TUNIS: Claudia Cardinale, the Tunis-born Italian movie star, was the guest of honor on Wednesday as Tunisia inaugurated a long-cherished City of Culture complex to showcase its cultural wealth.
The richly equipped complex, launched a decade ago but long stalled, incorporates a modern art museum, a 1,800-seat opera, two theaters, a cinema, library and studios to host festivals.
“It’s a source of pride for Tunisia,” Culture Minister Mohamed Zine el Abidine told reporters at the opening of what he called “the largest cultural complex in the Maghreb, the Arab world and Africa.”
The project was initially launched under president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who was overthrown in a 2011 revolution.
Located in central Tunis, the nine-hectare (22-acre) Cite de la Culture with its iconic glass globe is estimated to have cost 130 million dinars (more than $49 million).
The project, held up by financial disputes, had been abandoned after the revolution but was revived in March 2016.
Cardinale, who was born in the Tunisian capital in 1938 of Sicilian parents, was to take part in a formal opening ceremony later Wednesday along with President Beji Caid Essebsi.
The newly formed orchestra of the Tunis Opera was to play music from Carmen’s Bizet sung by three Tunisian artists, accompanied by a choir and orchestra from Ukraine.
Claudia Cardinale stars as Tunisia opens City of Culture
Claudia Cardinale stars as Tunisia opens City of Culture
What to expect at the AlUla Arts Festival 2026
DUBAI: The AlUla Arts Festival returns for its fifth anniversary edition from Jan. 16 to Feb. 14, 2026, bringing a month-long program of contemporary art, design, performance and immersive experiences to Saudi Arabia’s oasis city.
A major highlight is the fourth Desert X AlUla show from Jan. 16 to Feb. 28. The open-air exhibition will feature 10 newly commissioned, site-specific works by Saudi Arabia and international artists.
Curated around the theme “Space Without Measure,” and inspired by the poetry of Kahlil Gibran, the artworks will be embedded across AlUla’s landscape, exploring imagination, scale and humanity’s relationship with place. This year, it is curated by Neville Wakefield and Raneem Farsi.
The festival will also present an exhibition from the pre-opening program of AlUla’s forthcoming contemporary art museum, developed in collaboration with Centre Pompidou and AFALULA.
Titled “Arduna” (meaning “Our Land”), the exhibition opens on Feb. 1 and will showcase more than 80 artworks from Saudi Arabia and beyond, including pieces from the Royal Commission for AlUla collection and the Musee National d’Art Moderne, with works by artists including Kandinsky and Picasso.
Design takes center stage with the festival’s largest program yet, led by the AlUla Design Exhibition at Design Space AlUla. The showcase highlights outcomes from the AlUla Artists Residency Program and AlUla Design Award, alongside retail collections developed with local artisans.
The AlUla Music Hub from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 will present a series of concerts featuring Arabic, fusion, vocal and jazz performances, while the ATHR Gallery will exhibit works by Saudi contemporary artist Sara Abdu.
The open-air Cinema Al-Jadidah will present a special series of art-themed documentaries, shorts and feature films.
Visitors can also expect live music, immersive performances, film screenings, workshops and public art installations across the Al-Jadidah Arts District, Villa Hegra and Wadi Al-Fann.
