PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

• Mistress' Life
• Badia's Palace
• El-Rihani at Badia's House
• The Prince
• Exodus from Paradise
• Emigration to the Unknown

• Related Articles
• About the Translator

Badia Masabni and Naguib el-Rihani's performances ended in Alexandria, and he hadn't yet finished writing the new play. She realized that it would be a while before el-Rihani thought about new work, because he had enough money now. So, there was nothing for her to do but to return to Cairo.

At that time, Badia met Viola who was a foreign artist, and the two became close. Viola convinced Badia that she was wasting her life away with el-Rihani. Badia told her frankly that she loved Alexandria, and preferred to work there rather than in Cairo, but she couldn't find anyone who could help her out in this city. Also, [Badia confided] the 500 pounds she had brought with her from Lebanon had almost run out. El-Rihani was the cause of her financial crisis, and she was doubtful about his ability to work at all.

The following day, Badia went with Viola to Café Trianon [which is still there today in the Raml Station area in Alexandria]. Viola informed Badia that a prominent Egyptian wanted to meet her, and that she'd agreed on a meeting with him at 11:00 p.m. At the stipulated time, Badia went with Viola. As soon as Badia saw him, she remembered his face. He was always in the first row at her performances, and his name was Ahmed. He was accompanied by one of his friends by the name of Abdel 3azem and Viola introduced them to Badia.

Ahmed was in his 40's. He was taciturn and reasonable-minded, and he didn't like to brag about his wealth or social position. So he left the talking to Abdel 3azem who said to Badia, "My friend Ahmed Bek is in love with you Ya Set [Lady] Badia, and he is ready to do whatever you ask. He will prepare a beautiful home for you in Cairo with luxurious furniture, Persian carpets, and velvet curtains, and a two-horse carriage will be at your disposal. Badia accepted his friendship, and they parted with the promise of meeting again.

Badia returned to the hotel where she found el-Rihani dozing. She didn't want to wake him up because she didn't want him to see the happiness that was apparent on her face. So she said to him, "I'll wait for you at the restaurant." However, after she waited for quite a while, he didn't show up, so she gave up and ate alone. She tried to think of a way to get rid of him without causing a problem that would lead to an argument. The idea occurred to her to take her belongings to the theater and then escape from there.

At the hour that had been agreed upon between her and Ahmed Bek, Badia went to the café. She found him waiting for her, with gifts that Badia never imagined or dreamed of. She asked him to hold on to them until she could go to him in Cairo. Ahmed Bek suggested a hotel for her to stay in while he furnished the house. He also requested her personal information so that he could complete the procedure of transferring the ownership of the home to her.

Badia became a home owner, and her house looked like a palace from the thousand and one nights. After all the suffering that she'd tasted, she now had a palace with servants and horse stables and a personal maid. The evening of the first day that she entered the house, Ahmed Bek came and with him were Abdel el 3azem and El Sheikh Abou El3ela Mohamed. During dinner Sheikh Abou El3ela extolled the genius of Oum Kalthoum and Abdul Wahab. Then Ahmed Bek gave her the home ownership documents.

Badia lived in her new home as if in a dream. She brought her adopted daughter Juliet to live with her. She hired a private tutor instead of sending Juliet to school so that Badia could have enough time to work with el-Rihani.

Juliet's tutor was a poor orphaned girl named Claire who lived in a small room. Badia brought her into her home, and loved her, and treated her as a friend. She paid her a monthly salary of 15 pounds in addition to the gifts that Ahmed Bek showered on her so that she'd take good care of Juliet. But Claire was a curse. She spied on Badia and Ahmed Bek, and lured Badia into talking about el-Rihani, and then she'd relay everything to el-Rihani. However, Badia's happiness with her life with Ahmed Bek blinded her to everything.

Claire played the game of poisoning the honey, and she would frequently comment within Badia's hearing that although Ahmed Bek was kind and of good origins, he was married to another woman and he had children. So why didn't she look for a legitimate husband instead, and and stop this kind of life? Claire was cunning as well as envious of Badia's lavish lifestyle.

