Iftah Ya Simsim
Iftah Ya Simsim (; meaning "Open Sesame") is the first international co-production of the American children's television series "Sesame Street" created in the Arab world. It premiered in Kuwait on September 14, 1979 and was broadcast in 22 Arabic-speaking countries, running until April 6, 1990. The program continued to be well-known decades after it went off the air. In 1978, educators, mass media officers, and social planners agreed to adopt "Sesame Street" as a feasible and economical solution for the low attendance in preschools and illiteracy that plagued the region. They approached the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), the producers of the American show, and purchased the rights to create an Arab version for US$2.5 million.
Ishim, Tyumen Oblast
It was founded in 1670 as the village of Korkina Sloboda. In 1721, by the order of Tsar Peter the Great the village gained the right to establish Nikolskaya Trade Fair which rapidly became one of the most important trade fairs in Siberia. This trade fair took place twice a year on the Saint Nicholas day until 1919. In 1782, by the order of Empress Catherine the Great, Korkina Sloboda was renamed Ishim and was granted town status. In 1918, Ishim became the administrative center of Ishimsky Uyezd. In 1984, the city began a sister city relationship with Grand Forks, North Dakota in the United States. This relationship terminated in the late 1990s due to economic turmoil in Ishim.