Ashraf AboArafe
The Russian House in Cairo, in cooperation with the Islamic Museum and the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association, organized a Ramadan iftar in the courtyard of the Islamic Museum. The event was attended by Dr. Ibrahim Kamel, Chairman of the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association; Ahmed Siam, Director of the Islamic Museum; Arseniy Matyushenko, Acting Director of the Russian Cultural Centers in Egypt; Ambassador Ezzat Saad, Vice President of the Association and former Egyptian Ambassador to Moscow; Sherif Gad, Secretary-General of the Association; Douha Assi, Member of Parliament and Member of the Board of Directors of the Friendship Association; representatives from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; artist and actor Seif Abdel Rahman; international mosaic artist Saad Romani; and a large delegation of members of the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association, led by committee heads and staff from the Islamic Museum; and a delegation from the Youth Union affiliated with the Russian House.
The Ramadan evening began with the Russian House donating four tree seedlings, which were planted in the museum garden under the title “Garden of Memory,” in commemoration of the victims of World War II. The celebration began with a welcoming speech from Ahmed Siam to the museum’s guests, welcoming cooperation with the Russian side. He noted that the Islamic Museum is one of the oldest Egyptian museums, having been established in 1903. It is the largest museum of Islamic antiquities in the world in terms of quantity and diversity, housing 105,000 artifacts dating back to the Umayyad era.
In his speech, Arseniy Matyushenko thanked the museum’s management for organizing the event, which coincides with Russia’s celebration of the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II. This is an anniversary we are pleased to celebrate with our partners from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, represented by the Islamic Museum, and the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association. Matyushenko emphasized the Russian side’s gratitude for Egypt’s participation in the celebration, which reflects the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries.
In his speech, Dr. Ibrahim Kamel expressed his happiness at planting the Egyptian-Russian friendship trees at the museum, which will be irrigated by the Nile, representing a new addition to building bridges of communication between the two peoples.
Kamel welcomed the cooperation between the Islamic Museum and the Friendship Association, emphasizing the importance of strengthening cooperation with one of Egypt’s most important museums. For his part, Sherif Gad congratulated the Russian delegation on the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, a war in which the world lost 50 million people, with the Soviet Union alone accounting for 27 million. The celebration concluded with a communal iftar amidst a wonderful Ramadan atmosphere.
