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Bab Al-Hara

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Bab Al-Hara
File:Bab Al-Hara season 6.jpg
Bab Al-Hara season 6 poster
GenreHistorical Syrian Drama Series
Written byMarwan Qawooq
Directed byBassam Al-Mulla
StarringAbbas Al Noury
Samer Al Masry
Bassam Kousa
Muna Wassef
Lilia al-Atrash
Mamoon al-Farkh
Mohammed Rafeh
Wael Sharaf
Country of originSyria
Original languagesArabic, French
No. of seasons7 (8,9,10) in production
No. of episodes210
Production
Production locationSyria
Camera setupHD
Running time45 minutes
Original release
NetworkMBC
Release23 September 2006 (2006-09-23) –
present

Bab Al-Hara (Template:Lang-ar; "The Neighbourhood's Gate") is one of the most popular television series in the Arab world,[1] watched by tens of millions of people[2] from "poverty-stricken Gaza to the opulent cities of the Persian Gulf."[3] The series chronicles the daily happenings and family dramas in a neighborhood in Damascus, Syria in the inter-war period under French rule when the local population yearned for independence.[3] The appeal is cross-generational, and viewers include Muslims, Christians, Druze and Jews from Arab countries, the show was a huge success in the Arab World so MBC decided to renew it for a second season. The series' second season was even a bigger success, and the finale was watched by over a 50 million viewers around the Arab World. It was renewed for 3 more seasons. The show announced its cancellation due to a long run of seasons.The series made a come back in Ramadan 2014, with season 6.[4] It has been proposed that it be filmed in Dubai on film sets, but many Syrians protested against this as it removes the Bab Al Hara sensation. The sixth season premiered in Ramadan 2014 on MBC HD Channels and received mixed reviews.

Overview

Bab Al-Hara aired during Ramadan and forms part of the emerging modern tradition of the Ramadan soap opera.[5] The Arab satellite channels broadcast special programming every night during Ramadan to try to capture audiences from among the families who have gathered together to eat and break the fast.[5]

Directed by Bassam al-Mulla and broadcast on MBC,[2] the first installment of the series, comprising 31 episodes, aired during Ramadan in 2006 and enjoyed broad viewership and a positive reception. The second installment, entitled Bab al-Hara 2, was highly anticipated, receiving even wider acclaim in Ramadan of 2007. A third installment to be aired in Ramadan of 2008 was officially announced on al-Arabiya channel in October 2007, and will focus on the post-marriage lives of the children of Abu Issam, the local doctor and barber.[6]

Like many of the most recent popular Arabic series, Bab al-Hara is a Syrian production, financed by the Gulf-state satellite channels. It reflects a new trend representing the shift of Arabic media dominance away from the Egyptians to the Syrians.

Two more Bab al-Hara seasons were aired in Ramadan 2009 and 2010, Bab al-Hara 4 and 5 were produced directly after each other just like Bab al-Hara 1 and 2. This was announced just after airing 10 episodes of Bab al-Hara 3 after realizing that Bab al-Hara 3 was able to keep its audience and not decline in ratings. It is obvious that MBC will be channel to broadcast the series during the next 2 years, although this year they did give the rights to Libya Al-Shababiya (Libya Youth Channel) to broadcast Bab al-Hara 3 at the same time of airing it in MBC.[7]

Historic context

Bab al-Hara takes place in the 1930s, a time when the Middle East was colonized by Western powers. Syria was under French control and Palestine – where some of the neighborhood men go to fight at the end of the second installment of the series – was British-occupied. Bab al-Hara depicts the last moments of Syrian society as it existed in its centuries-old Ottoman era make-up, just prior to the transition into colonial and post-colonial modernity. The series' hearkening back to this era partially explains its massive popularity, an expression of the Arab world's nostalgia and yearning for a simple, more dignified time[3] before the cataclysmic turmoil and cultural identity crisis ushered in by the colonial period.

