Bronze statue of Umm Kulthum (Kawkab El Sharq), Egypt's most celebrated classical singer, standing in the forecourt of the Cairo Opera House on Gezira Island, Zamalek district. The Opera House main building is illuminated in red and white at night, with pathway lights reflecting off the wet brick walkway in the foreground. The Cairo Opera House, inaugurated in 1988, is Egypt's principal performing arts venue and a major cultural landmark in the Arab world.