Haret El Sheikh is set in Jeddah in the 19th century.
“The drama focuses on the struggles between good and evil during this time,” says the show’s writer, Bandar Bajbaa, who is from the Saudi city. “The story contains romance, and there are also powerful themes of bravery and manhood.”
Bajbaa started writing Haret El Sheikh, his first historical drama, five years ago.
"I am very happy with how the show is turning out," he says. "There is already speculation that we will be making Haret El Sheikh 2."
The name Haret El Sheikh translates as "the neighbourhood of the leader of the tribe".
As you might expect, the drama revolves around the neighbourhood’s leader, Darwish, who is played by veteran Saudi actor Mohammed Baksh. “My character is absolutely ruthless,” Baksh says. “There is a balance in the series between evil and good, and he is leading the evil. But in real life, I am the total opposite.”
One character who Darwish enjoys terrorising is Abu Bilal, the souk’s jewellery seller, played by Hassen Al Qorashi.
“Bilal is a weak character, who is oppressed by Darwish”, says Al Qorashi. “Darwish extorts money from him to protect him and his gold shop – I am wise and try to stay away from trouble.”
That becomes more difficult when Bilal’s daughter falls in love with a man from a different neighbourhood. “Darwish says she can’t marry an outsider,”says Al Qorashi.
Bajbaa points out that the love story he wrote reflects the culture that existed during that era.
“Relationships generally emerged in those days between neighbours living next to each other,” he says.
“But women weren’t exposed to men as they are now – it was more oppressed and people didn’t express their feelings so openly.”
Shireen Hattab plays Darwish’s wife, Fattyah – and assures us that her character isn’t as loathsome as her husband.
“I am trying to be in-between,” she says. “But he has a very strong personality, and I always try to obey his orders – or maybe he will kill me.”
Hattab, who is Egyptian but has lived in Jeddah all her life, says Haret El Sheikh reflects the melting pot of nationalities who lived in the city at the time.
“These dramas help us understand how our society developed,” she says. “Our characters are middle class, not high class, and I think people at home watching will be able to relate to them.”
You can also expect to see lots of action in the show, Hattab adds.
“Somebody is killed, there are fights,” she says. “There are a lot of social problems, some of which get solved and some not.”
artslife@thenational.ae