One day the phone rang at Badia's house. When she lifted the handset, and heard el-Rihani's voice, she was confused, and the handset shook in her hand. El-Rihani didn't give her a chance to say a single word. He said, "I'm coming to get you. Open the door so that I won't cause a scandal in front of the neighbors."

Badia was afraid that he would come and embarrass her in front of Ahmed Bek, and she thought long and hard about what el-Rihani wanted from her. As she was still contemplating this, she heard a hard knocking on the door. When she opened it, she found el-Rihani standing there, and she fainted dead away. El-Rihani caught her in his arms, and Claire helped him take her to the bedroom.

When Badia came to, she burst into tears and yelled about el-Rihani's actions. He said to her, "I've never seen you as beautiful and as magnificent as you are at this moment!" He kissed her and pressed her to his chest. This happened in Claire's presence.

Badia noticed the looks and the winks between el-Rihani and Claire, and she was certain that something unscrupulous was going on between them. She screamed at him and accused him of wanting to destroy her home. At that moment, el-Rihani asked Badia to marry him and then continue on to America. She told him that she despaired of his imaginary projects, his empty promises, his laziness, and utter disregard. She asked him to leave her be, as she was happy without him and she worried that if she accompanied him to America they would starve in a foreign country.

El-Rihani responded, "I'm worried that your youth will come to an end and your time will be over. Then your beauty will wither as you live the life of a mistress. There may come a day when you'll be sorry and it will be too late. I'm offering you a last and most valuable opportunity as well as the most beautiful offer that I can make to a woman. 

Badia interrupted him sarcastically, "Do you think that the most valuable offer is marriage to you?"

He responded, "Yes, why not?"

So she said, "If I married you, would I ever get any rest from theater work or from the homelessness of going from country to country and wearing a display of obscene clothing, showing my bare legs and staying awake until dawn, dancing and entertaining people whose hands I can't even stand to shake?"

So el-Rihani said to her arrogantly, "But you'll marry Naguib el-Rihani the artist who someone like you doesn't even value and who isn't appreciated in his country. So I'm offering you that we go to another country. Maybe I'll be lucky there. Maybe none of my colleagues will have been there before me after stealing my plays and attributing them to themselves, as what happened to me in Lebanon and Syria and Palestine. You'll see for yourself another el-Rihani dedicated to his work. I've made you an offer and I hope you will accept it." Then he leaned close to Badia and whispered in her ear, "I will not ask for your answer now. I'll leave you until tomorrow." And then he turned and left.

Badia didn't sleep that night because of her confusion. How could she leave the man who'd been kind to her and had made her a woman of society?

When Ahmed Bek came in the evening, he felt that there was something strange about her but she didn't tell him what had happened. The following day el-Rihani went to her house and asked her to return to acting and to cut off her relationship with Ahmed Bek. He promised to present her with a new play that would earn them money, and then they would get married and go to America.

Badia liked the idea of acting. It was the best way to convince her to return to el-Rihani. It also rescued her from the boring life she lived with Ahmed Bek, especially after she had gained weight. This allowed el-Rihani to snatch her away from him. In the evening Ahmed Bek returned accompanied by his friend Abdel el 3azem. Badia met him by saying, "I've become tired of this quiet boring life, and I want to return to the theater."

Abdel el 3azem repudiated what she said, claiming that she didn't need to work, and Ahmed Bek said to her, "This will cause you to keep company with dancers and singers," and he pleaded with her to drop the subject.

After a few days, word began to spread in the artistic community that el-Rihani was preparing a new play, and the leading role was to be for Badia Masabni, so Ahmed Bek asked Badia about it. She answered him sheepishly, "Do you have objections to my working with el-Rihani?"

And Ahmed Bek responded "No, I don't want to be an obstacle between you and your hobby, but it's difficult for me to imagine myself deprived of you. You are the most dear person to me, Badia, and I haven't forgotten what there was between you and el-Rihani. So how can I easily accept that you're going to work with him?"

