Bab Al-Hara

Bab Al-Hara باب الحارة
Genre	Historical Syrian Drama Series
Written by	Marwan Qawooq
Directed by	Bassam Al-Mulla
Starring	Abbas Al Noury Sabah al-Jazairi Milad Youssef
Country of origin	Syria
Original language	Arabic
No. of seasons	11
No. of episodes	342
Production
Production location	Syria
Camera setup	HD
Running time	40—45 minutes
Release
Original network	MBC LBCI
Picture format	HD
First shown in	2006
Original release	23 September 2006 (2006-09-23)

Bab Al-Hara (Arabic: باب الحارة; "The Neighbourhood's Gate") is one of the most popular television series in the Arab world,^[1] reportedly watched by millions of people in the Arab world.^[2][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 managed 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 comeback 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 the 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]

Historical context[]

Bab al-Hara takes place in the 1930s and 1940s, a time when much of Western Asia 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 Zaa’im, a chosen older man held in high regard. Ideally chosen Zaa’im based on his history in the neighborhood, the zaa’im depended on a number of men from the neighborhood gathered around him to assist him in his functions. These members along with the zaa’im constituted a small nucleus that ran the hara and decided on what was good for it. Wealthier members funded the zaa’im 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, smiths, 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 claimed that he died on his way to the ghouta to medicate the injured comrades who fought the British in Palestine, but he returns in season 6 saying that he never actually reached the ghouta) starring 1–2, 6-9
• Issam – (Eldest son of Abu Issam, married to 3 which are Latfieh, Hoda, and Faiza) starring 1–9
• Moataz – Wael Sharaf/ (Younger son of Abu Issam, married to Khayriye and Sara. Abu Zafer thought he killed his son Zafer. He went to jail then was released when they found out that Sam’o killed Zafer) starring 1–9
• Souad – Sabah Jazairi (Abu Issam’s Wife) starring 1–9
• Jamila – // (Daughter of Abu Issam and married to Bashir) starring 1–9
• Dalal – Anahid Fayad/ (Daughter of Abu Issam; she married Ibrahim in season 3 but he died shortly after. Later she married Sam'ao but they divorced later) starring 1–9

Family of Abu Hatem

• Abu Hatem – / (Coffee shop owner, father to 7 girls and 1 boy) starring 1–7
• Umm Hatem – / (Wife of Abu Hatem) starring 1–9
• Sharifeh – / (Daughter of Abu Hatem and was married to Abu Shehab in season 3. After he dies she remains a widow and refuses to get married after the death of her husband) starring 3–9
• Hamide – (Daughter of Abu Hatem and Dr. Hamza’s wife) starring 3–9
• Mutiea – (Abu Hatem's daughter; married to Abdo and they have a child together named Karam) starring 3-9
• Iftikar – (Daughter of Abu Hatem) guest 3-9
• Nawal – (Daughter of Abu Hatem) guest 3-9
• Fadya (Abu Hatem’s twin daughter)
• Sahar (Abu Hatem’s second twin daughter)

Family of Abu Zafer

• Abu Zafer – // starring 6-9 (Owner of a sheep farm; he wanted to be the Hara’s leader and was jealous of Abu Issam’s leadership and how much the people in Hara love him such that they can’t replace him with anyone. He died after Zafer's funeral)
• Fatma Umm Zafer – (Wife of Abu Zafer) starring 6-7
• Zafer – (Son of Abu Zafer; married to Bahie but he was killed in season 9) starring 6-9
• Neima – (Daughter of Abu Zafer) starring 6-9
• Bahie – (Married to Zafer) starring 6-9
• Gaoud : (Abu Zafer’s son, from his previous wife, he doesn’t tell the Hara at first that he is his son, so he known as a worker at Abu zafer’s sheep farm) starring 6-7 9

Family of Abu Bashir

• Abu Bashir – (Bread seller of the Hara, died before season 6) starring 1–5
• Umm Bashir – (Wife of Abu Bashir) 1–9
• Bashir – (Bread seller of the hara and married to Jamile) starring 1–9
• Hoda – Rasha Al Taqi// (Αbu Bashir's Daughter, married to Issam) 1–9

Family of Abu Khater

• Abu Khater Salim Kallas (Pottery Shopkeeper) starring 1–5
• Umm Khater / (Wife of Abu Khater, dies in season 3 after falling of the ladder while cleaning). starring 1–3
• Khater – / (Abu Khater's Son) starring 1–9
• Zahra – (Abu Khater's Daughter, married to Riyad, they have a son called Mohammad).starting 1–4
• Riyad – Qays Sheikh Najib/Jihad Abdou (Abu Khater's son in law) guest 1-4

Family of Abu Ibrahim

• Abu Ibrahim – (Fabric shopkeeper, dies in season 3) starring 1–3
• Umm Ibrahim – (Wife of Abu Ibrahim, dies before season 6) starring 1–5
• Ibrahim – Mohammed Rafeh (Son of Abu Ibrahim married to Dalal, he dies in season 4) starring 1–3
• Abu Nasouh – (Abu Ibrahim's brother. After the death of his brother, he claims that he owns half of the house and shows his nephew the papers that proves it. But it is showed later that he was lying. Umm Ibrahim gets the papers that prove otherwise, and that shows how he was manipulating them) starring season 3.