Background

Bab al-Hara is based on an interpretation of life in the old city of Damascus. Every neighborhood, or hara, has its own mukhtar, a chosen older man held in high regard. Ideally chosen Mukhtar based on his history in the neighborhood, the mukhtar depended on a number of men from the neighborhood gathered around him to assist him in his functions. These members along with the mukhtar constituted a small nucleus that ran the hara and decided on what was good for it. Wealthier members funded the mukhtar and had a say in its use, such as use for public renovation, given to charities for the poor or set aside for emergency uses. Members generally were of the mercantile class, having steady incomes from having shops or businesses, such as barber shops, bakeries, smithies, ghouta, groceries or other merchant activities.

List of characters

Family of Abu Issam

  • Abu Issam – Abbas al-Noury (The pharmacist/doctor of Haret Al-Dab3, the French claim that he died on his way to the ghouta to medicate the injured comrades who fought the British in Palestine, however he returns in season 6 saying that he never actually reached the ghouta.) starring 1–2, 6-7
  • Issam – Milad Youssef (Eldest son of Abu Issam, married to 3 which are Latfieh, Hoda, and Faiza) starring 1–7
  • Me3taz – Wael Sharaf (Younger son of Abu Issam, married to Khayriye and Sara) guest 1, starring 1–7
  • Souad – Sabah Jazaeri (Wife of Abu Issam) starring 1–7
  • Jamila – Taj Haidar/Dana Jaber (Daughter of Abu Issam and married to Bashir) starring 1–7
  • Dalal – Anahid Fayad (Daughter of Abu Issam was married to Ibrahim but he died, later married to Sam'ao) starring 1–7

Family of Abu Hatem

Family of Abu Zafer

Family of Abu Bashir

  • Abu Bashir – Hassan Dakak (Bread seller of the Hara, died before season 6) starring 1–5
  • Umm Bashir – Sahar Fawzi (Wife of Abu Bashir) 1–7
  • Bashir – Osama Halal (Bread seller of the hara and married to Jamile) starring 1–7
  • Hoda – Rasha Al Taqi/Najla Russet (Αbu Bashir's Daughter, married to Issam) 1–7

Family of Abu Khater

  • Abu Khater Salim Kallas (Pottery Shopkeeper) starring 1–5
  • Umm Khater Iman Abdul Aziz/Azza Searh (Wife of Abu Khater, dies in season 3) starring 1–3
  • Khater – Allα Zourbi (Abu Khater's Son) starring 1–7
  • Zahra – Dima Al Jundi (Abu Khater's Daughter, married to Riyad) starting 1–4
  • Riyad – Qays Sheikh Najib (Abu Khater's son in law) guest 1-4
  • Iraqi Basha – Jihad Abdou (Husband works at a flower and her father Abu Khater, and then take his work, shop and hires Abu Samir Homossani which increases the hatred of Abu Ghalib on the hara and her family after they refused to give him the shop) starring 3–4
  • Khayriye – Dima Kandalaft and Emarat Rezk (Daughter of Abu Khater, married to Me3taz) starring 1–7

Family of Abu Ibrahim

  • Abu Ibrahim – Issam Abaji (Fabric shopkeeper, dies in season 3) starring 1–3
  • Umm Ibrahim – Fadwa Mohsen (Wife of Abu Ibrahim) starring 1–5
  • Ibrahim – Mohammed Rafeh (Son of Abu Ibrahim married to Dalal dies in season 3) starring 1–3
  • Abu Nasouh – Yassin Arnaout (Abu Ibrahim's brother. Demanding half the house and that Abu Ibrahim gets the money. Ibrahim then attends while aunt accompanied her son to testify against him that a quorum) guest 3

Family of Abu Dibo

  • Abu Dibo – Adnan Abu Moles (Abu Dibo, the husband of the sister of Abu Hatem) starring 1-5
  • Frish – Raghdaa Salman (The sister of Abu Hatem) starring 1-3
  • Dibo – Omar Al-Masri (Son of Abu Dibo (obviously) starring 1-3

