Ramadan Arabian Nights 2025 : The Tale of Fatima,Halima and Karima “A Palace Bigger Than Ours” EP.1

Ramadan Kareem to all Egyptian Chronicles readers.

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

Last year, Scheherazade could not go forward and a genocide was taking place.

This year, a fragile truce holds, and for just 15 minutes, we all need a brief escape into fantasy from our harsh reality.

However, if Benjamin Netanyahu chooses to resume the conflict—whether in Gaza or by advancing toward a full occupation of southern Syria—we will have to pause the tale.

For the newcomers, a quick background for our little Egyptian Chronicles’ Ramadan tradition.

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

Originally based on the famous book One Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights), it was one of the longest-running shows 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 Arabian Nights.

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

The tale was inspired by the book, its universe and its themes, but was not directly based on any of its stories as far as I could tell.

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

For this year, I chose another story that the 1980s generation knew very well because it was presented on TV in 1987 and was a hit show.

This year’s tale is the tale of Fatima, Halima and Karima, which was re-presented on TV in 1987, starring Egyptian Diva Sherihan.

It was the peak of her Arabian Nights Ramadan show with legendary TV director Fahmy Abdel Hamid and Zouzou Nabil as a co-star too.

I was already going to share it last year if it were not for the war.

Enough of chitchat.

So, boys and girls, lads and gents, gather around as the fairest of them all, Scheherazade, weaves a new tale for us.

Tonight we will kick off Ramadan’s first night with the 673rd episode of the “One Thousand and One Nights show”.

Now here is Scheherazade and Shahryar on that night in English thanks to Chat-GPT, Whisper Ai and TurboScribe. 

The graphics used in this season too are AI-generated from Midjourney.

Episode 1: A Palace Bigger Than Ours

And when the six hundred seventy-third night had come, and it was the following evening, King Shahryar returned to his thoughts, which continued to trouble him. He hastened to the chamber of secrets, overwhelmed, like a moth drawn to a flame. 

As he was lost in contemplation, reflecting upon the nature of night and day, Scheherazade entered, as if fate had set their meeting in motion. With the gentlest of gestures and the most graceful of words, she offered her greeting, kneeling before him and saying:

"Good evening, my lord."

Shahryar replied, "Ah, Scheherazade, I see. Good evening indeed. And what do you have for me tonight—what illusions and fantasies will you use to distract me from the reality of these days?"

"Is this how you greet the evening, my lord?"

"No, Scheherazade, I will not remain bound by your tales forever. I will not let your beauty dictate my fate. Enough!"

"My lord, everything must eventually reach its conclusion. Whatever has a beginning must also have an end—except for these tales, or rather, your own tale in particular."

"What do these fables mean? What lies behind these imaginings and stories? Do you not find wonder in the marvels of creation and the peculiarities of customs?"

"Far from it, Scheherazade. Instead, you present these tragedies and amusements merely to distract me from the reality in which I live."

"My lord, are these merely your lamentations, or are you building a barrier between your past and present? Do you think I can escape from myself? It is in vain that you try. I must put an end to doubt with certainty."

"And what about you, Scheherazade? What do you want? Does someone like me even have the luxury of desire? Tell me, what do you see in me, O King of Men?"

"Every night, you set sail into the realm of fantasy, yet we journey on regardless. But where does this journey end if we continue to chase the impossible?"

"Why not say instead that we dive into the deepest depths, where truth itself lies dormant?"

"Truth? Where is this so-called truth? I look, yet I see only wolves in sheep’s clothing, ruling by the law of the jungle."

"No, my lord. Have you not seen how even the great are afflicted with madness, devouring the weak, just as the fish do in the sea?"

"No, it is wrong. Why does falsehood prevail? Why is the balance of justice tilted? Why does man oppress his fellow man?"

"It is wrong, wrong, wrong! And why does the world not correct this wrong, this crime committed in plain sight?"

"Because the minds of men have rusted. And if the world does not protect itself from this plague, it will regress to its origins and fall into the abyss. As long as power is the measure of all things..."