Badia put his mind at ease and said to him, "Let's change the subject now, everything that has been said are just rumors. When el-Rihani returns to work, God will show us a way to solve this problem."

Several days later, el-Rihani called Badia to tell her that he'd finished writing the new play. He offered to come to her house. However, Badia refused and she suggested that they meet at a secluded café in the Masr El Gedida area where he briefed her about her part in the play. It was called The Prince, but he didn't give her any idea as to what the play was about. They agreed that he'd call her after he decided on the rehearsal dates.

El-Rihani continued to hide the content of the play from Badia. Whenever she asked him about it, he would repeatedly say, "Just worry about your part instead".

The announcement of the play filled the streets of Cairo, and it was an overwhelming success. Despite the fact that el-Rihani had portrayed her as a greedy woman who preferred a rich man over him, the play achieved a level of fame for her beyond what she had dreamed of. She became the talk of the newspapers and of the public. El-Rihani himself hadn't anticipated this much success for her, and he became jealous of her.

The play continued to run for two months, during which el-Rihani deliberately began to spread rumors of his marriage to Badia and their plans to travel to America.

When the rumors reached Ahmed Bek, he said to Badia, "Naguib's marriage to you is favorable only for him. He can't afford to lose your enormous talent, your ability to play difficult roles, your dance ability, and your singing. This is the main reason that el-Rihani is attached to you and is insisting on marrying you and traveling with you to America. Anyway, you are free to do that you want to do. As for me, I won't stand in the way of your future. What I want you to know is that you have unintentionally given me a slap in the face. But this is my fault. You took my dreams and crushed them."

Badia said to Ahmed Bek, "You're a wealthy man as well as a kind man, and you can find someone better than me who will make you forget me. And who knows? Maybe your new girlfriend will be more devoted and faithful to you than me."

Then Badia brought the gifts that Ahmed Bek had given her and she said to him, "I'm not avaricious. The reason for my friendship with you was not because you're a wealthy man, but because I respect your nobleness and your honesty, and because I trusted you. Take your gifts, I won't leave with anything but my own clothes. I will never forget you for the rest of my life. Please forgive me." And then she threw herself against his chest and cried bitterly and profusely.

Ahmed Bek held her away from him and asked her, "Have you both decided on the date of the wedding? From this day forward I will consider you as a daughter and I shall give this house to you and everything in it as a wedding gift. I will give it to you in the hopes that you will find the happiness that you wish for in your marriage to el-Rihani. I also hope that you will one day not be sorry for taking this step."

Then Ahmed Bek left. He was the most noble person that Badia ever met in her life.

El-Rihani's life was a series of adventures and pain, happiness and tears, success and failure, pleasure and boredom, comfort and anxiety, activity and laziness.

After Ahmed Bek left Badia in the house that he'd purchased for her, she began to look around. It was difficult for her to enjoy this wealth after she had broken up with its owner. So she brought up with el-Rihani the subject of selling the home and the furniture. He agreed, saying to her, "We're going to travel to America anyway, so we don't need the house or anything in it." Then they moved to the Continental Hotel and sold the contents of the house in an auction. Badia received a large sum.

Very quietly, and away from the eyes of the public, el-Rihani married Badia at the home of doctor Khalil Gouda who served as a witness to the marriage, and Claire was the second witness. After the religious ceremony was over, the bride and groom rode to the banks of the Nile in a hantour. They returned to the hotel in the morning where they were received by Egyptians and foreigners with acclamations and good wishes for a happy marriage.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This is the wedding photo for Naguib el-Rihani and Badia Masabni.

The husband and wife spent their honeymoon between Alexandria and Ras el Bur.

Then they traveled to Brazil accompanied by Juliet and a group of artists. It was a long ocean voyage that took over a month. The ship docked in a strange country where all the passengers dispersed, and they were left with the feeling of being in a difficult position.

