Babel
was launched yesterday evening Babylon International Festival on the
runways ancient city of
Babylon in
central Iraq with the
participation of an
international presence and broad public, after a
break of nearly 19 years because of the
American invasion of the
country in 2003 and the
subsequent deterioration of the
security situation.
The festival will last for 5 days, with the participation of many Arab and foreign countries, most notably Russia, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait.
Babylon International Festival # Iraq # Baghdad # Iraq
#
Babylon International Festival
pic.twitter.com/2Xnt1VAOKn
— Haider Ahmed (@HaiderAhmedHA) October 28, 2021
A group of prominent Iraqi and Arab singers, including Hani Shaker, Nawal al-Zoghbi, Hatem al-Iraqi, Hussam al-Rassam, Rahma Riad, Shams al-Kuwaiti, and others, participate in the festival, which was launched for the first time in 1987.
In addition to the singing performances, the festival will witness the Babylonian fashion show, paragliding activities, balloons, and cultural, literary and artistic events, which will last for 5 days.
Part of the operetta "The Advantages of the Sun" to express the progress of Babylon and its ancient civilization (Reuters)
The festival began its activities with the operetta "Mazayat al-Shams" by a group of Iraqi art stars, most notably Sami Kaftan, Asia Kamal, Enas Talib, Karim Mohsen and Kazem al-Quraishi.
The operetta launched a great tribute to the city of Babylon, history and civilization, and expressed the extent of Babylon's progress and ancient civilization.
Then the Indian folk troupe presented their performances amidst the audience's welcome.
In the solo singing segment, Kuwaiti artist Shams created a poetic atmosphere with her Iraqi audience, were it not for the sound problems.
However, the audience reacted a lot to her.
And when the voice of the Egyptian singer Hani Shaker resounded with a group of his most beautiful songs, Al-Akf fell silent to raise the sound of rapture.
# International_Babylon_Festival # Hani_Shaker 😍 Atmosphere
from the Babylon Festival for the first day 10/28/2021 pic.twitter.com/fP4zfNFJnC
— forqanalhusseiny (@forqanalhussei3) October 29, 2021
And when the role of the Iraqi artist Hatem Al Iraqi came, the theater floor shook with applause, so he sang a group of his well-known songs (One loves one, O bird, O traveler for it, I see you where O immigrant and others).
Where do I see you emigrate?
# Hatem_al-Iraqi # Babel_International_Festival pic.twitter.com/l3L5xsxlcL
— Kadim Atwaan (@k_Atwaan) October 28, 2021
Today’s program includes a Babylonian night on the throne theater presented by the Babylon Artists Syndicate, while the Babylonian theater embraces the performances of Kurdish, Palestinian, Syrian and Russian folk bands, then singers Maher Ahmed, Salah Hassan, Nawal Al Zoghbi and their lyrical prayers.
As for the third day, the festival will witness activities on the Throne Theater by the Serbian band and singer Suzan, in addition to the activities of the Al-Jawbi band from Ramadi and the Egyptian Folklore Band, and concerts by singers Bassam Mahdi, Hala Al-Qusayr and Rahma Riad.
The opening ceremony of the Babylon Festival witnessed a large audience (Reuters)
On the fourth day, the Iraqi Maqam Troupe and the Minority Folklore Troupe will participate in the Throne Theater, while the Babylonian theater performances will be presented by Al-Khashabah Visual and the Lebanese and Turkish Arts Ensemble, in addition to singers Amal Khudair, Hamid Mansour, Ahmed Sheba and Star Saad.
The closing ceremony will be held on Monday with artistic paintings by the Iraqi National Folk Band and the Armenian Arts Ensemble, in addition to singers Hussam Al-Rassam, Lebanese Vivian Murad and Iraqi singer Shatha Hassoun.
The festival's activities are held on the archaeological Babylonian theater, which dates back to the era of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) and can accommodate about 3,000 people.
The history of the city of Babylon dates back to about 4 thousand years, and is famous for the hanging gardens that are on the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, along with the Obelisk of Hammurabi and the Lion of Babylon.