Ramadan Arabian Nights 2026: The Tale of King Sajur and sons “A Dilemma Ep.2”

Ramadan Kareem to all Egyptian Chronicles readers.

Before we continue our tale and discover what fate has in store for Sajur and his three sons, it is time for our chit-chat.

Last night, we learned that Bahram Gur was a real historical figure from Persian history whose name Taher Abu Fasha borrowed for the story.

Tonight, we discover that the inspiration behind Azdashir, the brother of King Sajur, was also a real man — a real Ardashir from Iranian history, though with a slightly different spelling.

Azdeshir is the Arabic rendering of the Old Persian name Ardashir or Ardeshir

King Ardashir — and here I mean Ardashir I — was in fact the founder of the Sasanian Empire, the last empire of ancient Iran. Ardashir called himself shahanshah (King of Kings) and began conquering the lands he referred to as Eranshahr, the realm of the Iranians.

According to Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi, Ardashir was born from the marriage of Sasan — said to be a descendant of Darius III — and the daughter of Papak, a local governor in Pars. This account also appears in Al-Tabari’s History of the Prophets and Kings.

There were three kings named Ardashir in the Sasanian Empire: Ardashir I, Ardashir II, and Ardashir III.

In modern times, perhaps the most famous bearer of the name was Ardeshir Zahedi, the prominent Iranian politician and diplomat who served as Iran’s foreign minister from 1966 to 1971 and as ambassador to both the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s.

He was married for seven years to Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi, the Egyptian-Iranian daughter of the Shah of Iran.

Today, many Iranians remember Ardeshir Zahedi, especially for his stance in later years: although he opposed the Islamic Revolutionary regime in Tehran, he firmly rejected foreign military intervention in Iran.

Now, without further delay, I present the second episode of our story—The Tale of Sajur and his sons, or the 196th night of One Thousand and One Nights, as broadcast by the Egyptian State Radio.

Ramadan Arabian Nights 2026: The Tale of King Sajur and sons “The prophecies Ep.1”

Ramadan Kareem to all Egyptian Chronicles readers.

Yes, we are back to our Ramadan Arabian Nights this year.

This year, we got a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that Israel violates every day as usual, but the people in Gaza are trying their best to enjoy or rather live, Ramadan as much as they can.

This year, we got the ghost of war looming over the Middle East as the US has been transferring like 1/4 of its military power to the Middle East for a possible military action with Israel against Iran.

On this occasion, I discovered that selecting short tales is a better choice, as well as the tales themselves, which are somehow related to current events or the location in the Middle East.

Tonight, we will start the tale of King Sajur of Persia and his sons.

But first, for the newcomers, this is what we are going to do this Holy Month of Ramadan, like every year in Egyptian Chronicles.

Every Ramadan, we tune in to episodes of Egypt’s One Thousand and One Nights radio show, created in 1955 by the legendary Egyptian broadcaster Mahmoud Shaaban, better known as Papa Sharo.

Originally inspired by the famous book One Thousand and One Nights (also known in the West as The Arabian Nights), it became one of the longest-running programs in the history of Egyptian State Radio.

Shaaban could not have created the show without the ongoing work of Egyptian writer and folklorist Taher Abu Fasha, whose name became forever linked to the Arabian Nights tradition.

Legendary Egyptian actress Zouzou Nabil and theatre icon Abdel Rahim El-Zarakany return once again as Scheherazade and Shahryar.

While other writers contributed to the show over the years, this year’s tale was written by Abu Fasha himself.

The story draws inspiration from the original book — its universe, its enduring themes, and the history of the Middle East, especially Persia, as we will soon hear.

The book Arabian Nights — or rather, One Thousand and One Nights — is often considered to be of Indo-Persian origin, but we will leave that discussion for another night.

Kodak Agfa presents: Cairo’s Al-Sayeda Zeinab Ramadan Bazaar 2026

It is the time for annual posts celebrating Ramadan bazaars in Cairo.

This is year I went to Al-Sayeda Zeinab’s annual Ramadan bazaar, and it was great and amazing as usual.

Ramadan Kareem as always from Al-Sayeda Zeinab

I didn’t go to Al-Sayeda Zeinab Bazaar last year — I only passed by quickly in the car.

Last year, I went to the Taht el-Rab’a Ramadan Bazaar, and I actually went again this year.

Inshallah, wait for more photos and more stories from Tahat el-Rab’a and beyond.

Back to Al-Sayeda Zeinab’s bazaar, it was buzzing this year.

Port Said street in Al-Sayeda Zeinab was loadeed by people 

You feel the spirit of Ramadan as soon as you set foot in Port Said Street, right in front of Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque and Shrine.

By the way, these photos were taken this time with a Sony a6500 and a wide-angle E 20mm lens, as a change from the usual kit lens.