Family of Abu Shehab

  • Abu Shehab – Samer al-Masry (Strongman of Hara, dies in season 5 after accidentally being killed by Abu Draa') starring 1-3
  • Abu Qassim Ayman Bahnasi (Owner of Hamam, brother of Abu Shehab and Souad) starring 1–7

Family of Abu Salim

  • Saeed – Mohammed Knoogh (Abu Issam's son in law, married to Buran; Also known as Abu Salim) starring 1–7
  • Buran – Amieh Malas (Daughter of Abu Issam and married to Saeed ) starring 1–7
  • Salim – Adham Bassam Al Mulla (Son of Saeed and Buran) starring 1–7
  • Haddiyah – Masat Al-Jamal (Daughter of Saeed and Buran, her father wanted to force her to get married when she was young, but relented in the end, now she's married to Zafer) starring 1–7

Family of Abu Bader

Family of Ida3shiri

  • Ida'shiri – Bassam Kousa (Poor bitter man who was thought to be a troublemaker) starring 1
  • Ma3rouf – Hami Bakkar (The eldest son of Ida'shiri and who worked as a porter in one lane, died after being bitten by a snake in the leg in his house) starring 1
  • Subhi – Asim Hawat (son of Ida'shiri, killed in season 6 by the French) guest 1-6
  • Nazmeya – Wafaa Al-Abdullah (Ida'shiri's wife died in the first part after she was diagnosed with severe depression as a result viewed for the burial of her husband to guard Abu Sam'ao good friend of, Systemic, Shafiqa, Abu Ma3rouf, Subhi and Ida'shiri) Guest-starring 1
  • Shafiqa – Rania Ahmed (Ida'shiri daughter and the wife of Abu Edra3) starring 1

Family of the Za3im

  • Al Za3im Abu Saleh – Abdul Rahman Al Rashi (Leader of the Hara, dies in season 2 after being stabbed in the back by Steif) starring 1–2
  • Feryal – Wafaa Maosili (Widow and troublemaker) starring 1–7
  • Latfieh – Lilia al-Atrash (Wife of Issam) starring 1–7

Men of Abu Nar

  • Abu Nar – Ali Kareem (Strong Man and Leader of Haret Al-Nar) starring 1–7
  • Yehya - Youssef Bazzal - (Son of Abu Nar who came back from Lebanon) starring 7
  • Abu Ghalib – Nezar Abohajar (Balila seller of Haret Al-Nar; Troublemaker) starring 1–3
  • Abu Arm – Ramez Alaswad (Worker for Abu Nar and Issam) starring 1, 4–5
  • Abu Hakam – Haitham Gaber (Friend of Abu Nar, works with him) starring 1–7
  • Abu Satoor – Ramez Atallah (Friend of Abu Nar) starring 1, 4–6
  • Abu Tmir – David Shamy (Abu Nar, Abu Ghalib, Use it to remove the gold from the house of his uncle Abu Nar, but he was a liar) guest 3
  • Nemes – Mustafa Al-Khani (An outlaw who wreaks havoc especially when he decides to team up with Abu Satoor; Brother of Al-Wawi) starring 4–5, 7
  • Faiza – Hala Yamani (Daughter of Abu-Nar. Issam married to her after his two other wives) guest 5-7

Haret al-Yehud

  • Moussa Abu Nassim - Jihad Saad (Doctor of Jewish Hara) starring 7
  • Hanne Umm Nassim - Amana Wali (Wife of Abu Nassim, died in the 20th episode of season 7) starring 7
  • Nassim - Yamen Hajli - (Son of Abu Nassim and the brother of Sara) starring 7
  • Sara - Kenda Hanna - (Daughter of Abu Nassim, who is about to marry Me3taz) starring 7
  • Umm Moris - Sanaa Sawah - (Umm Nassim's Friend and the mother of Moris) starring 7
  • Moris - Mohammed Hamada - (Umm Moris's Son) starring 7
  • Hakham Na3um - Nadeer Lakud - (A Rabbi for Haret al-Yehud) starring 7
  • Hajar - Rasha Rustom - (Friend of Sarah, and she was the one who knew about Sarah liking Me3taz) starring 7

