Under the title “Ugaro”, activities of the sand sculpture forum 2017 kicked off at Alyukhut Marina in Lattakia as a tribute to the Syrian writer and author Hanna Mina and the ancient city of Ugarit, the cradle of music and the site of the world’s first alphabet.

The forum was organized by the National Association for Tourism Development in Syria under the patronage of Ministries of Tourism and Culture in cooperation with Lattakia City Council, the Plastic Artists Union, Directorates of Fine Arts and Child Culture in Damascus.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Assistant Minister of Culture Ali Mobayed underlined the importance of organizing such activities which indicates close coordination between governmental and civil sectors in order to further enhance the Syrian cultural scene.

In turn, Head of Promotion Department at Lattakia Tourism Directorate, Firas Wardi, said that for the third year in a row, the sand sculpture forum is held within the framework of the Tourism Ministry’s program to support young talent, creativity and innovation.

Chairperson of the Association for Tourism Development in Syria, Sahar Hmaisheh noted to the efforts exerted in order to provide a wonderful and exciting experience for visitors through the several interactive activities for children and yoga sessions in addition to an art exhibition to be organized in parallel with the forum.

The forum lasts till August 18th with the participation of 8 prominent artists: Ghazi A’na, Mohammed Ba’ajano, Ali Moualla, Mayson Habel, Afif Agha, Adel Khder, Aktham Salloum and Kawthar Saleh.