At the port, they met a man who spoke Arabic and who asked them about their destination. Badia responded, "We are a singing and dancing troupe".

El-Rihani added "We not only sing and dance, but we act as well."

The man answered heedlessly, "Unfortunately, you won't be able to work here because in this country nobody understands acting or appreciates it. But if you've got singers and musicians, you can make quite a bit of money."

So Badia spoke to el-Rihani in French and said to him, "Let's give it a try, and God will provide."

El-Rihani and Badia left the port. The man who had spoken with them led them to a hotel that he owned [which was the reason] that he went to the port, to recruit guests. In the evening, the Syrian and Lebanese community showed up. They were the children of El Gabal, Beirut, Tripoli, Aleppo, Syria, Homs, and Houmah. As soon as the news spread of an Arabic performing troupe at the hotel, everyone began to ask about the Arab [woman] singer who had come from their country, and they asked Badia to sing.

So she chose "Delicious Salted Pistachios Ya Effendi." Just as she began the introduction of the song, one of the audience members stood up and said, "I heard this song sung by a famous singer in Aleppo!"

El-Rihani asked him what the name of the singer was, and the man answered, "Badia Masabni!"

El-Rihani asked him, "If you saw this singer now, would you recognize her?"

The man responded, "Of course!"

El-Rihani said to him, "So why haven't you recognized her yet?"

The man looked at Badia and said, "I thought so! But I was afraid to say it, because people would accuse me of being crazy." The man explained to the audience who Badia Masabni was, and how famous she was in Aleppo.

Biographical

• The Life of Badia Masabni
  • Part 1: Queen of Suffering and of the Night. Her early childhood in Syria and Argentina.
  • Part 2: Unlimited Pain. Badia's return to Syria (after Argentina) and her move to Lebanon with her mother.
  • Part 3: Escape from Her Mother's Hell. How Badia's family thwarted two marriage opportunities for Badia and made her live in squalor.
  • Part 4: Here's Cairo. Badia finally arrives in Egypt to pursue her dream of being an actress..
  • Part 5: The Return to Beirut. Badia continues to develop her acting skills in Egypt, then moves to Beirut.
  • Part 6: Fame in Beirut and Pain in Damascus. Badia's career change from acting to singing and dancing, and her rise to stardom in Beirut.
  • Part 7: The Beloved of the Public. Badia's continued stardom in Syria and Lebanon, her illness with smallpox, and the death of her mother.
  • Part 8: The Seeker of Love. Badia continues her singing and dancing career, adopts a daughter, and deals with man troubles.
  • Part 9: Crazy About Badia. Badia continues her career as a singer and dancer in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt.
  • Part 10: Naguib el-Rihani and the Theater. Badia's acting career soars while she performs in plays with el-Rihani's troupe.
  • Part 11: Marriage to Naguib el-Rihani. Badia marries Naguib el-Rihani and moves on to the next chapter in her life.
  • Parts 12 through 14 will be posted in the future.
• Historic Photos of Badia Masabni. Several photos of Badia collected by Priscilla.
• Was Badia Masabni Lebanese or Syrian? Priscilla Adum settles the question by explaining how Middle Eastern people view origins.
• Celebrity Bare Backs of the Golden Era. A gossip magazine shows the bare backs of Badia and other celebrities.
• Feeding the Chickens. Badia on her farm in Lebanon after retiring from club ownership in Cairo.
• Badia Masabni with Old Friends. A photo taken at Badia Masabni's dairy farm in Lebanon shows her posing with the Rahbani Brothers, Fairouz, Farid al-Atrache, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Najeeb Hankash, and Philemon Wehbe.

