The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Egyptian cinema holds a very special place in all of our hearts. As a hub for culture and the arts, there is no shortage of incredible films, music, or dance. As we all know, some of Egypt’s best musicals were from the “golden age” of Egyptian cinema, between the 1940s and ‘70s, during which many iconic actors also doubled as singers and dancers. Throughout this period, many of them gave us some incredible musical and dance moments that will last a lifetime, and here are five of our favourites.

Hatshepsut Song from Gharam fil Karnak (Love in Karnak)

Image via Arabic DVD

Love in Karnak is probably the most artistically diverse film in all of Egyptian cinema, and it put folk dancing on the map. Directed by Ali Reda, co-founder of the Reda Troupe along with his brother Mahmoud, this powerhouse duo choreographed the dances for the entire movie. While it’s incredibly difficult to settle for just one performance from the film since they were all iconic – between raqset el magnouna and halawet shamsena – we’d probably have to go for the Hatshepsut song. Not only was the tune catchy and the choreography loads of fun, but the iconic temple in the background truly put that performance above all the others.

Zeina from Enta Habibi (My One and Only Love)

Image via El Cinema

You already knew there would be a Youssef Chahine film somewhere on this list. Enta Habibi is one of those films we grew up watching with the family, and part of it is because of the cast. Zeina, arguably one of Egyptian cinema’s most iconic songs, shows the art form in its full glory: Shadia and Farid Al-Atrash play the lead roles and sing this beautiful song while the spectacular Hind Rostom steps in to dance.

Gana el Hawa from Abi Foq Al Shagara

Image via Internet Archive

One of Abdel Halim Hafez’s most famous songs, Gana el Hawa, was composed by the great Baligh Hamdi. A standout feature of this enchanting film was the fact that parts of it were shot in Lebanon, which made it all the more special to us. This performance showed the love story between Abdel Halim and Nadia Lotfy, and displayed parts of the culture in Lebanon that are absolutely wonderful. From the Roman ruins of Baalbek to the folk dances, this film was Pan-Arab in every sense.

Ibn El Balad Dance from Hayganenouni (They’re Driving Me Crazy)

Image via El Cinema

We simply could not compile this list without at least one performance by the great Samia Gamal. Dubbed “el farasha” (the butterfly) across the Arab World for her incomparable grace as a belly dancer, Gamal was floating across the floor in her white costume to the music by Abdel Wahab, arguably Egypt’s greatest composer.

Eini Betref from Ghazal El Banat

Image via El Cinema

Laila Mourad and Naguib el-Rihani’s most iconic movie, this film was directed by Anwar Wagdi and released just a few months after the death of Rihani in 1949. In typical Laila Mourad fashion, this film is full of songs that were played from cassette tapes as we grew up, and the most memorable performance has to be Eini Betref. Cheeky and flirtatious do not even begin to describe this song, where Mourad was famously driving with Rihani in the seat next to her.