A monument to the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was unveiled in Cairo. The bust, created by Egyptian sculptor Osama as-Sirwi, is located in the garden of the Egyptian Opera House. On the stage of this largest theater in the Middle East, where many Russians and CIS citizens work in the troupe and orchestra, ballets such as "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" are regularly performed. Every December, "The Nutcracker" is held here, which has become a symbol of the approaching New Year in snowless Egypt and always draws full houses. The installation of Tchaikovsky's sculpture was timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Russia.