Amid an atmosphere of anticipation, Egyptian coastal city Alexandria prepares itself for the inauguration of the city’s latest project for cultural preservation, the Museum of Arabic Calligraphy, due to be inaugurated on Saturday, al-Ahram reported. As part of an inclusive renovation project for the Hussein Sobhy Museum of Fine Arts situated in Moharram Bey area, the new museum will open its gates tonight at seven in the evening in the presence of the Minister of Culture Abdel Wahed al-Nabawy, the Governor of Alexandria Hani el-Messiry and the Head of Fine Arts Sector Hamdy Abo el-Maati. In an official statement, Abo el-Maati explained that “the museum is specialized in the art and aesthetics of Arabic calligraphy and contains a collection of Arabic manuscript masterpieces created by artists of our current and past times.” Renowned for their wide experience in modern design, conservation projects and designing interpretative displays in national museums, Archinos Architecture, a Cairo based firm, was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture in 2009 to take the project under its wings. Curtained in a glass wall bearing Islamic motifs and Arabic calligraphy, the museum façade radiates an entwined identity of…