Other Characters

  • Abu Marzouk – Mohammed Achammat (fruit and vegetable seller) starring 1–5
  • Abu Samir Mamoon al-Farkh (Owns a hummus shop, killed) guest 1
  • Abu Adil – Ali Tallawy (Storyteller, dies in season 1 by Steif as he was walking out of the Hara, the next day his body was discovered by Abu Majed) starring 1–3
  • Abu Mahmoud – Adham Al Mala (A working shoemaker smoking) starring 1–5
  • Abu Ahmed – Ahmed Khalifa (Scavenger Donkey of the Hara good friend of, Bashir, Abu Bashir, Abu Samir, Abu Marzouk and Abu Mahmoud) guest 1
  • Umm Zaki – Hoda Shaarawi starring 1–7
  • Abu Majed – Tousam Tahseen Baik (Guard and it believes that he has died in good friend of, Abu Marzouk, Bashir and Sam'ao) starring 1–2
  • Abu Fawares – George Jabara (The guard of the Hara) starring 3–7
  • Abu Sam'ao – Riad Magnify (Hara's the first guard. Who was killed by Ida3shiri, when he caught him stealing Abu Brahims gold) guest 1
  • Abdou – Houssam Alchat (A worker in the Hamam) starring 1–7
  • Sam'ao – Fadi Chami (Son of Abu Samao; Was first part of the French, then part of Me3taz's Ghouta, and finally became a worker in Haret al-Dab3) starring 1–7
  • Msallam – Pioneer Musharraf (Employee of Abu Hatem and preacher his son was martyred in the battle with the French, with hara and Ibrahim Adham) starring 1–3
  • Dr. Hamza Al-Hakim – Baraa Alzaim (Doctor and the husband of Hamide (one of Abu Haterm's daughters) starring 3–6
  • Fathi – Samir Achammat (Becomes a robber, repents and works for Abu Shehab) starring 1–5
  • Noury – Hani Shaheen (Cop, dies in season 5 from being involved in a brawl at Haret Al-Dab3) starring 1–5
  • Abu Jawdat – Zuhair Ramadan (Head of the district police) starring 1–7
  • Jean Miran – Solomon and Decent (Commander whose uncle is the principal military adviser to the French Army of the Levant) guest 3
  • French Translator – Mohammed Amin (actor) (Translator French army. Was captured after a battle with the French forces while they were smuggled to the men of Ghouta) starring 2–3
  • Abu Kamal – Adel Shukri (One of the largest dealers Sham preaches charity girl willingly to his son Abu Kamal) guest 3
  • Kamal – Fadi Wafaay (Son of Abu Kamal's) guest 3
  • Thank the nurse – Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour (Nurse at the hospital. Contributed in the treatment of Ibn Abu Khater Khater of serious injury that hit him before he goes to the house of Joseph. And a friend of Dr. Hamza al-Hakim) starring 3, 4, 5
  • Zebah – Nawar Boulboul (Associate Abu Hassan was martyred in the ambush of the French gendarmerie on the morning of his wedding the first part) guest 1
  • Abu Hassan – Mohammed Khrmacho (leader of revolution dies in) starring 1–5
  • Abdul Wahab – Haitham Assaf (Associate Abu Hassan was martyred in the ambush of the French gendarmerie during the liberation of the Abu Shahab families) starring 1–2
  • Abu Noor – Khalil Haddad (Aleppo merchants who have a contract with them, Colonel Abu Shehab to buy arms deal) starring 2–3
  • Tony Abu – Riad and Rdiagn (Aleppo merchants who have a contract with them, Colonel Abu Shehab to buy arms deal) starring 2–3
  • Abu Ahmad al-Shami – Keke Brahim (Assistant Abu Hassan, leader of the rebels Ghouta. After the martyrdom of Abu Hassan became the fifth part is the leader of the rebels Ghouta) starring 3–5
