Tunis — During a press conference given in Tunis on Saturday, the Minister of culture and heritage preservation, Mr Abderraouf El Basti, said that a rich program has been set up to celebrate the advent of Kairouan as the 2009 capital of Islamic culture.

Mr El Basti evoked the role of Kairouan as the cradle of Sunni, Malekite Islamic school in North Africa under the impulse of Assad Ibn Fourat and the Imam Sahnoun Ben Said; a school he noted which preached moderation and "Ijtihed" in opposition to dogmatic, extremist currents.

The Minister also retraced the birth of the initiative to make Kairouan the 2009 capital of Islamic culture, saying that this presidential initiative, aims at reconciling Tunisians with their Arab Islamic environment. He also said that the move to promote the city's rich historical heritage will no doubt contribute to Kairouan's development.

The program celebrating the illustrious Aghlabid city, includes the holding of some 18 colloquia, 10 exhibits, 10 specialists meetings, 20 musical concerts, 20 film screenings, 10 plays, 2 congresses and 2 poetry festivals.

It was also announced that round tables will be held on the role of Kairouan in Tunisia's national movement, and the city's civilizational heritage and its impact on psychiatry.

The program which will be launched on the Day of the Mouled (the Prophet's birthday) on March 8, 2009, will also include a Sufi music festival, a traditional carpet festival, as well as a painting exhibit entitled "Kairouan in the eyes of the painters."

Other cultural events will include the publication of several books and encyclopaedias retracing the city's history, in collaboration with Beit El Hikma. They include the complete works of Ibn El Jazzar and a book entitled "Kairouan in the Hearts of the Poets". Three commemorative stamps will also be issued, to celebrate the event.

The locations which are due to host the various events include the city's cultural compound, the Kasbah Hotel and the town's historic monuments and mausoleums.

All in all more than 100 events are scheduled throughout the year 2009. Most of them will take place in Kairouan itself, but others are also planned at the Arab World Institute in Paris, in Cordoba, Spain, and in Algeria.

The opening show scheduled on March 8, will take place on the "Moussala Square", situated behind the Okba Mosque minaret. The 60 minute sound and light show will be broadcast on Tunisian television, as well as on the television channels of Moslem countries. The show's scenario will be available in Arabic, French and English.