Situated in Zamalek near the southern end of the island is the National Cultural Centre, otherwise known as the Cairo Opera House. The Opera House has served asCairo’s main performing arts venue, hosting various events from renowned international performances to daily shows by some of our local favourites.
In 1869,Cairo’s first opera house came to be. Under the authority of Khedive Ismail, the Khedivial (Royal) Opera House was inaugurated in celebration of theSuez Canalopening. Shockingly enough, it was built by a team of Italian architects all within six months. In 1971, the opera house was destroyed by a fire and it wasn’t until over 15 years later that the Cairo Opera House came to be.
On October 10 of 1988, President Hosni Mubarak and Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, the younger brother of the Japanese Emperor, celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Opera House. Built by a team of Japanese and Egyptian architects, the complex was completely funded by generous donations fromJapan.
Since then, the Opera House has carried a grand ambition of providing first-class productions for the Egyptian community including dance performances, operas, musicals and symphonic works. Aside from hosting international companies on a regular basis, the Opera House also strives to promote young Egyptian artists by supporting learning and innovation through creativity.
Beautifully designed and extremely well-kept, the grounds of the Opera House occupy a significantly-sized sprawling space along theNile, including pristine lawns and gardens as well as seven theatres. The Main Hall is designed to seat over 1200 people on four different levels. While a presidential box is located on the 3 level and reserved for guests of honour, the entire hall provides the most advanced staging facilities in all of Africa and theMiddle East.
Best for its acoustic qualities and a night on the lawn, the open-air theatre is centrally located on the grounds and is squarely shaped at a lower level than the rest of the other theatres.
Also on the grounds of the Cairo Opera House is an area for workshops, the Roman Amphitheatre, Arab Music Institute and the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art . Open every day but Monday from 9AM to 3PM and from 5PM to 9PM, the museum is filled with a substantial collection of Modern Egyptian and International art.
Not only is a visit to the Opera House worth your time when you’re in the mood for a classy night out; but the grounds also provide a relaxing refuge from the chaos of the city thanks to its free entrance and many benches.
