says. Initially planned before the 2020 Port explosions, the exhibit was reimagined to explore art as a form of transcendence. 'It's about poetry, beauty and art as a way of getting over chaos.' The broken glass of AUB's Archeological Museum The Beirut Port blast of Aug. 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, reduced much of the glass collection at the American University of Beirut's Archeological Museum — located about three kilometers from the epicenter — to dust. 'Instead of trashing everything, we sifted through the shards, which were mixed with debris from the showcases and windows,' says curator Nadine Panayot. Out of the 72 glass artefacts that had been thrown to the floor, they managed to restore 28, eight of which were sent to the British Museum to be pieced back together and then featured in an exhibit, 'The Shattered Glass of Beirut,' which drew in record-breaking crowds before traveling to China and Japan. 'They're just glass vases, nothing special, ranging from the Roman to the Medieval period,' Panayot says. It wasn't the artefacts that people came to see, but the story of their cracks, which Panayot chose to leave visible, rather than masking with resin. 'I wanted to keep the scars,' Panayot says. They are now back on display in Beirut. Participating museums in Beirut: National Museum of Beirut, Sursock Museum, AUB Archaeological Museum, AUB Geology Museum, USJ Minerals Museum, USJ Prehistory Museum, USJ's Oriental Library, Banque du Liban Museum, Gallery of the Institut Français du Liban, Villa Audi, and the Nuhad Es-Said Pavilion for Culture. Participating museums outside of Beirut: In Tripoli, Saint Gilles Citadel Museum; in Jbeil, the Aram Bezikian Museum of Armenian Genocide Orphans, the Byblos Site Museum, the Marine Fossil Museum, the Pepe Abed Foundation, MACAM and LAU's Louis Cardahi Foundation; in Jounieh, the USEK Museum; and in Saida, Debbane Palace, Khan al-Franj, the Soap Museum, Hammam al-Jadeed, and Khan Sacy.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
At 'Ehdeniyat,' Abeer Nehme reaches 'saltana'
While the temples of Baalbeck drew festival-goers to the spectacular "Carmen" staged by Jorge Takla, Ehden offered its wooded cocoon to Abeer Nehme, arguably one of the most beautiful voices in the Arab world. A "specialist in all styles," the Lebanese diva once again showcased her vocal and cultural cosmopolitanism. From Egyptian classical to tarab, through Asmahan, the Rahbanis, French songs and Anglo-Saxon pop, she integrated into her repertoire personal songs that speak of love, culminating with a song in Syriac as a tribute to Ehden, which retains a dialect accent of this extinct language, preserved only in the Maronite liturgy. Pure joy, tenderness in song To sing about love in front of a spirited audience at the Ehdeniyat festival, where the stage is set amidst a majestic fir forest, Nehmeh is supported by a choir and her orchestra led by Marc Abou Naoum. In a simple black sheath that is subtly low-cut, contrasting with the deep red of her lips, her appearance is brightened by the unique smile she offers her audience — a blend of childlike joy and tenderness. Behind her, her name shines in golden letters against a backdrop of blue lights. Throughout the show, stunning projections added to the hypnotic magic of the moment. With the first notes of "Inta," the great classic by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, the audience is already captivated, connecting with the lyrics on a personal level. She continues with a long program that is both impressive for her audience and almost acrobatic for her voice, which spans all registers. Her soulful notes in English on "Simple Things" evoke Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. She confidently uses her agile soprano on the tarab of " Lamma bada" and Piaf's " Hymne à l'amour," generating enthusiasm whose echo resonates in the surrounding mountains. At times, especially during a mashup, dancers from the Carel Wardini Dance Academy performed a contemporary choreography on stage. On the giant screen that makes her tiny silhouette appear larger, one can sometimes see her reach the saltana — that nearly altered state of total mastery and fusion with the sound that also infects the audience, especially during the trance of "Chou Bhessellak." One of the highlights of the concert was a love song in Syriac, set to the popular tune of " Tallou hbabna tallou" in operatic style. It was dedicated to Ehden, the last village with the characteristic Zghorti accent of its people, whose "a" and "e" sounds are similar to the "o" sound — a reflection of the Aramaic roots of this dialect, which preceded Arabic as the region's common language. She would have liked to add Armenian to Syriac Backstage, she told L'Orient-Le Jour that she never rehearses her voice except on the day of a concert. "It's the worst thing to do, but I don't find the time. In this job, we run and travel nonstop," she says, expressing her gratitude to the large team around her, without whom nothing would have been possible. One might expect her to be exhausted and drained after an hour and a half of nonstop singing, which is physically demanding, but she leaves as fresh and smiling as when she first stepped on stage. "It's the audience that carries me, feeds me, gives me the energy to give again and again," she says. Discussing her Syriac song, this musicologist — an expert in ancient ethnic music and a kanun master trained at USEK — mentioned she wanted to include an Armenian song in the program that evening. However, the director objected, citing the program's length, so it was postponed. Abeer assures it will be included later. Krikor Jabotian's stage outfit We were joined by designer Krikor Jabotian, who explained his stylistic choices for this particular concert. "Everything started from the necklace," the creator detailed, who is also known for his baroque jewelry. The gold necklace features pearl shapes with irregular outlines and varying sizes. Jabotian paired it with earrings, and the diva's pearlescent nails completed the look. "Abeer doesn't need a dress to make her shine," the designer said. "She shines with her own light." Hence, the radical simplicity seen in the black dress is the result of long, collaborative conversations between the creator and the singer. "We then acknowledged the vastness of the stage and the large crowd that would be coming. That's why I decided to add a black satin cape with just the right volume to accompany her movements and amplify her silhouette from a distance," he added, admitting he was inspired by something Maria Callas-like when designing the ensemble. Since we were in Ehden, the diva gently bid farewell to her audience amidst heartfelt ululations, softly continuing to sing between goodbyes and gratitude. She turned towards the peaceful forest surrounding her and finally stepped down from the stage, almost with a hint of reluctance.
