Arabic: دار الأوبرا المصرية Inauguration: October 10, 1988 The Cairo Opera House Part is part of Cairo's National Culture Center, and the main performing arts venue in Cairo. It hosts many great performances, from operas to ballets, exhibitions and conferences. In 1869, Khedive Ismail ordered to build an Opera House shortly after the opening of the Suez Canal. In celebration of Egypt's development, the Khedive Opera House was built to celebrate Egyptian art and culture. Italian Architects Avoscani and Rossi designed the Khedive Opera House in only six months. Khedive commissioned French archaeologist Auguste Mariette Bey to write a plot, Italian librettist Antonio Ghislanzoni for his libretto and Gieuseppe Verdi to compose music for a performance that reflects the history of ancient Egypt. The result was the ever-famous Opera Aida, with a heroic plotline, powerful music and dramatic performances. Aida, however, was not commissioned for the inauguration of either the Opera House or the Suez Canal, contrary to popular belief. The inauguration performance was Rigoletto, an early masterpiece by Verdi. On October 28, 1971, a fire destroyed the great Royal Opera House. The new infrastructure, currently the Cairo Opera House, was funded as a gift from Japan when former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited Japan in 1983. Construction began in 1985 and the inauguration took place in 1988. Contact: Address: El Borg Gezira, Cairo, Egypt. P.O Box: 11567 EL Borg Gezira, Cairo, Egypt Email: [email protected] Operator: 27370603 - 27350911 - 27390362 FAX: 27370599 - 27390199 - 27398199 Web: http://www.cairoopera.org/