Family of Abu Dibo

• Abu Dibo – (Abu Dibo, married to Abu Hatem’s sister Fariza, he later starts to work at Abu Hatem’s Coffee Shop) starring 1-5
• Umm Dibo – (Abu Hatem’s sister) starring 1-3
• Dibo – (Son of Abu Dibo (obviously) starring 1-3

Family of Abu Shehab

• Abu Shehab – Samer al-Masry (He becomes the leader in Hara after the death of the previous leader, marries Sharifa in season 3. He dies in season 5 after accidentally being killed by Abu Draa) starring 1-3
• Abu Qassim (Owner of Hamam, brother of Abu Shehab and Souad) starring 1–9

Family of Abu Salim

• Saeed Abu Salim – (Abu Issam's son in law, married to Buran) starring 1–9
• Buran Umm Salim– (Daughter of Abu Issam and married to Saeed) starring 1–9
• Salim – (Son of Saeed and Buran) starring 1–9
• Haddiyah – (Daughter of Saeed and Buran, her father wanted to force her to get married when she was young, but later regrets his decision, now she's married to Zafer but Zafer was killed) starring 1–9

Family of Abu Bader

• Abo Bader – (Abu Issam's neighbour) starring 1–9
• Fawziyyeh – / (Abu Bader's wife, who was Shown as a troublemaker in the first few seasons) starring 1–9
• Bader (Abu Bader's Son) starring 1–5

Family of Ida3shiri

• Ida'shiri – Bassam Kousa (A Poor Man, he steals from Abu Ibrahim and while he was escaping the front guard of the Hara(Abu Sam’oo) sees him which leads Ida’shiri to kill him and bury him in his father’s grave(which is located in the house’s backyard. He confesses his mistakes and is forgiven by the people in the Hara) starring 1
• Ma3rouf – (The eldest son of Ida'shiri and who worked as a porter in one lane, died after being bitten by a snake in his leg.) starring 1
• Subhi – (son of Ida'shiri, killed in season 6 by the French) guest 1-6
• Nazmeya – (Ida'shiri's wife died in the first part after she was diagnosed with severe depression as a result of her seeing her husband burying Abu Sam’oo’s body) Guest-starring 1
• Shafiqa – (Ida'shiri daughter and the wife of Abu Edra3) starring 1

Family of the Za3im

• Al Za3im Abu Saleh – (Leader of the Hara, dies in season 2 after being stabbed in the back by Steif) starring 1–2
• Feryal – (Widow and was a troublemaker in the earlier seasons) starring 1–9.
• Latfieh – Lilia al-Atrash (Wife of Issam) starring 1–9

Men of Abu Nar

• Abu Nar – (Strong Man and Leader of Haret Al-Nar) starring 1–9
• Yehya - - (Son of Abu Nar who comes back from Lebanon in season 7 , he is a nurse and works at the French hospital) starring season 7
• Abu Ghalib – (Balila seller of Haret Al-Nar; he was a Troublemaker, he used to hate Haret el dabi3) starring 1–3
• Abu Dra'a – (Used to work at Abu el Nar’s shop) starring 1, 4–5
• Abu Hakam – (Friend of Abu Nar, works with him) starring 1–9
• Abu Satoor – (Friend of Abu Nar) starring 1, 4–6
• Abu Tmayer – (Abu Ghalib brings him to see if there is gold buried in the house of Abu el Nar’s Aunt, but later shows that he was just using him and Abu el Hakam to eat food as he was poor.) guest on season 3
• Nemes – Mustafa El Khani (An outlaw who wreaks havoc especially when he decides to team up with Abu Satoor; Brother of Al-Wawi. He tried to commit suicide, but he is still alive) starring 4–5, 7-9
• Faiza – / (Daughter of Abu-Nar. Issam married her after two wives) guest 5-9

