Several programme points presented the cultural life in this city, which is counted as one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world: A portrait of the composer Noiri Iskandar, performances by the Syrian Bigband and the Ensemble Wogoh, a series of films and many more.

In the opening concert of the Festival the Munich Radio Orchestra played the premieres of works by Haddad (soloist: Saleem Ashkar), Kinan Idnawi und Nader Mashayekhi (soloist: Salar Aghili), all conducted by Frank Cramer. The Iranian rock bands Kiosk and Da-sh gave their European debuts, musicians from the Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra and the Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra together with the Osnabrück Youth Choir performed Bach’s St John Passion in Osnabrück and Tehran, the first time ever the work had been performed in Iran.