A 9/11 Gallery

Levantine Cultural Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the Los Angeles nexus for Middle Eastern/North African and Mediterranean cultures. We look to new ideas and forms of expression from artists, writers, iconoclasts and visionaries, both in the region and abroad. Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk wins Nobel Prize for Literature. Los Angeles Times on Levantine Cultural Center & The Sultans of Satire. Read The Daily Pilot or the Persian Mirror on The Sultans of Satire. Times story on the Andalusian music of the Tangier Orchestra.

Tax-deductible contributions support our programs for Middle East peace & cross-cultural understanding. $

Israel and Palestine at 60, Public Forum in Santa Monica

See the Sultans May 3, 10, 17 & 28

Imagine a bridge linking the many cultures of the Levant—from Morocco in the west to Afghanistan to the east (yes, we're stretching the very definition of the Levant, land of the rising sun in the eastern Mediterranean, to encompass the geopolitical Middle East).

Imagine an oasis of harmonious coexistence, right here in Los Angeles, where artists illumine our minds and entertain at the same time. You have imagined Levantine Cultural Center.

We strive to be an oasis of cultural exploration, peace, exchange and understanding. Devoted to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, Levantine Cultural Center, headquartered in Los Angeles, serves as a crossroads between contemporary arts and traditional cultures.

We present or cosponsor programs that celebrate the music, dance, poetry, literature, film and video, painting, sculpture, new media, new ideas, and the oral histories of this fascinating, diverse region of the world. From the the cultures of the Levant to the Arab spirit of Al-Andalus, from Greece and Turkey to North Africa, from the cultures of West Asia, including Iran and Pakistan to the Gulf States, the Center expressly includes and honors the many cultures of this vast region.

Country list.

Perhaps what makes Levantine Cultural Center most unique is that we celebrate both majority and minority cultures, rather than taking a nationalistic approach, so you will find here that most everyone is represented, including Armenian, Bedouin, Kabyl, Kurdish and Sephardi/Mizrahi cultures. Our programs are welcoming and inclusive; as a result, audiences at our events are extremely diverse.

Bilad al-sham is one definition of "Levantine" as it referred to Syria in days gone by when it was interconnected with Lebanon and Palestine; another is El Helaal el khaseeb—the Fertile Crescent. The Levant we embrace embodies as much the imaginary worlds of Naghib Mahfouz and Edmond Jabès as it does the spirit of poets Rumi, Adonis and Darwish. Into the mix come the dancers and musicians who cross-pollinate with each other, whether they are of one religion or another, one nationality or another—regardless of the politics of their respective governments. Here is a list of all the countries whose cultures are included...

Levantine Cultural Center, founded in 2001 as a not-for-profit arts organization, seeks to create or support innovative programs focusing on the expression of artists and writers, performers and philosophers, dreamers and visionaries. Many Levantine cultures are under-represented in American life, and often misunderstood. We are organizing to support gallery exhibits, lectures, performance art, live concerts, public dialogue, festivals, book groups, conferences, workshops, film and video screenings, oral history and radio recordings, new media productions and much more. You can help by becoming a sponsor. Read why we Advocates for Middle East Peace and Seek New Stakeholders.

For details on past, present and future programs, please visit our calendar.

Read an early Los Angeles Times feature about us.

Levantine Cultural Center welcomes you to join us in exploration, debate and friendship!

A new project initiated by Levantine Center

About LCC

Learn more about a poetry event Levantine Cultural Center hosted with poets Nathalie Handal, Dima Hilal, Elmaz Abinader and Deema Shehabi. See the Arab poets page.

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