Haret al-Yehud

• Moussa Abu Nassim - (Doctor of the Jewish Hara) starring 7
• Hanne Umm Nassim - (Wife of Abu Nassim, died in the 20th episode of season 7) starring 7
• Nassim - - (Son of Abu Nassim and the brother of Sara) starring 7
• Sara - Kinda Hanna - (Daughter of Abu Nassim, who shares a deep love story with Moataz, despite being from other religion and Hara, when Abu issam finds out about their relationship he commands Moataz to stop seeing her, because her father is his friend and also he wants to avoid trouble. That leads Moataz to break things with Sara. She then decides to escape to be with Moataz. They later get married in season 7)
• Umm Moris - - (Umm Nassim's Friend and the mother of Moris) starring 7
• Moris - Mohammed Hamada - (Umm Moris's Son, he likes Sara and often hinted that he wants her to be his wife, so when she runs off to be with Moataz he gets angry and teams up with Nassim to get her back. But Nassim regrets his decision soon after saying that Sara is his sister and doesn’t want to harm her or Moataz) starring 7
• Rabbi Khanou - - (A Rabbi for Haret al-Yehud) starring 7-8
• Hajar - - (Friend of Sarah, and she was the first person to know about Sara and Moatez’s relationship) starring 7

Other Characters

• Abu Marzouk – (fruit and vegetable seller) starring 1–5
• Abu Samir Mamoon al-Farkh (Owns a hummus shop, killed by Setief) guest 1
• Abu Adil – (Storyteller, he often sits and tells stories in Abu Hatem’s coffee shop) starring 1–3
• Abu Mahmoud – (Used to own a shoe shop, he died before season 6) starring 1–5
• Abu Ahmed – Ahmed Khalifa (he is responsible for cleaning the Hara) guest 1
• Umm Zaki – Hoda Shaarawi (she is the Hara’s midwife) starring 1–9
• Abu Majed – (The Hara’s guard in the first two seasons, he later leaves the job because of him getting old) Starring 1–2
• Abu Fares – (The guard of the Hara) starring 3–9
• Abu Sam'ao – (Hara's the first guard. Who was killed by Ida3shiri, when he caught him stealing Abu Brahims money) guest 1
• Abdou – (A worker in the Hamam, and Bawakey) starring 1–9
• Sam'ao – (Son of Abu Samao; Was first part of the Military then he leaves to be with his friends at ghouta, and finally he starts to work as the mosque’s keeper in Hara) starring 1–8
• Moslem – (Employee at Abu Hatem’s coffee shop, he was martyred in the battle with the French) starring 1–3
• Dr. Hamza – (Doctor and the husband of Hamide (one of Abu Hatem's daughters) starring 3–6
• Fathi – (He was a robber, when he is caught by Abu shab he says that he only steals because his family is very poor and needs money to buy them food, so Abu Shab offers him a job at his shop) starring 1–5
• Noury – (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, he has a hatred towards Haret el dabe3) starring 1–9
• Jean Miran – (Commander whose uncle is the principal military adviser to the French Army of the Levant) guest 3
• French Translator – (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 – (One of the largest dealers in sham) guest 3
• Kamal – (Son of Abu Kamal's) guest 3
• Shukri "the nurse" – (Nurse at the hospital. Contributed in the treatment of Abu Khater’s son Khater after suffering from a serious injury) starring 3, 4, 5
• Nawar Boulboul appeared in two different roles:
  • Zebaq (He was one of Abu Hassan’s men was martyred in the ambush of the French gendarmerie on the morning of his wedding the first part) guest 1
  • Abu Yusuf ((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
• Abu Hassan – (leader of revolution dies in season 5) starring 1–5
• Abdul Wahab – (One of Abu Hassan’s men was martyred in the ambush of the French gendarmerie during the liberation of the Abu Shahab families) starring 1–2
• Abu Toni – (Aleppo merchant who has a deal with Abu Shehab) starring 2–3
• Abu Noor– (Aleppo merchants who have a contract with them, Colonel Abu Shehab to buy arms deal) starring 2–3
• Abu Ahmad al-Shami – (Assistant of Abu Hassan, leader of the rebels in Ghouta. After the martyrdom of Abu Hassan he became the fifth part is the leader of the rebels Ghouta) starring 3–5
• Abu Ali – (Representative of the Palestinian guerrillas. Went to the Levant in order to obtain weapons from the men Ghouta) guest 1
• Abu Sayah – (Moukhtar of Haret al Mawi) starring 3–5
• Hamdi – (spy for the French dies in season 3 by Mukhtar Abu Sayah and his worker) guest 1