"But power, my lord, is merely a tool. The wicked may wield it as they please, corrupting the purity of life, leading only to tragedy."

"Such words lead only to despair."

"On the contrary, my lord, this is the eternal struggle for survival, one that began when Cain slew his brother. But in the end, truth must triumph. In the end, the world's conscience must awaken against these injustices. In the end, these crimes must cease."

"And what if the criminal wields the power to protect himself?"

"My lord, have you not heard that an arrow may return to strike the one who looses it? That whoever digs a pit for his brother may well fall into it himself? This is no mere legend—examples abound. One such is the tale of Mishkah and Rima, she who was overcome by the temptations of crime and returned to her old ways."

"You say Mishkah and Rima? But that is an old tale. Who is this Mishkah?"

"Mishkah the wanderer, the cunning one, the persistent inquirer who bends with the wind. And for that, his fate was a bitter one."

"And what of Rima?"

"She returned to her old ways."

"Her old ways? But who is Rima, and who is Mishkah, the wanderer? What is their tale, Scheherazade?"

"It is the tale of three orphaned sisters—Fatima, Halima, and Karima."

"Tell me, Scheherazade!"

"With pleasure, my lord. Listen and know that among the tales of love and life, it is said that there once was a great king, a ruler of his time, possessing might and wealth. His name was Sultan Safwan.

And in God's wisdom, though He granted the king prosperity, He gave him but a single heir—the Crown Prince, Wardan. 

The king wished to see his son married in his lifetime, but the prince refused, placing his father in a dilemma. The more the king insisted, the more the prince resisted. The matter grew more complicated, and at last, the king issued a decree: his son had three days to choose a bride, or the choice would be taken from him. The deadline passed, and the king summoned his minister."

"Your Majesty," said the minister, "we must be patient with Prince Wardan, given all that has happened."

"Patient? How can I be patient when he defies me?"

"But Your Majesty, His Highness the prince—"

"Summon the prince at once!"

"At once, my lord."

Prince Wardan entered.

"My father."

"Wardan! Are you still defiant?"

"Not at all, my father."

"Then you must listen to reason. I have come to ask for your forgiveness, and to plead that you reconsider. I have relented. I will follow your wishes."

"Then whom have you chosen?"

"Who have I chosen? The beautiful princess who resides in the palace before us."

"What are you saying? A palace greater and grander than ours? Where?"

"Before us, my father. I saw a maiden looking out from a window, and from the moment I laid eyes on her, my heart was lost to her."

"A maiden gazing from a window? A palace before us, larger and more splendid than our own?"

"Your Majesty, forgive me, but what is the prince saying?"

"I am not jesting, Minister."

"My lord, this is bewildering. What do you mean?"

"If you had come from the northern side, Minister, you would have seen the grand palace that has appeared before us overnight."

"A palace? Appeared overnight?"

At that moment, the servant Murjan rushed in.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"What is it?"

"I can scarcely believe my eyes. My head is spinning! This morning, we awoke to find a great palace standing before us!"

"A palace?!"

The king, stunned, turned to his minister. "See for yourself, Minister. You may look upon it from the prince’s balcony."

The king, the minister, and Prince Wardan stepped onto the balcony. As the king gazed upon the magnificent structure before him, his tongue was tied in astonishment.

"then what happened?" said Shahryar

"Dawn approached”, said Scheherazade.

"But I must know the story of this mysterious palace, what Sultan Safwan did, and who the maiden was that Prince Wardan saw!"

"Then, my lord, if you spare me for another night, I shall complete the tale for you."

"By God, I shall not take your life until I have heard this tale. Until tomorrow, Scheherazade."

"Until tomorrow, my lord."

And here, Scheherazade saw that dawn had arrived, so she fell silent, leaving the tale untold.

Here is the 1st episode of our tale televised.

Until next night inshallah, we will know more about the fair princess living beside the Sultan without his knowledge.

You can check previous Ramadan Arabian Nights here.

In the spirit of Ramadan, I invite you to support UNICEF’s relief efforts in Gaza. Every pound, dollar, or euro can make a difference.