Sawiris lays the foundation stone for Gouna Cultural Centre

Egyptian Orascom Development’s chairman Samih Sawiris has laid on Monday the foundation stone of El Gouna Convention and Cultural Centre.

This comes as part of the second phase of building the cultural complex that will include a concert hall and a large square surrounded by high columns.

The company said in a press release that the center in

El Gouna will be the headquarters of the Gouna Film Festival within 2020, Orascom said, adding that it aims to be the venue for classical concerts and opera as well as international and Arab concerts.

The auditorium has 600 seats for the public and 120 for orchestras, while the convention centre would  accommodate 2,000 seats. It has meeting rooms for various purposes, including hosting seminars and conferences from around the world.

Orascom’s chief executive Khaled Bishara said the centre would place El Gouna on the global map as a meeting place for the most important conferences and cultural events, and that the best architects and construction employees were engaged in the design and construction of the center.