  • Abu Ali – Bassam Tamponade (Representative of the Palestinian guerrillas. Went to the Levant in order to obtain weapons from the men Ghouta) guest 1
  • Abu Sayah – Saleh Al-Hayek (Moukhtar of Haret al Mawi) starring 3–5
  • Hamdi – Andre Skaff (spy for the French dies in season 3 by Mukhtar Abu Sayah and his worker) guest 1
  • Abu Arab – Ayman Reda (The strongman of hara who appears in) guest 3
  • Or Arab – Forgiveness of the (Daughter of a selected lane M Abu Sayah, wife of Colonel Abu Arab killed her only son in the hara during an attack on a gendarmerie hara) guest 3
  • Adham – Khaled Agayh (Lawyer in Hara Almawee) guest 3
  • Umm Adham – Hala Hosny (Adham's mother and lawyer. Help her son in hosting the men of the National Bloc for the Liberation of the Levant) guest 3
  • Abu Ali – Pro-Mullah (worker for Moukhtar Abou Sayah) guest 3
  • Saw – Tony Moussa (Arms dealer who bought weapons from Abu Jawdat Nouri and sold to the Abu Shahab last) guest 3
  • Umm Abdullah – Muna Wassef (The Gypsy of Hara) guest 2
  • Steif – Maan Abdul Haq (A "blind" spy who wasn't actually blind, killed Abu Samir and Al Za3im) Killed by Abu Shehab after being caught by Me3taz in season 2 episode 29 starring 1–2
  • Kiki Abuahmd – Ibrahim (One of the strongmen of the Hara) guest 3
  • Aliu – Mohamed Anwar al-Masri (Wife) guest 3
  • Hashim Robe (Married) guest 3
  • Ma'moon Bek – Fayez Quzuq (The spy and got married to Feryal; died in the last episode of season 5) starring 4–5
  • Abu Mamdouh – Riad Nahas (Storyteller instead of Abu Adel) starring 4–5
  • Rustom – Ahmed Mahasneh (Assistant Chairman of Abu Jawdat station hara, was appointed to the police station after the expulsion of Corporal Nuri from military service) starring 4–7
  • Lieutenant Fadi – Alaa Kassem (Sergeant in the French army) starring 4–5
  • Major French – Jamal Qbash (Commander of the French army) starring 4–7
  • Abu Yusuf – Nawar Bulbul ((Elias) The Christian Palestinian, came to Damascus, accompanied by his friend, Abu Ahmed, to bring arms to Palestine, cited in Episode 17 of Part IV) guest 4
  • Abou Ahmad – Wael Abu-Ghazaleh (Abou Youssef's Muslim Palestinian friend who goes with Abou Youssef to receive Weapons and is also killed) guest 4
  • Abu Abdo – Tarek Sabbagh (worker for Moukhtar abou Sayah) guest 4
  • Abu Facilitate Akram Tallawy – (Brother of Mamdouh. And his house in a Hara nearby to Haret Al-Dab3. The agreement with his cousin Abu Al Khair to secure the basement to hara the house. Died of illness in Part V) starring 4–5
  • Umm Joseph – Muna Wassef (A strong Christian woman helps fight the French) starring 4–5
  • Abu Tayeb – Kamal Times (Cook in the prison of the castle) starring 4–5
  • Abu Hilal – Khaled Al-Maleh (Servant of Ma'moun Bek) guest 4
  • Abou Merhi – Sobhi Rifai (Tayyan hara. Beck seized a safe on his home after he sent him to Abu cleaver beaten to pressure him to sell the house) guest 5
  • Abu Diab/Abu Gha'uud – Qusai Khouli (Was a prisoner with Abu Issam and knows that Ma'moon Bek is really Lieutenant Nemer and works as a garbage man for Haret Al-Dab3) guest 5
  • Abu Shakouch – Zuhair Abdul Karim (Nemes old friend) guest 5
  • Abu Faisal – Mahyar Khaddour (Abu Diab's cousin gives Issam the letter from his father) guest 5
