With the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) set to celebrate its 15th anniversary on 16 October, the BA Antiquities Museum has hosted at book signing of Il Loto e il Papiro (The Lotus and the Papyrus), an opera written in Italian by renowned Italian dramatist Francesco Santocono. Mr Santocono, who has been greatly influenced by the ancient Egyptian civilization, wrote his operatic work about Pharaonic Egypt. The book-signing event took place on Sunday 10 September at noon, with BA director Mustafa al-Feqi and renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass who wrote the book’s introduction, attending.
The plot revolves around the conflict between the Hyksos and the 17th Dynasty that resided in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, the modern city of Luxor. The 17th Dynasty was led by King Seqenenre Tao who was the first leader to begin the wars of liberating Egypt from the Hyksos occupation. His son and successor King Ahmose I victoriously completed the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt, and founded the 18th Dynasty which ushered in the New Kingdom (16th – 11th century BC) of Egypt. This was a vital period in the history of Pharaonic Egypt that marked the peak of Egypt’s power and its dominance in the entire Ancient Near East.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) is the modern Library of Alexandria that was established to emulate the historic library which was the world-renowned hub of cultural and intellectual activity during the Greco Roman era (332BC to 640AD).
Watani International
11 September 2017