Sheikh Ibrahim Fathalla El-Askandarany was born in Maharam Bek, Alexandria on 8 July 1931. He moved to Cairo along with his family in 1939 and spent his entire life in El-Sayeda Zeinab District. He memorized the Holy Quran at the age of ten at the hands of his mentor Sheikh Amer Othman. He then met with the No. 1 spiritual chanter Sheikh Ali Mahmoud in El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque, who listened to his voice and had him join his group in 1942 until he became famous and had his own group and shows. He was certified as a religious singer by the Egyptian Radio in 1954, then was certified as a supplicant chanter in 1975. He continued to perform radio shows, celebrations, spiritual chanting and supplication, including the celebrations of City Lights, Mohamadi Nights and Public Culture celebrations until he was assigned by the Radio Committee to train new supplicants and performers. Among his most distinguished works were his unique call to prayer (azan), Oh Paradise ‘Ya Rowda Yally’, Good Prayer ‘Ya Salat Elzein’, Light has Shone on Us ‘Elnoor Qad Adaa Lana’, Realizing Dreams ‘Fazu Benail Elamany’. Sheikh El-Askandarany passed away in 2000, leaving numerous religious works for the Radio & Television.
He is one of the renowned literary men and symbols of enlightenment in Egypt. He was born on 11 June 1941 and graduated from Cairo University in 1960. He joined the Ministry of Culture in 1963 and was interested in the Egyptian character with its historical roots and the idea of human communication. He was always keen on reiterating these values in is works and was one of the strongest supporters of Samaa Festival and the International Message of Peace Group. Abdelrahman has enriched literature, art and humanity with his genuine treasures. He was a real addition to and developed many fields, such as editorials, short stories, novels and theatre scripts, until he entered the television world and became a pioneer in the field. He has written the scripts for twenty television serie such as Ahl Elhawa (Love), Om Kalthum, Bawabet Elhalawany, Saaet Weld Elhoda, Qabil & Qabil, Antara, Elzeir Salem and Soliman Elhalaby. Of his most important cinema works are Haleem, Kawkab Elsharq, Naser 65, Elqadeseya, and Elshabaka (The Network). His theatrical pieces include Belquis, Mahakamet Elsayed Meem (Trial of Mr. M.), Elhamy wel Haram(Protector and Thief), Ihzaru (Be Careful), Arees Lebent Elsultan (Groom for the Sultan’s Daughter), Hafla Ala Khazoe (Party based on a Trick) and Alf Leila we Leila (One Thousand and One Nights). He received numerous prizes including the State Prize for Arts 2002, the Decade Prize for the Best Artist in 10 Years at the Radio and Television Festival. The great author passed away in 2017 leaving behind a great legacy of innovation, intellect
and enlightenment.
This service was established 16 years ago at the Church of the great martyr Margergis affiliated to Malawi Archbishopric under the patronage of Bishop Demetrius and the spiritual supervisor priest Augustus Elia to introduce new youth spirit to the old following the Bible’s words to renew youth like an eagle. Within this context, they formed a choir to discover hidden talents and to bring them to the light. They went beyond expectations in terms of the ability to memorize and their brilliant performances in spite of their old age and diseases.
Noor Akhiary has a very distinctive voice which attracted a large audience. During his study at Al Azhar University he and his friends formed a group which performed religious songs without using any musical instruments. This very unique technique is known as Acapella. Owing to his magnificent voice and performance, the artist Entissar Abdelfattah selected Noor Akhiary and his group to join Samaa Academy, then the International Message of Peace. Since then, and for ten years, Akhiary has been sharing the groups' journey in many countries such as France, Italy, England, China, Germany and Austria, besides other major festivals and events in Egypt.