Kuwait Times

Published Date: March 16, 2010

LUXOR: Kuwaiti ambassador here Dr Rashid Hamad Al-Hamad inaugurated Sunday night a festival titled "Kuwaiti Days in Egypt" at Mubarak's Library in Luxor governorate, southern of Egypt under the sponsorship of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). Al-Hamad said in an opening address that "this festival that is held on this good land, the country of civilization and the cradle of history is but a love song sung by the brethern and a distinctive cultural an
d media interaction through which the Kuwaiti culture intermingles with the fragrant aroma of the Egyptian history as a new phase of communication that culminates the previous ones between the two brotherly peoples.

Al-Hamad went on to say that "we look forward, through this big festival, to introduce a true and honorable image of the spiritual fusion between our peoples in what asserts the deep-seated bonds and the profound historical ties that hark back to the depth of the rich Arab soil.

Al-Hamad pointed out that this festival has many activities including the inauguration of two exhibitions, one for books and the other for photos, besides organizing a number of seminars that go in line with the time-honored features of such spot and asserts the depth of closeness and intermingleness between culture and society in the two countries.

He also noted that these activities represent an embodiment of the common aspirations toward boosting the bilateral ties within the popular diplomacy that "we adopt as an integrated approach that proved its high efficacy and big success through the previous festivals that traveled all over Egyptian governorates.

Additionally, he also drew attentions to the keenness of the state of Kuwait on establishing an annual festival in an Egyptian governorate in what stresses the joint endeavor toward civilizational and cultural communication between two brotherly peoples and countries sharing a lot of common factors including the unity of history, language, heritage and culture.

Further, Al-Hamad expressed his hope that this festival will be a serious attempt toward achieving a big goal that features the unity and strength of bonds combining both of Egypt and Kuwait under the banner of a single Arab nation.

He also stressed the efforts exerted toward pushing the level of bilateral cooperation between the two countries to a new high in the field of archaeology and heritage.

Al-Hamad also pointed out that the state of Kuwait is keen on protecting and sponsoring its old heritage out of its firm belief in the importance of conserving such legacy with the aim of developing the nation's awareness of its glory, civilization and heritage.

In this respect, he noted that the first beginnings of Egyptian-Kuwaiti cooperation in this field dates back to the Kuwaiti archaeological mission sponsored by the Kuwait university from 1985 to 1987 for unearthing the monuments of Bahnsa in the Upper Egypt.

He also noted that this mission managed to discover several important antiquities in this area, at the top of them is dozens of precious gold coins, besides the most ancient tomb in Bahnsa dating back to 245 BC along with a collection of pottery and porcelain and many invaluable Islamic antiquities.

Al-Hamad concluded his address saying "I express my utmost congratulations, on my part and on behalf of the state of Kuwait represented in HH the Amir, the government and the people, for President Hosni Mubarak on the success of the surgery that he underwent, wishing him good and constant health".

On his part, governor of Luxor Dr Samir Farag described the Kuwaiti festival as a "cultural gala" held by a brotherly country, pointing that his governorate will see soon the Kuwaiti fair book that is annually organized in Cairo, Alexandria as well as Luxor.

Farag also pointed to the support lent by the state of Kuwait to various Arab countries including Egypt through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) in order to subsidize the various development projects.

As for the supervisor of antiquities and museums in the Kuwait National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Sultan Al-Daweish, he said during a forum titled "Archaeological finds in the State of Kuwait, Proofs and Horizons" and administered by journalist Abdou Moubasher on the sidelines of the festival that antiquities found as a result of excavations under the Kuwait soil and some of its islands assert its vital cultural role throughout historical eras.

Al-Daweish affirmed that Kuwait could play throughout various historical eras a distinctive role in navigation, international trade and cultural contacts thanks to its long shore on the Arab Gulf on one side and its location at the land trade route on the other side.

He also said that the archaeological relics found in both of Burgan basin and Al-Qareen heights signify that Kuwait is one the oldest sites in the old east to be inhabited by man.

Finally, he made clear that the ancient inhabitants of Al-Sabia area in Kuwait knew the means of marine transport since an early time of the emergence of their civilization, pointing out the joint British-Kuwaiti archaeological mission unearthed during its excavations a porcelain boat model made according to a high level of fineness and artisanship. --- KUNA