Entitled Victory Celebration… Launching the activities of the Citadel and Wadi Festival in the western countryside of Homs

Homs-Sana

The activities of the Castle and Wadi Festival, organized by the Homs Governorate and the Ministries of Tourism and Culture, kicked off this evening in the Wadi al-Nadarah region in the Homs countryside.

On the impact of the orchestras of the Homs Culture Directorate, the festival was inaugurated under the title “Victory Celebration” amid a wide official, cultural and popular presence in Qalaat al-Hosn Square in the western countryside of Homs.

Today’s activities included the launch of the Syrian and Russian Film Week at the Al-Hawash Private University theater. The film week includes “Salwit 7, The Morning Star, The Ghost, My Last Friend, The Clear Sweep, Homs Rain, A Man, Three Days, Waiting For Autumn, and Again, The Path of Heaven.”

The Governor of Homs, Engineer Bassam Parsik, indicated in a speech at the opening ceremony that the launch of the festival for this year coincides with the celebrations of the Syrians with the victory of Dr. Bashar al-Assad in the constitutional elections and his election as President of the Republic, and an affirmation that Syria is a country of peace, love and goodness that will remain beautiful with its art and strong with its children despite all the adversities that are going through It will remain the home of civilization and creativity after it resisted and defeated the tools of evil and terrorism thanks to the sacrifices of the heroes of the Syrian Arab Army, the protectors of the past, present and future.

Eng. Parsik added that the Citadel and Valley Festival is one of the most important festivals in Syria, and Homs Governorate seeks to provide success factors for it to be comprehensive and diversified in the fields of culture, arts and entertainment, and an important factor for attracting tourism, especially that the region is distinguished by its picturesque nature and its historical and archaeological importance, and its people were an example of the embodiment of tourism As a culture and a way of life, he pointed out that the festival activities will include all the tourist and cultural sites in the Wadi Al-Nadarah region and will continue until the sixth of next August.

Engineer Ahmed Akash, Director of Homs Tourism, explained that the festival coincides with the return of expatriates to the homeland, pointing out that it includes various cultural, sports and artistic activities over three weeks, including book and film exhibitions, car racing, a paragliding festival, theatrical performances, bicycle races, poetry gatherings, and exhibitions of rural and heritage products.

Akash indicated that the festival is a promotion of the valley's heritage, with its contents of tourist attractions, especially Al-Hosn Castle and Dermar Gerges as tourist attractions in the world.

Hassan al-Labbad, director of Homs culture and conductor of the opening orchestra, which played 8 pieces of patriotic songs, which began with Julia Boutros, “We are the revolution and anger.” He pointed out that the orchestra includes 42 instrumentalists and 80 choirs.

In turn, the expatriate artist Raymond Maamari explained that he came from America to participate in the festival because of its great tourist importance in introducing the archaeological sites in Syria and emphasizing the identity and heritage it enjoys, pointing out that his insistence to participate every year stems from his love for this region and to deliver a loving message from his expatriate friends to this striking country. Its roots are deep in history and civilization.

Dr. Adnan Younes, President of Al-Hawash Private University, indicated that the university’s participation in the festival includes several cultural, sports and medical activities through the Syrian and Russian Film Week, a book fair, and honoring a number of artists at the end of the Film Week, in addition to participating in the first Homs football championship, in which 34 remarkable teams will participate. The treatment will be provided free of charge during the festival period within Al-Hawash University Hospital.

It is noteworthy that the festival will be held on the 24th, 25th, 29th, 30th and 31st of this month, in addition to the 5th and 6th of next August.

Rasha Al Mahrez and Saba Khairbeek