Celebrating Makkah al-Mukarramah as capital of Islamic culture for 2005

The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Damascus held Thursday evening a celebration on the occasion of choosing Makkah al-Mukarramah as a capital of the Islamic culture for the year 2005.

Culture Minister Mahmoud al-Sayyed underlined the importance of selecting Makkah al-Mukarramah as a first capital of the Islamic culture by consent of culture ministers of the Islamic world in Doha this year.

He expressed the "highly valued Islam supreme values of peace and amity, emphasizing the important role of Makkah in all domains."

"Damascus is the capital of the Islamic conquest and the beating heart of Arabism," Saudi Ambassador in Damascu,s Ahmed bin Ali al-Gahtani, said, indicating that it is axiomatic for moving next year from Makkah to Aleppo to be as a capital of the Islamic culture for the year 2006.

Various cultural, religious, social and educational activities as well a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors to Syria attended the celebration.