Shrine to legendary Egyptian diva

Umm Kalthoum is seen as a symbol of national unity

A museum devoted to the famous Egyptian singer Umm Kalthoum, whose voice brought the streets of Cairo to a standstill, is opening in the capital on Friday.

The singer was frequently likened to the pyramids

Umm Kalthoum, popularly known as the Star of the East, or simply, al-Sit (the Lady), died 26 years ago but still continues to enchant the Arab world.

The Umm Kalthoum Museum will exhibit original manuscripts of the lyrics of her songs, along with her famous evening gowns and handbags and her trademark red handkerchief, which she always clutched on stage.

Egypt's first lady, Suzanne Mubarak, is officially opening the $1.5m museum, which has taken the government 12 years to build, much to the distress of her fans.

It is housed in Manistirli pavilion, a 150-year-old palace overlooking the Nile river in Cairo.

Incredible power

Umm Kalthoum released hundreds of songs over a career that spanned six decades. She was said to have a voice of incomparable range and power from an early age, although her first performances, as a young girl, was as a trained reciter of the Koran in the Egyptian countryside.

Sobbing mourners jammed the streets when she died

When she moved to Cairo, her legendary concerts on the first Thursday of every month drew distinguished audiences of Arab princes and presidents and captivated the city's residents, as they listened to the live broadcasts by Radio Cairo.

The Egyptian authorities hope the museum will inspire today's musicians, of whom cultural critics despair.

The current Egyptian singing sensation - Shaaban T Abdel Rahim - was recently attacked in parliament as a threat to the nation's youth.

Inspirational

"Our ministry believes that this museum will be an encouragement to Egyptian and Arab artists ... to bring their work to the high level to which Umm Kalthoum brought it," Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni told a press conference earlier this week.

A writer who previewed the museum, Salah Eissa, complained that Umm Kalthoum's home would have been a better location for the museum.

But the singer's villa has been torn down and replaced with a hotel and apartment complex.

Another visitor who attended the preview, Mohammed Abdel Ghani, a 59-year old fan, said a museum 10 times the size would not be big enough to do the diva justice.

"She united us as Arabs, she united our souls," he said.