Damascus International Poetry Festival launches with 55 Arab poets

The inaugural Damascus International Poetry Festival opened on 2 August 2026 at the Damascus Opera House. Organized by Syria’s Ministry of Culture, the six‑day event features 55 poets, writers and lecturers from 16 Arab countries. The programme combines poetry evenings in classical and Nabati styles, literary lectures, seminars, musical and artistic performances, and cultural tours of historic sites in Damascus, Bosra, Sidon and Maaloula.

Prominent participants include Syrian poet Omar Muneeb Idlbi, who withdrew from the Arab Writers Union in 2011 after facing arrest, and singer‑actor Bashar Zarqan, who will close the festival with a concert. The festival is presented as a symbolic step toward reviving Syria’s cultural life after years of state censorship and repression of dissenting artistic voices.