On 7th May, a cultural evening was held at Damascus Opera House that included music and folkloric shows to represent Syria’s cultural diversity.

The event, called “Images from Heritage,” was a gathering of performances of Circassian, Kurdish, Armenian and Assyrian-Syriac culture, as well as a traditional Mawlawi whirling dervish performance.

The event began with a spiritual presentation by the Mawlawi, followed by religious chanting and prayers, creating a strong atmosphere for celebrating cultural heritage and artistic expression. The event began with a spiritual performance of the Mawlawi, accompanied by religious singing and chanting, thus paving the way for an entire night celebrating culture and the arts.

The Ashti Kurdish Heritage Group had traditional Kurdish songs and dances, and the Amal Dance Theatre had performances of Syrian dabke with folk music. The Karni Dance Group performed Armenian dances, while the Parmaya group performed dances inspired by the Syriac and Assyrian heritage. Circassian folkloric dances were also performed.

The Aleppo-based group, Karni Dance Group, was founded in 2013 and has a vision to share artistic performances that showcase the beauty of the Syrian cultural heritage, according to its leader, Sara Naoum, who spoke with SANA. Nawar Youssef of the Circassian group affirmed that the participation was a sign of cultural diversity in Syria.

Artistic supervisor Idris Murad said the event was meant to unite various aspects of Syrian society in music, traditional arts, and to encourage cultural openness and diversity. He said that organisers are looking forward to building up the number of cultural groups in the coming events.

All groups performed together the classic song “Ya Teir Sallimli A Syria” in the finale, which expressed the diversity and unity of Syria’s cultural landscape.