World Sacred Music Festival pays homage to Khayyam

TEHRAN,June 10(MNA) -- The 18th Annual World Sacred Music Festival opened in Fez, Morocco on June 8, with a special tribute paid to Persian poet and mathematician Omar Khayyam (1048-1131). Omar Khayyam was one of the most prominent scholars of medieval times, with remarkable contributions in the fields of mathematics and astronomy. His worldwide fame today mainly comes from a number of quatrains attributed to him that have tended to overshadow his brilliant scientific achievements. The grand ceremony was opened with a musical directed by French director Tony Gatlif, who is well known for directing musicals and making films that capture the essence and emotion of Oriental music. The Iranian ensemble Nur led by Iranian musician Christopher Rezaei is among the participating groups and is scheduled to give performances at the festival on June 13. With the theme of “Re-Chanting the World”, this edition of the festival helps introduce artists and musicians from different parts of the world. Ensembles from the United States, Egypt, Lebanon, Romania, Cuba, France and several more are attending the festival, which will be running until June 16.