Art festival held on museum boat in Rabat captivating audience

An art festival is held on the world's first museum boat in Rabat, the capital city of Morocco, offering distinguished cultural experience to local residents and visitors coming afar.

The itinerant art festival takes place aboard a large museum ship that is planned to sail to 15 countries in the Mediterranean, cradle of great civilizations and melting pot of many cultures from early 2024 to 2026.

This project was introduced by the Art Explora Foundation in 2024, aiming to reduce cultural barriers and promote a broader and more democratic engagement with the arts.

"The project Art Explora started with the ambition to connect the banks of the Mediterranean and a desire to bring the history of the Mediterranean closer together," said Laila Haida, the Moroccan stages commissioner of Art Explora Festival.

The Mediterranean Sea has a long and storied history. Before the Roman Empire saw it as a huge domestic lake, the Greeks and Carthaginians battled for supremacy along its long shores. Over the centuries, its coastline and many islands have been home to millions of people who practiced and shared different cultures and traditions. At the heart of Mediterranean history is its remarkable relationship with art.

"There is so much to say about marine history. Most people don't know anything about this rich field in Morocco and the Mediterranean basin. It's important to tell the story from Moroccan and European perspectives," said Ahmed Elbzioui, a Moroccan heritage expert.

Designed to innovate the way of telling stories of art, this traveling art gallery gave visitors an immersive experience through several centuries.

"It was really very interesting. I came from France. I felt as if we were at the Louvres Museum. The representation of the paintings was well done. It was well illustrated and explained. I would recommend this amazing experience for visitors who want to discover art in antiquity, renaissance, 17th Century and contemporary paintings," said Wahiba Aitfares, a visitor from France.

"I enjoyed the immersive experience so much from the beginning until the end. This is a very good initiative," said Wiaam Benabou, a visitor.

Visitors also hailed the creativity that was used to transform a traditional art show into a unique cultural tourism experience.

"It's very innovative to have an initiative like this; to have a boat that goes through multiple countries in the world to share this universal experience of enjoying art," said Fatemazahra Karoum, another visitor.

Opening in Malta the spring of this year, the Art Explora festival will continue the journey in the Mediterranean basin. The next stop is Malaga, a coastal city in Spain.

Art festival held on museum boat in Rabat captivating audience

At least Four civilians were killed and several university students injured on Friday as the rebel groups fired shells at a dormitory complex in Aleppo city in northern Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

Amid the worsening situation in Aleppo, Chinese journalists are forced to evacuate to Damascus, the capital city of Syria.

The shelling marks one of the deadliest attacks in recent months on the area as ultra-radical groups launched a large-scale offensive on military sites in Aleppo's western countryside starting from Wednesday.

In response, the Syrian government forces intensified military operations with sustained artillery and missile strikes, bolstered by air power on militant positions along the western countryside of Aleppo, according to pro-government Sham FM radio.

Due to security concerns, the Syrian military has temporarily blocked the highway from Aleppo to Damascus.

For the sake of safety, the government military requested the journalists of the China Media Group (CMG) to evacuate from Aleppo and return to Damascus.

As the main road, the M5 highway that connects Aleppo and Damascus, was cut off by artillery fire, the journalists had to choose to drive through the deserts of central Syria under the guidance of the government military, bypassing Idlib, which doubled the journey's length.

"We are currently driving through the desolate deserts of Hama Province in Syria. The road conditions are poor, but this route serves as the sole connection between Damascus and Aleppo. There is sparse traffic along this road, mostly Syrian government military vehicles traveling from Damascus to Aleppo," said one of the journalist.

"This road, as you can see, has large way of desert. There are no places to rest. It's a very long road, no people crossing. It is rarely used recently actually, but we didn't have any other choice if we want to keep us (safe)," said Haifa, a Syrian media professional.

According to state news agency SANA, Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh held a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday to discuss the situation in Aleppo.

Sabbagh said that the attacks by the opposition armed groups on Aleppo are within the framework of the Western support for Israel.

Araghchi described the resurgence of terrorist activities in Syria as part of the plans of the United States and Israel.

He reaffirmed Iran's commitment to supporting the Syria's government, people, and military in their fight against terrorism and in safeguarding regional security and stability.

Rebel groups' attack on Syrian city of Aleppo kills four civilians, forces evacuation of Chinese journalists