Cairo: The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announced the selection of the Egyptian city of Cairo as the capital of culture in the Islamic world for 2022 due to its rich heritage, local media reported.
ICESCO Director-General Dr Salim Al Malik and Dr Ines Abdel-Dayem, Egypt’s culture minister made the proclamation at a joint press conference at the Cairo Opera House on Tuesday.
Ines Abdel-Dayem told the media that this choice reflects Cairo’s position as a meeting place for different cultures, a creative hub and a centre for thought and art.
Abdel Dayem also praised the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) for celebrating the capitals of Islamic countries, utilizing all its effective tools to strengthen relations between them.
The activities amount to almost 50 cultural, artistic, intellectual and creative activities embodying the most important features of the Egyptian identity.
Cairo was to be celebrated as the cultural capital of the Islamic world in 2020 but the event was postponed due to the extraordinary circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.