  • Abu Yasser – Mohammed Khaonda (Worker for Maamoun Bek) guest 5
  • Abu Shakir – Ghassan Lactic (Worker for Maamoun Bek and goes to jail at the end for killing Nouri) guest 5
  • Wardeh – (Abu Bader's daughter, adopted by Fawziyyeh but goes back with her original mum at the end) guest 5
  • Samira – Rana Shamis (Wife of Khater) guest 5-7
  • Leh – (Donkey of the Hara)
  • Abu Wared – Keke Ibrahim (Worker for Maamoun Bek) guest 5
  • Arab – Sulafa Auishq (Woman living in the estate working dairy products) guest 5
  • Al-Wawi – Mustafa Al-Khani (Nemes' brother who died in the last episode of season 6, Killed by Me3taz) starring 6
  • Fayad – Shadi Moqaresh (Abu Mahmoud's Nephew, Killed by Al-Wawi) starring 6
  • Nadia – Maysun Abu Asaad (Was later married to Abu Issam; dies in season 7 from tuberculosis) starring 6-7
  • Sheikh Fehmy – Abdul-Hady Al-Sabbagh (Sheikh who was later killed by Al-Wawi) starring 6
  • Tannaki – Jamal Al-Ali (troublemaker to Haret al-Dab3) starring 6-7
  • Gaoud – Abdel-Rahman Fuihar (Brother of Zafer and works at the fields) starring 6-7
  • Aziz – Walid ( Works with the French, but killed by Al-Wawi) starring 6
  • Sallum -Saad Alghifry - (One of Abu Jawdat's workers) starring 7
  • Hilal - Shadi Zeydan - (The French set him up as the son of Tahsin Dumali, but he actually isn't, killed in the last episode of season 7 by Me3taz) starring 7
  • Zaatar - (A former robber and becomes better dies in season 7; killed by Hilal) starring 7
  • Sheikh Abdul-Halim – Adil Ali (Sheikh of the Hara) starring 1–7
  • Mahmoud, Adnan, and Jano were wanted by the French in season 7: Mahmoud dies when he was returning to Haret al-Dab3 to tell them about Hilal, but the other two were alive and returned to Haret al-Dab3 in the 29th episode to warn them about Hilal. They are soon made part of Haret al-Dab3.
  • Sergeant Jean - Waseem al-Rahaby - (The Sergeant of the French) starring 6-7

References

  1. ^ Rym Ghazal and Mohammed Zaatari (15 October 2007). "Eid mixes solemn duties with simple fun as faithful mark end of Ramadan". Daily Star, Lebanon. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  2. ^ a b Yoav Stern (9 October 2007). "Arab tradition makes a comeback – on TV". Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Dalia Nammari (13 October 2007). "Hit soap calls Gaza faithful from evening prayer for a nightly dose of nostalgia". The Scotsman. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
  4. ^ http://www.mbc.net/ar/programs/ramadan-2014/articles/%D9%87%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%286%29---%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%86-2014.html#comment%7Clist
  5. ^ a b Nammari, Dalia (12 October 2007). "Syrian Soap Opera Captivates Arab World". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007 from Internet Archive. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ H.A.R (10 October 2007). "Get Ready for Bab al Hara 3!". Waleg. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  7. ^ Ibrahim Hussein (11 September 2008). "Bab El 7ara 3 won't be the last one, Bab El 7ara 4 and 5 are Announced". IBRAHIMO. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
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