• Abu Arabi – (3ked Haret al Mawi, and he is also Abu Sayah’s Son in law.) guest 3
• Umm Arab – (Daughter of Abu Sayah, married to Abu Arabi, their only son was killed by the French in Haret el dabe3 after chasing two rebels) guest 3
• Adham – (Lawyer in Haret Almawee) guest 3
• Umm Adham – (Adham's mother) guest 3
• Abu Ali – (worker for Moukhtar Abou Sayah) guest 3
• Abu Mounit "the Saw" – (Arms dealer who bought a gun from Abu Jawdat(Nouri’s gun) and sold it to the Abu Shahab.) guest 3
• Muna Wassef appeared in two different roles:
  • Umm Abdullah (The Gypsy of Hara) guest 2
  • Umm Joseph (A strong Christian woman helps fight the French) starring 4–5
• Steif – (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
  • Abuahmd – (One of the strongmen of the Hara) guest 3
  • Aliu – (Wife) guest 3
  • Hashim Robe (Married) guest 3
• Ma'moon Bek – (A spy claimed that Abu Saleh is his uncle and deceived the people in Hara he marries Feryal; dies in the last episode of season 5 after being caught that he isn’t a relative to Abu Saleh but actually a spy) starring 4–5
• Abu Mamdouh – (Storyteller instead of Abu Adel) starring 1–5
• Rustom – (Assistant Chairman of Abu Jawdat station hara, was appointed to the police station after the expulsion of Corporal Nuri from military service, he loves his country and the people and often helps the people in Haret el dabe3) starring 4–7
• Lieutenant Fadi – (Sergeant in the French army) starring 4–5
• French Major – (Commander of the French army) starring 4–8
• Abou Ahmad – (Abou Youssef's Muslim Palestinian friend who goes with Abou Youssef to receive Weapons and is also killed) guest 4
• Abu Abdo – (worker for Moukhtar abou Sayah) guest 4
• Abu Taysir – (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
• Abu Tayeb – (A Cook in the prison of the castle) starring 4–5
• Abu Hilal – (Servant of Ma'moun Bek) guest 4
• Abou Marei – (works as a builder in the hara) 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 – (Nemes’sold friend) guest 5
• Abu Faisal – (Abu Diab's cousin he gives Issam the letter from his father that says that he is still alive and well) guest 5
• Abu Yasser – (Worker for Maamoun Bek) guest 5
• Abu Shakir – (Worker for Maamoun Bek and goes to jail at the end for killing Nouri) guest 5
• Wardeh – (Abu Bader's adopted daughter, she was adopted by Fawziyyeh after being really connected to her, but she goes back with her birth mother at the end) guest 5
• Samira – (Wife of Khater) guest 5-9
  • Leh – (Donkey of the Hara)
• Abu Wared – (Worker for Maamoun Bek) guest 5
• Umm Arabi – (Woman living in the estate working dairy products) guest 5
• Al-Wawi – (Nemes' brother who died in the last episode of season 6, Killed by Motaz) starring 6
• Fayad – (Abu Mahmoud's Nephew, Killed by Al-Wawi) starring 6
• Nadia – (Was later married to Abu Issam; dies in season 7 from tuberculosis/Consumption) starring 6-7
• Sheikh Fehmy – (Sheikh who was later killed by Al-Wawi) starring 6
• Tannaki – (troublemaker often causes trouble in Haret al-Dab3) starring 6-9
• Aziz – (Works with the French, but killed by Al-Wawi) starring 6
  • Sallum - - (One of Abu Jawdat's workers) starring 7
  • Hilal - - (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 repents dies in season 7; killed by Hilal) starring 7
• Sheikh Abdul-Halim – (Sheikh of the Hara) starring 1–9
  • Mahmoud, Adnan, and Jano were wanted by the French in season 7: Mahmoud dies when he was going back to Haret al-Dab3 to tell them the truth 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 become a part in Haret al-Dab3.
• Sergeant Jean - - (The Sergeant of the French) starring 6-8

Season 8 Characters

• Zehdi Abdulkarim - (Engineer)
• Khaldiye - (Wife of Zehdi)
• Julie - Sulaf Fawakherji (Lawyer) 8-9
• Mazyan Fatouh - (Worker for Abu Jawdat from Aleppo)
• Laban - (Worker for Abu Zafer, Gets punished for Killing his own sister, Aishe at the night of her wedding)
• Aishe - (Laban's Sister, Supposed to marry Nemes, Killed by her brother, Laban)
• Abu Farouk - (Went to Jail for stealing flour along with five other robbers)
• Abu Hazem - (New Coffee Shop Owner) 8-9
• Ghassan - (Worker for Zehdi)
• Sheikh Fikri - (Sheikh Abdul-Alim's former worker who turns out to be a liar)
• Fatna - (Robber who goes to jail along with Sheikh Fikri for Kidnapping Shahira, one of Issam's Daughters)

References[]