When looking back at the past decade of television production in Egypt, few shows that fall outside of the Ramadan season have garnered as wide a viewership as progressive – albeit controversial – new series Sab3 Gar. The 48-episode, character-driven family drama just wrapped up its first season with a promised, slightly shorter second season set to air on CBC this year.
Created by Nadine Khan, Heba Yousry and Ayten Amin, the show follows the quotidian lives of several families residing in an apartment building in a middle-class neighbourhood in Cairo. Within the first few episodes, we meet most of the protagonists, all largely female. The story revolves around the family of two sisters, Lamia and Layla, respectively played by Dalal Abdel Aziz and Sherine, and their neighbours.
Both Lamia and Layla are matriarchs of sorts – in Lamia's case, her husband passed away years ago, leaving her to run the family in his absence. Layla keeps her household afloat with her work as a government employee, while her husband, Magdy, sweeps in and out of his family's life whenever he needs love, laughter or money.
All the characters in Sab3 Gar are dealing with their own personal conundrums. There is Hadeel Hassan as Mai, a young architect who divides most of her time between providing care for her ill mother and working in her own flat on the first floor of the building, where she struggles with a toxic romantic relationship with a neighbour.
Also on the first floor, the Major General is mourning the loss of his wife, and has been left in the care of Karima, played by Safaa Galal. Karima has a lot of baggage and bite, seeking refuge from her past as a sex worker. Then there is Layla's daughter, Hala, played by Rahma Hassan, who has the maturity and means to rear a child, but wants to do so without a husband.
Being a character-driven show, the series mostly plays out with little plot. Instead, the hyperrealist narrative, dialogue and aesthetic challenge much established Egyptian TV. In recent years, while other hit shows such as Hatha El-Massaa (This Evening) and Tahet El Saytara (Under Control), were also grounded in realism, they were much more aesthetically glossy than Sab3 Gar. Visually, the show is minimalist. For the most part, it works, despite some weird camera angles and the fact that some scenes and episodes drag on – it is hard to know if this is a result of directorial decisions or oversight. There is plenty of humour, in addition to the captivating and comedic performance of rising star Sarrah Abdelrahman as Heba.
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While the show's aesthetic might be minimal, the ideas presented are quite the opposite. Such representations of family dynamics and gender are rarely depicted on Egyptian TV or cinema; the women are not weak victims and the men are not heroes. On the contrary, most of the male roles are marginal, pitiful – though poignantly comedic – characters, while the women are strong, complex and highly capable. Thematically, the show tackles female issues that are rarely discussed so boldly in regional television. Topics range from marital crisis – including, in Mai's case, adultery – divorce and sibling dynamics, to subtly addressing women's roles in family and society. Meanwhile, Karima attempts to overcome her illicit past through the care she provides to the Major General, and thus we empathise with her. More often than not in Egyptian TV, women with one moral calamity are presented through a metaphorical black-and-white lens – if she is a sex worker, then she must also be a drug addict, a thief and so on. This is never the case with Sab3 Gar.
This approach has also garnered criticism and controversy: some viewers felt the show to be morally negligent, while inaccurately portraying women in Egypt. Angry voices on social media denied the existence of Egyptian women who curse or travel with male friends, accusing the show of westernising Egyptian women. But mainstream media coverage was much more positive, and with millions of viewers on TV and online, Sab3 Gar, remains one of the highest-viewed shows aired outside of Ramadan. Not bad for a show created largely by women, with a predominately female cast, and progressive, feminist ideas.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year