Damascus Celebrates Culture Proving to Whole World that Real Culture Doesn’t Hide in Difficult Times

DAMASCUS- Damascus, the most oldest capital in the world, on Monday evening hosted Damascus Cultural Festival which kicked off at Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts through holding various cultural, artistic and literary activities, in addition to plastic art exhibitions.

The opening ceremony, hosted by the Drama Theatre, honored a number of the elite figures for their unique achievements on the artistic and media levels, in addition to a number of the artistic sections on Damascus deep-rooted history and glories.

According to SANA, a film on the history of the Culture Ministry in Syria since its inception and the role it has played in enhancing the cultural movement and encouraging the intellectuals was also screened during the opening ceremony.

 The exhibition, held in the framework of the festival, focused on the plastic art and the archeological heritage as they embraced paintings by Syrian plastic artists belonging to different plastic art schools with different style and content.

The Damascene archeological pieces were also one of the most important exhibits at the festival as the Exhibitions’ Hall at Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts hosted an expo for the Damascene archeological antiques such as clay and glass-made cannons, and bronze antiques as well as a small bronze statue dating back to the second century A.D.

A clay-made pottery dating back to the Mamluk era was also among the showcased antiques, in addition to archeological pieces from Damascus Citadel that date back to the Mamluk, Ottoman and Ayyubid reigns.

“The real culture doesn’t hide in difficult times, but it rises to participate in the battel of defending the homeland and the civilization and it is the most effective weapon in the face of terrorism as it deals with its metal and ideological roots and it exposes its illusions and superstitions which the enemies of culture try to spread among the youth,” Minister of Culture Mohammad al-Ahmad said in a speech at the opening ceremony.

Minister al-Ahmad added “When the cultural work addresses this generation with logic, rational and convincing ideas in a tireless and relentless way, it take the youths away from the dark mentality which is the source of extremism and terrorism.”

 “This festival is a message to whole world that Syria has triumphed over terrorism thanks to the sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army and that Damascus will remain a platform for culture and science,” Head of Culture Directorate Waseem Mubaiyad told SANA.

Mubaiyad indicated that the festival is considered as an artistic, cultural and social manifestation that includes various activities related to the heritage and the identity, in addition to allocating certain activities for the martyrs’ sons and daughters.

The Antiquities and Museums Directorate also participated in the opening of Damascus Cultural Festival with an exhibition that embraced a number of the archeological pieces unearthed in Damascus and its countryside which are showcased for the first time.

Damascus Cultural Festival is an artistic and cultural event whose first edition was launched last year, and it includes a number of the cultural, theatrical, cinematic, folkloric, musical and poetic activities.