Wüstenschiff

Three performances of the Giuseppe Verdi opera Aida are being planned at Luxor's Hatshepsut Temple for October 26-28, as celebrations continue for the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Suez Canal, an event to which the opera's composition is indirectly linked. Sources from the production told ANSA that the opera is returning to Luxor after 22 years. The performance of Aida, which is set in ancient Egypt, will be staged in the clearing in front of the funerary temple of the Egyptian queen Hatshepsut, denoted by a triple series of columns overlooking the spectacular vertical rocks of the Deir el-Bahari archaeological site on the western shore of the Nile River near the Valley of the Kings [...] Production sources said a influx of 5,000 tourists is expected in one month, including "kings, presidents, politicians, diplomats, businessmen, and artists", without specifying names. The sources said there will be special discounts for tour operators.