Ghosts of Sayala

Ghosts of Sayala (Arabic: عفاريت السيالة ,Afaryt el-Sayala) is a 2004 Egyptian TV series directed by Ismail Abd al-Hafez and written by drama writer Osama Anwar Okasha, the last one he wrote before he died.[1] The show stars 23-year old Ahmed El-Fishawy,[2] Abla Kamel, Hassan Hosny, Zeina, Mahmoud El-Hadini,[3] Safia El Emari and others. It was aired for 37 episodes in one season produced and aired by EMPC.[4][5][6] The show is seen as one of the most recognized Egyptian TV-Shows of the new millennium.

Production

The opening song was sang by Hani Al-Abd.[7] Ahmed El-Fishawy stated that his role in the show still his ever favorite rule of his acting career.[8] The show had some problems during production and also with advertisers, which led to exclude it from the Ramadan season.[9]

Synopsis

The story follows numerous simple people from the same poor and rural region of Sayala which is located in Bahary, Alexandria. On the other hand, there is a completely different and classy atmosphere, an old billionaire and his family in Cairo. The old man had known that he has a son from a third wife from Sayala which made him feel utterly ashamed of himself. As result, he decides to write his will giving his newly known son the big share of his money and assets, that action made his family so distressed, as they don't even know they have another kid from another wife, moreover, he comes from a much lower social class. So, the events become more complicated when it's about time to execute the will.[10]

The conflicts start when Saleh El-Hamouli decides to disappear. After Maghouri starts to get cash and direct help from others, his life changes into a luxurious style, also his family. On the other hand, Qesmat Hanem and her family couldn't bear the unexpected distribution of money and assets, and the suspicious appearance of Maghaouri, so they start battles legally and through other ways.

The first scene of the series is somehow an overall conception of the events and also the moral philosophy of the story, the scene set in a local cafe in Sayala, and then starts the monologue-wise conversation between an old man (A'am Asaliya) and a falsely claimed reporter, the old man spoke frankly and modestly about his long stay in the urban area, his views on the people and how poverty sometimes might create a cooperative little communities and more strong beliefs and ethics, though, the evil always come from many ways. There are many scenes in almost every episode in the show which we can find portraits of these thoughts or even through a blunt dramatic dialogue.

Characters

Maghaouri’s family
  • Maghaouri: Early 20s boy from rural neighborhood, his life revolves around his people and close friends, he played the brain leader a small gang, who call themselves “Ghosts of Sayala”, nevertheless, the gang didn’t harass anyone but the bad people. Maghaouri didn’t finish his high school education and depends on occasional deals, usually illegal in particular ways. He lives quite poor living standards, though he always felt that he has the gift of people who love him, which are feelings he missed as he didn’t meet either parents.
  • Rezqa: Many aspects of Rizqa’s unambiguous personality reveal in the first few episodes, as an independent widow who brought up her nephew Maghaouri, depending on working at her small stall, also most of times she is totally conservative and frank, in many scenes we see that her bluntness gets people insulted or confused, however, there are other scenes show the tenderness of her character, as she still devoted to her dead husband even after several years, and also the love for Maghaouri.
  • Azima: Sister of Rezqa, she is attached most to her family and her life totally revolves around them, she doesn’t play critical rule as the events go on and she agrees with Rezqa most of the time.
  • Edara: Daughter of Azima, she was engaged to Hamada Salim but their relationship went into some conflicts which were critical to Edara, who felt Salim’s family still oversee his life decisions. Edara is a cheerful beautiful girl, and by the huge change in the family’s life, she was the most adaptive person to get along with the new high-class life.
  • El Sala: El-salah aala el-nabi Fath el-bab, Mahouri’s nephew and close friend to him as they brought up together. El Sala is an early 30s normal guy who still can’t find a regular job or gets married. He is kind of naive and fond of eating. When Maghaouri becomes a billionaire, they live together in the new villa.

El Hamouli's family
  • Saleh Al-Hamouli: A billionaire businessman who owns companies in several industries inside and outside Egypt. El Hamouli starts the conflict of the plot when he decides to write his will, giving Maghouri and Shaheera the lion’s share of his fortune. After this unexpected action, he disappears and goes to a vacation in Europe in an isolated area near a Mediterranean beach. He is shown is many episodes talking to an old Franco-Leabanese friend about his speculative thoughts on his long life, career and family. He has married three times.
  • Qesmat Hanem: Wife of Saleh El Hamouli, a high class lady. She appears to be grim in many situations, some are serious as he goes with conflicts with Maghaouri’s. Qesmat Hanem has a powerful  and respected personality. After the consequences of the fortune distribution occur, Qesmat believes that she was forced to enter a battle against the fraudulent allegations made by Saleh, his lawyer or Maghaouri. She appeared in many scenes that tend to be dramatic and monological.
  • Talaat: The Oldest son of EL Hamouli, he enters in different troubles through the series, being the most provoked member of the family after the extremely unfair fortune distributions as Talaat thinks and becomes sure that either his father went mad or the so-called Maghaouri is just a crook. Talaat also goes into troubles with his wife, in general he is fractious.
  • Shaheera: The daughter of Saleh El Hamouli from another wife, she lives with them much time but not all involved in their life. She enters in conflicts with them and leave to stay in hotels in Alexandria nearby Maghaouri and with her friend. She is recently divorced and her husband shows up in a scene trying to attack her while Maghaouri was present. Shaheera ‘s personality and thoughts tend to be more reasonable and liberal, also she shows huge love for her half-brother Maghaouri. Through the events, there is some chemistry of love between her and lawyer Mokhtar.
  • Mousheera: The youngest daughter of Saleh El Hamouli, a spoiled 19 Years old girl with no worries until she finds out that her to-become fiancée is cheater and does many unbearable things, and through the events,  she feels more stressed and somehow feeling love for her half-brother.
  • Ezzat: Husband of Baheera, a kind of sharp businessman who is always ready to suggest ending solutions using unethical ways. He appointed a trusted small businessman who hired Al Tuliani to be his man in El Sayala after the consequences occur. Ezzat is strong in his decisions and has good relationships with his wife and her family.
  • Magdy: Son of Saleh.
  • Baheera: Daughter of Saleh.

