Once Upon A Time In Egypt

8.01 The Name Caller

Transcript: He returned. Mahmoud is back. It's been thirteen years since he took out on that fishing boat, and we all assumed he was dead. Boats like this never make it to their destination. He had arranged everything already and just had to confront our mother. He sold our land. The fields that my grandfather worked in, planting and cultivating cotton for the Pasha that owned it. The fields that my father then owned and planted with wheat after Nasser's agricultural reform. He sold it against m...

7.02 The Singing Sheikh - 2/2

Transcript: Part 2 of 2 To understand what he was doing differently, we need to talk to the man himself, Sheikh Sayed Darwish. After a week in Alexandria, we were able to reach Darwish who was busy heading the preparations for Sa'ad Zaghloul's return. He agreed to sit down with us on the sixteenth of September, one day after the celebrations. In the meantime, we sat down with his closest collaborators, Badee' Khairy and Naguib AlRehany. Khairy and AlRehany are to Egyptian theatre what Darwish is...

7.01 The Singing Sheikh - 1/2

Transcript: “On a frigid December night, a shaggy looking man comes into the cafe. A horse carriage driver, a Arbagy. You could not distinguish the man from his horse. They had the same brown long face, and they even smelled the same, manure. The man was holding in his hands an unfeathered slaughtered duck. He stood in the middle of the cafe and asked for Sheikh Sayed. We all laughed at once. Everyone sitting in this cafe was waiting for Sheikh Sayed.” “He's famous now. He used to sing for tips ...

6.01 Sweet Potato

Transcript: "Am Essa" or rather The Gold Man, as his peers like to refer to him; is a man of rich demeanour -a rare phenomenon in existence nowadays- a true descendant of Nubian origin. His brown sugar complexion, pearly white smile, and reverie like greyish green eyes made him a vivid embodiment of the authenticity of the River Nile. A hundred per cent depiction of a Nubian soul "Nubia" is derived from the word "Nub" meaning Gold! And this couldn't be more true, for Essa himself belongs to one ...

6.02 Sweet Potato - Footnotes

5.02 King Netjerkare Siptah - Footnotes

The story behind the story of King Netjerkare Siptah. The real story of King Netjerkare Siptah, and why he was thought to be a woman for a long period of time. How Manetho and Herodotus solidified the story in their writings before we discovered that it's probably just a misunderstanding. And, how does all of that relate to weird Japanese Character RPGs. Link To Story. Sources: Abydos King List Histories II 100 - Herodotus The Fragments of Aegyptiaca - Manetho (via Sextus Julius Africanus and Eu...

5.01 King Netjerkare Siptah

Transcript: In the year after the thirty-first count of his glorious reign, after the arrival of Hapi for the sixty-third consecutive time, on the twentieth day of the first month of Peret, King Pepi the second left our world to sit on Osiris’s throne and rule over the living. He ruled long and prosperous, strengthening Egyptian footholds in Byblos and establishing various caravan routes with Nubia and the oases of The Western Desert. It was an age of stability and wealth. His eternal wisdom gra...

4.01 Case-43 Labban-21

Transcript: S: You’re safe. No one can touch you here. Not your father, or your aunt, or The Sultan himself for that matter. I’ll just ask you some questions and my associate here will transcribe. You’ll give me some answers that you gave me before. Be calm, you’re not in any trouble, and remember to focus on the women. B: Ok. [Sound of matches, lights up cigarette] S: Let’s start. Case number 43, AlLabban Public Prosecutor office, year 1921. Witness questioning by Public Prosecutor Soliman Bek ...

4.02 Case-43 Labban-21 - Footnotes

The story behind the story of Case-43 Labban-21. The real life case of a serial killer gang that murdered 17 women in Alexandria in 1921. Why I chose to tell the story from the prespective of Badee'a, Raya's daughter. How a Public Prosecutor was able to motivate her to testify against her parents. And notes about the socio-economic status of Egypt after World War 1, that led to the gang starting their activities. Story: ouatie.fm/stories/case-43-labban-21 Sources: The Men of Raya and Sekina: A S...

3.01 Alexandria-By-Egypt: A Status Report

Transcript: King of Kings, Strategos Autokrator, Hegemon of The Hellenic League, King of Persia, Son of Zeus, Son of Amoon, My Lord, Alexander III of Macedonia, Three years ago I had an idea for a project. I went around between a variety of my countrymen and nobles, asking that my introduction to your royal presence would be facilitated. All of them kindly received me, and promised to accomplish my wish at the earliest. I knew that they promised me fairly, but they were slow in performing; waiti...

2.01 Hassan & Naʻema

Transcript : “موسى نبي ، عيسى نبي ، محمد نبي ، و كل من له نبي يصلي عليه” He always starts like that. “Moses was sent by God, Jesus was sent by God, Mohamed was sent by God. So whomever you follow, just pray for them.” And people, always reply in one voice: Peace Be Upon Them All. His name is Hassan, the Rababa player, and also the protagonist of our story tonight. A very special night, because it’s the wedding of the eldest daughter of the village’s richest man; Haj Metwally. Haj is a title, giv...

2.02 Hassan & Naʻema - Footnotes

The story behind the story of Hassan & Naʻema. The original folk tale, and how it was transformed in Egyptian mass media. How "The Egyptian Romeo and Juliet" shaped modern Egyptian cinema. And the probably maybe true story behind it. Story: ouatie.fm/stories/hassan-w-na3eema Sources: Hassan wa Naimah - IMDB ( Full movie on YouTube ) Hassan And Naʻema - AbdelRahman AlKhameesy Memoirs Of The Saint That Discovered Soʻad Hosny - Ahmed AlKhameesy Folk Love Stories: Hassan and Naʻema - El-Warsha T...

1.01 Younis

Transcript : It all started at her funeral. Princess Shamma, queen of The Helaly Tribes. She’s been ill for the past six years, and with her illness came the draught. She was the greatest leader of all the tribes, having one third of the votes for important decisions all by herself. Even through her illness, my grandmother has been trying to convince the tribe leaders to leave. The desert we live in had become harsher and harsher in the past years. We’re Bedouins. We’re always on the move, looki...

1.02 Younis - Footnotes

The story behind the story of Younis. Why I chose it to be the first episode of the podcast. What The Helaly Epic stands for in Egyptian Culture. What intrigued me about The Epic. And, the possible future of this podcast. Story: ouatie.fm/stories/younis.