Arab Cultural Capital
Encyclopedia
The Arab Capital of Culture is an initiative taken by the Arab League
under the UNESCO
Cultural Capitals Program to promote and celebrate Arab culture and encourage cooperation in the Arab region.
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
under the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Cultural Capitals Program to promote and celebrate Arab culture and encourage cooperation in the Arab region.
Cultural Capitals
| Year | City | Participating member |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Cairo Cairo Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life... |
 Egypt |
| 1997 | Tunis Tunis Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants.... |
 Tunisia |
| 1998 | Sharjah Sharjah (city) Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah... |
 United Arab Emirates |
| 1999 | Beirut Beirut Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan... |
 Lebanon |
| 2000 | Riyadh Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a... |
 Saudi Arabia |
| 2001 | Kuwait City Kuwait City -Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:... |
 Kuwait |
| 2002 | Amman Amman Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost... |
 Jordan |
| 2003 | Rabat Rabat Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000... |
 Morocco |
| 2004 | Sana'a Sana'a -Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:... |
 Yemen |
| 2005 | Khartoum Khartoum Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"... |
 Sudan |
| 2006 2006 Arab Capital of Culture Muscat Arab Capital of Culture was the name given to Arab Capital of Culture programme in 2006.-External links:... |
Muscat Muscat, Oman Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats... |
 Oman |
| 2007 2007 Arab Capital of Culture Al-Jazaїre Arab Capital of Culture was the name given to Arab Capital of Culture programme in 2007.-External links:... |
Algiers Algiers ' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000... |
 Algeria |
| 2008 2008 Arab Capital of Culture The 2008 Arab Capital of Culture was chosen to be Damascus, Syria. The Arab Capital of Culture is an initiative undertaken by UNESCO, under the Cultural Capitals Program to promote and celebrate Arab culture and encourage cooperation in the Arab region... |
Damascus Damascus Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major... |
 Syria |
| 2009 | Jerusalem |  Palestine (Arab League) |
| 2010 2010 Arab Capital of Culture The 2010 Arab Capital of Culture was chosen to be Doha, Qatar. The Arab Capital of Culture is an initiative undertaken by UNESCO, under the Cultural Capitals Program to promote and celebrate Arab culture and encourage cooperation in the Arab region... |
Doha Doha Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar... |
 Qatar |
| 2011 | Sirte Sirte Sirte is a city in LibyaSirte may also refer to:* Sirte Declaration, a 1999 resolution to create the African Union* Sirte Oil Company, a Libyan oil companyIn geography:* Gulf of Sirte, alias for Gulf of Sidra on Libya's coast... |
 Libya |
| 2012 | Manama Manama Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 155,000 people.Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population... |
 Bahrain |
| 2013 | Baghdad Baghdad Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040... |
 Iraq |
Endnotes
| i. | The award for Jerusalem was presented to "Palestine" but Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... controls all of Jerusalem including East Jerusalem East Jerusalem East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War... (captured in the Six Days War in 1967 and designated as a part of the Israeli-occupied territories Israeli-occupied territories The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria... ), and unilaterally designated the whole of the city as its own indivisible capital, and has enacted the Jerusalem Law Jerusalem Law The Jerusalem Law is a common name of Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel passed by the Knesset on July 30, 1980 .It began as a private member's bill proposed by Geula Cohen, whose original text stated that "the integrity and unity of greater Jerusalem in its boundaries after the Six-Day War... to that effect in a move denounced by the UN Security Council. Jerusalem was unilaterally designated as the capital of the State of Palestine State of Palestine Palestine , officially declared as the State of Palestine , is a state that was proclaimed in exile in Algiers on 15 November 1988, when the Palestine Liberation Organization's National Council adopted the unilateral Palestinian Declaration of Independence... , officially simply Palestine, by the Palestine Liberation Organization Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed... (PLO) in 1988, and again by the Palestinian Legislative Council Palestinian Legislative Council The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza... in May 2002.http://www.palestinianbasiclaw.org/2002-basic-law). 'Palestine' is a member of the Arab League Arab League The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a... and Secretary General Amr Moussa Amr Moussa Amr Mohammed Moussa is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the Secretary-General of the Arab League, a 22-member forum representing Arab states, from 1 June 2001 until 1 June 2011. He is a candidate in the 2011 Egyptian presidential election.... supported the Arab ministers' decision that Jerusalem be designated the Arab Capital of Culture for 2009. The city's final status awaits the outcome of future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (see "Negotiating Jerusalem", University of Maryland and Positions on Jerusalem Positions on Jerusalem There are differing legal and diplomatic positions on Jerusalem held within the international community. Governments and scholars alike are divided over the legal status of Jerusalem under international law. Most countries of the world do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Many do not... for more information). In the context of the Arab Capital of Culture, the organising committee is Palestinian and the Israeli authorities have discouraged the holding of events in Jerusalem itself. |