24 November 2018
28 & 29 November, Closing Ceremony of Muharraq, capital of Islamic Culture 2018 & Inauguration of Pearling Path Visitor Center coinciding with Islamic Ministers of Culture
By the end of November 2018, the Kingdom of Bahrain will witness a series of exceptional events, after which the curtains will fall on year-long amazing cultural events and activities. Under the High Patronage of under the High Patronage His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, May God Protect Him, Muharraq as the Capital of Islamic Culture 2018, will celebrate, on 28 November 2018, the inauguration ceremony of Pearling Path Visitor Center, a UNESCO World Heritage List site. On 29 November, Manama will warmly welcome and host the Extraordinary Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers, organized by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), in cooperation with Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities.
On 28 November 2018, Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities will celebrate the closing ceremony of a year-long amazing cultural events and activities as part of Muharraq Capital of Islamic Culture program. The ceremony will be attended Ministers of Culture in many Islamic and Arab countries, coinciding with the inauguration ceremony of Pearling Path Visitor Center, a UNESCO World Heritage List site since 2012.
The Pearling Path Visitor Center will be at the heart of Muharraq, a comprehensive cultural center connecting with all members of society. The activities carryout out by the center will certainly enhance Bahraini national identity and preserve the kingdom’s heritage. Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy’s Visitor Center is located in Muharraq’s old Suq amid historical houses, encompassing designs and historical remains of two iconic buildings ( Amarat Ali Rachid Fakhro), as well as other artifacts on site. The center also provides a public gathering space for local community and residents. Pearling Path Visitor Center targets a large portion of visitors and the public, a sort of community center engulfing spaces for exhibitions, children’s corners, workshops, as well as an archive for pearling history, a library and facilities for conference holding.
The Pearling Path Visitor Center is designed by Swiss world-famous architect Valerio Olgiati architects. Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati spoke at NIDA in Sydney, as a guest of the Australian Institute of Architects’ International Speaker Series, teaching at World’s top universities and a well-known a cult figure in architecture in Europe and America since the beginnings of the 20th century,
Celebrations will then move to Manama city, whereby bells of peace and love will ring, fir the first time outside the USA at Bahrain National Theater, as part of the a joint-event by UNDP and the charity “Torch of Love and Peace” the event focused on the contributions of the Kingdom of Bahrain towards the consolidation of peace around the world and the role of youth in conflict reduction and peace.
Bahrain National Theater will also host the closing ceremony of the celebrations marking Muharraq as the Capital of Islamic Culture 2018, government’s official speeches and honoring ceremony. A special music concert, “Dreams of a Traveler – A Tale from Muharraq” will follow this, presenting award- winning international innovators. Artistic Director Jose Antonio Ruiz, Choreographer Patrick de Bana, and composer Jose Nieto join forces to tell the story of the protagonist Aziz’s journey as he searches for himself.
End of 2018 festive events will be in the city of Manama where the Extraordinary Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers, will kick off on 29 November 2018 at Ritz Carlton Hotel. The meeting will be attended by Ministers of Culture in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states, as well as by directors of regional and international organizations. The meeting will discuss many recommendations and important cultural projects to be adopted by the general assembly, such as the “ Draft Action Programme on Promoting Islamic and International Support for the Preservation of Civilizational and Cultural Heritage in Al-Quds Al-Sharif”, and “Draft Manama Process on the Activation of Joint Islamic Cultural Action to face Extremism, Sectarianism and Terrorism”. The Conference will also issue the “Bahrain Declaration on Safeguarding Human Heritage and Facing Extremism”.
