The Alexandria Opera House is located on El-Hurriya Road (Fouad Street) in the Raml Station area. It is a historic venue, built from 1918 to 1921 and designed by the French architect Georges Parcq. Inspired by the Vienna State Opera and the Odéon Theatre, the building was inaugurated as the Teatro Mohamed Ali. Since 1962, it has been named after the music writer, composer, and Alexandrian icon Sayed Darwish.
The building, designed in the Ionic architectural style for the Qardahi family, was registered as a historical monument in 1999. A restoration project took approximately a year and a half before the theater reopened on 27 January 2004 in the presence of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The structure features classical European motifs and served as the site for the first theatrical performance of Scheherazade on June 30, 1921.
The theater seats 1,000 people and serves as the main performance venue in Alexandria, hosting various Egyptian and international ensembles. These include the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and the Alexandria Opera Company for Arabic Music and Singing. Performances range from religious chanting groups and ballet companies to orchestras and modern dance companies, with formal attire required for entry.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Mutabor
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