[size=18]The Festival of Muslim Cultures[/size]

[url=http://www.muslimcultures.org/]The Festival of Muslim Cultures[/url] begins in January 2006 and continues into July 2007.

The events that are being programmed into the Festival year are chosen because they are the best of the arts from the Muslim world, both contemporary and historical. Also because they portray diversity and plurality, giving Muslims living in Britain greater pride in their cultures and a true sense of belonging to Britain. These events range from exhibitions, film, literature and the performing arts to seminars on contemporary issues and youth projects around fashion, music, film and food. This is an exploration of “culture” in the widest sense.

The first events of the Festival are:
- The historical exhibition “Palace and Mosque: Islamic Treasure of the Middle East from the V&A” at Sheffield Millennium Galleries, drawn from one of the most renowned Islamic art collections in the world. (14 January to 17 April)
- “Egyptian Landscapes: 50 years of Tapestry Weaving at the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre, Cairo”, an exhibition of woven tapestries created over the last 50 years in a village near the pyramids of Giza, at the Brunei Gallery, London, 19 January to 17 March
- “Contemporary Pakistani Printmakers” at Oriel Ceri Richards, Swansea from 14 January until 4 February.

Future events being created by the Festival’s programme partners range from drama from the Middle East; a colourful contribution to the Edinburgh Festivals; a conference on “Faith and Identity in Contemporary Culture” in Manchester; a gathering of poets in Bradford and Leeds; contemporary British Muslim artists in Birmingham; a Pakistani film festival in Glasgow as well as a Sufi Festival; Muslim writers at the Hay Literary Festival; Qur’anic recitation in Leicester; an arts programme in Cardiff; and early music in York.

[b]Full listings of Festival events will be published in the [url=http://www.muslimcultures.org/index2.php?option=events&PHPSESSID=4ec2718... section of the [url=http://www.muslimcultures.org/index2.php]Festival of Muslim Cultures[/url] website as they are confirmed.[/b]