People of Sayala
  • Ghareeb Al-qas: His uncle Hanafi is a respected old man in the wood trade, but Ghareeb is infamous for his unethical lifestyle, especially when he becomes the closest friend to Tuliani’s gang. His is married to former local belly dancer Safaa.
  • Mamdouh El-tuliani: He represents the evil character. Tuliani has been working in Libya for years to abate the sentence. After he comes back to Sayala, he starts to think of new ways to get money, illegally.
  • Asliya El Fakry: One of the oldest residents of Sayala, he lost his son.
  • Hamada Salim: Edara’s fiancée for a period of time. His family has a relatively better living standards compared to most neighbors.
  • Raaesa: Working widow and old friend and neighbor of Rezqa’s. She has two kids, her brother Youssef just comes back to Sayala after several years of work in Libya.

Other Characters
  • Dr. Mounes: Top lawyer and old friend of El Hamouli, he stands with his last wishes in life and excute his will, which included being aside of Maghaouri and aiding him with all things related to his new position as owner of many companies. Mounes backed Maghaouri in the legal cases issued by his other family, he appointed one of his best lawyers in Alexandria to direct Maghaouri. Dr Mounes is a 50s years old man but he fell in love with Shaheera. His son is also a lawyer working on the case.
  • Mokhtar Abd El-sattar: Lawyer based in Alexandria working on behalf of Dr. Mounes, he gets into the life of Maghaouri deeply and provides him advice in nearly all situations, which leads to a strong relationship between the two, in conjunction with the romantic love between Maghouari and Mokhtar’s youngest sister, more events make him enters more in the consequences.
  • Abd El-Halim Barakat: Counselor and top lawyer based in Cairo, gets the case of Qesmat Hanem and her sons, he is renowned for his several successes in very hard cases for large corporates and high-profile figures.

Cast
  • Abla Kamel: Rezqa
  • Ahmed El-Fishawy: Maghaouri
  • Safia El Emari: Qesmat Hanem
  • Mahmoud El-Hadini: Abd El-Halim Barakat
  • Farah (Fedra):[11] Shaheera
  • Khairiah Ahmed: Azima
  • Ahmed Said Abdel Ghany: Talaat
  • Ashraf Zaki: Essam El-ouqr
  • Mohamed Kamel: Mamdouh El-tuliani
  • Shady Ali: El-salah aala el-nabi.
  • Ghareb Mahmoud: Attia.
  • Soliman Eid: Sayed Animia.
  • Hassan Hosny:[12] Saleh Al-hamouli
  • Nashwa Moustafa:[13] Raaesa
  • Zeina: Qadara
  • Diaa El Merghany: Ghareeb Al-qas
  • Osama Abbas: Counsler Moens Abbas
  • Randa El Behery: Moushira
  • Ahmed Sadek: Yousef
  • Bahaa Tharwat: Hamada Salem

References
  1. ""عفاريت السيالة" دراما كلاسيكية". البيان (in Arabic). 2013-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  2. "6 Arab kids who followed in their famous parents' footsteps". Al Bawaba. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  3. 1965-, ʻAbd al-Shakūr, Maḥmūd; 1965-, عبد الشكور، محمود، (2016-03-29). Wūjūh lā tunsá : būrtirīhāt ʻan mushakhkhiṣātīyat Miṣr (al-Ṭabʻah al-ūlá ed.). Madīnat Naṣr, al-Qahirah, Miṣr. ISBN 9789770933756. OCLC 937355008.
  4. "Unemployment drives Hneidi to steal one million pound".
  5. "Ramadan 2014 TV series: redefining what is acceptable".
  6. "الإنتاج الدرامى عام 2004 - الشركة المصرية لمدينة الإنتاج الإعلامى". empc.com.eg (in Arabic). Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  7. "ناصر الجيل يتبنى 3 مواهب غنائية | المصري اليوم". www.almasryalyoum.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  8. "أحمد الفيشاوي لـFilFan.com : لست نجم شباك ولن أمثل أكشن". Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  9. El-Assyouti, Mohamed. "Al-Ahram Weekly | Culture | When less was more". weekly.ahram.org.eg. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  10. "عفاريت السيالة (المحتوى، التقنيات، الشخصية) - ديوان العرب". www.diwanalarab.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  11. "Fedra Introduces TV Shows For The First Time - TECH2". TECH2. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  12. "ShooFeeTV :: Hasan Hussni". www.shoofeetv.com. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  13. "نشوى مصطفى بين "أبو اسكندر" و"عفاريت السيالة"". archive.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
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