Kodak Agfa Presents: Umm Kulthum .. The Voice of Egypt Exhibit in photos

Today marks the 51st anniversary of the death of Egypt’s legendary singer, Umm Kulthum.

Over the past year, Egypt hosted several events to commemorate the jubilee of the Planet of the East’s passing, beginning on 3 February 2025.

Last February, Egyptian Chronicles paid a visit to her small yet remarkably rich museum, which chronicles her life and legacy.

This year, I’m sharing another quick visit—this time to a special exhibition held in her honor by Egypt’s Ministry of Culture at Aisha Fahmy Palace, the Centre of Arts in Cairo’s Zamalek.

Titled “The Voice of Egypt,” the exhibition lived up to its name: Thuma truly was the voice of Egypt.

Held at Aisha Fahmy Palace from August through November 2025, the exhibition proved to be a major success.

I visited it in October.

The exhibition included many things. "Spoiler: Keep reading and scroll down the post—the best is yet to come, and the true gems of the exhibition are just below. Make sure to read to the end."

It featured a selection of Umm Kulthum’s personal belongings, on loan from her museum on Al-Manial Island, including her notebook, pen, gloves, and sunglasses.

From January 25 to Iran: What Middle Eastern Regimes Still Haven’t Learned Since 2011

This is the annual post marking the January 25 Revolution of 2011 in Egypt, published on January 28—the true day of the Revolution.

Although it may seem like a distant memory, it has rarely felt closer. Many—if not all—of the causes and conditions that led to that moment, which reshaped the Middle East (if not the world), still exist today, in one form or another, across almost every country in the region—not just in Egypt.

Step Down sign from February 4 million man protest in Tahrir square 

I am writing this post while Iran stands on the brink of war, following mass protests that were hijacked by the U.S. and the Israeli regime and brutally cracked down on by the Iranian regime. The result has been a tragedy: thousands killed, thousands more detained, and millions waiting in fear, uncertain about what the future holds.

I cannot ignore what is happening in Iran, as we remember the January 2011 Revolution—the peak moment that truly launched the Arab Spring, with all due respect to the Tunisian Revolution. For context, Tunisians themselves protested earlier this month against their government and President Kais Saied, who has turned out to be little more than a Temu-version strongman.

After the 12-day war in the summer of 2025, I thought the Iranian regime might finally read the writing on the wall and grant greater freedoms to its people, especially after Iranians stood firm during the Israeli–U.S. war.

Once again, the Iranian people proved—like people everywhere—that they are the first and true line of defense, resilient despite years of repression and crushing economic sanctions. For a brief moment, videos from Iran suggested a slight opening: more women appeared unveiled in public. Yet economic hardship deepened, demanding urgent reform.

Watch This : Seasons & Streets “Christmas from Korba to Shubra 25”

It seems that 19 January is becoming the day I release my Christmas video every year!

This time, I’m releasing the video on Epiphany, as observed in the Eastern Orthodox Church calendar, rather than on its eve as I did last year.

Watch the new episode of Seasons & Streets, “Christmas from Korba to Shubra 25,” to explore the history of Baghdad Street in Heliopolis, as well as the long and fascinating story of Al-Tarea Al-Bolakia (the Bolakia Canal)—with additional background, photos, and even rare video footage from Cairo in the 19th century and early 20th century.

Once again, it’s worth noting that Epiphany is celebrated on 19 January by most Eastern Orthodox Churches (6 January in the Julian calendar, which corresponds to 19 January in the Gregorian calendar), including the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church.

Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.

Back to the video—Inshallah, next time I will upload the video at the same time as the photos, whether on 25 December or 7 January.

Kodak Agfa presents in Photos: A Cairo Christmas 2026 “7 January Shubra edition”

It’s time for the second edition of our annual Egyptian Chronicles series: Christmas in Cairo, Vol. 2.

As always, this post features photos and videos of Cairo’s Christmas decorations as the city celebrates 7 January — Orthodox Christmas, observed by Orthodox Christian communities.

Merry Christmas to all those celebrating it.

The nativity scene at Saint Ibram shop 

Okay, a brief social and historical note: most Christian Egyptians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.

You might wonder why Christmas in Egypt is celebrated on 25 December and 7 January.

The difference comes down to the calendar. Most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar, which places Christmas on 25 December.

The Coptic Orthodox Church, however, follows the Julian calendar, which is currently 13 days behind — hence Coptic Christmas falling on 7 January.

Interestingly, in the early centuries of Christianity, the Eastern Church—in regions such as Egypt and Syria—celebrated Theophany on 6 January.

This was a single, “double feast” commemorating both the birth of Jesus and his baptism.

It was only later that Western Christianity separated the two events, assigning Jesus’ birth to 25 December, while the Eastern churches maintained their traditions in line with the Julian calendar.