Badia, the Club Owner

• Badia Masabni: Fish of the Month. By George Sawa explains how the word "fish" is used in Arabic to compliment a dancer.
• Badia Masabni: Bada3da3. Translated by Priscilla Adum. Sometimes Badia Masabni took her troupe on tour to perform in Europe and other Arab countries. This article talks about such a tour in 1933.
• Badia Masabni on El Sabah Magazine Cover. Badia was featured on the cover of El Sabah Magazine in 1933.
• Badia Masabni on Kawakeb Magazine Cover. Badia was featured on the cover of Kawakeb in 1933.
• Badia Masabni's Dancers in 1935. Photo of Badia and her dancers.
• Badia Masabni's Dancers and the Stage Names of Actresses. Translated by Priscilla Adum. Photo of Badia and her dancers, along with brief article.
• Badia Masabni: The Lady and Her Clubs. By Priscilla Adum. The years of Badia's life that she ran nightclubs in Egypt.
• Badia Fights Back Against the Competition. Translated by Priscilla Adum. Probably sometime between spring 1937 and November 1940.
• Artists and Journalists at Badia's. Translated by Priscilla Adum. A review of the new show in 1938 Badia planned to present for her comeback to the theater after being swindled out of her previous one by Beba Ezz el-Din.
• Badia Masabni Satirizes the Hollywood Stars. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• Isaac Dickson: Dance Instructor to Egyptian Stars. By Priscilla Adum. The dance trainer and choreographer who worked with Badia Masabni and her dancers.
• From Badia's at El Giza to Road El Farag: Backstage At The Summer Casinos. Gossip about what celebrity dancers do backstage. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• Artists and Journalists at Badia's. Translated by Priscilla Adum. A review of the new show in 1938 Badia planned to present for her comeback to the theater.
• Three Hours at Badia Casino's Program. Magazine review of one of the shows presented at Badia's Casino. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• Badia Masabni's Years as a Club Owner: A Timeline. From opening Sala Badia in 1926 through selling Casino Opera in 1950.

Interviews

• Badia Masabni Segment of 1928 Interview with Naguib el-Rihani.
• Badia Masabni and Beba Ezz el-Din Reveal How They Learned to Dance. 1930's.
• Badia Masabni Newspaper Interview December 3, 1938
• Badia Masabni Interviewed on Television by Layla Rostum in 1966

Flyers and Ads

• 1920's
  • 1926 Ad for Grand Opening of Sala Badia
  • 1927 Ad for Musicians at Sala Badia.
  • 1928 Ad for Opening of Badia's Alexandria Summer Club
  • 1928 Ad for Closing of Badia's Alexandria Summer Club
  • 1928 Ad for Badia's Show at Sala Badia in Cairo
• 1930's
  • 1930 Ad for Grand Opening of Badia Masabni's New Club in Giza City
  • 1931 Ad for Grand Re-Opening of Badia Masabni's Remodeled Club in Giza City
  • 1932 Ad for a Show at Casino Badia on Emad el-Din Street. Promotes plays, monologues, sketches, and songs.
  • 1933 Ad for a Show at Badia Masabni's Summer Club. Includes a female impersonator on the roster.
  • 1934 Ad for a Show at Badia Masabni's Club on Emad el-Din Street. Translated by Priscilla Adum. Also includes background information about the Muslim religious festival Eid al-Adha which coincided with this play titled Kharouf el Eid.
  • 1935 Ad for Badia Masabni's Show at the Alhambra Theater.
  • 1935 Ad Announcing Badia's Retirement from the Stage. To pursue a career in cinema.
  • 1935 Ad for a Show at Badia Masabni's Club Featuring a Cast of 60 People.
  • 1935 Advertisement for Badia Masabni's Sala. Promotes a show at Sala Badia with the comedy "Battle of Dogs, Cats, and Rats", a Pharaonic musical segment, Spanish dance with castanets, and more.
  • 1935 Ad Promoting Badia Masabni's Summer Casino at English Bridge in Giza. Includes information about English Bridge and Badia's club there. Mentions the act Famous Women as being part of the program.
  • 1935 Photo Showing Badia Masabni's Cast for the Show Famous Women. Features Badia Masabni dressed as Queen Shagaret el Dor.
  • 1936 Ad for the Premiere of Badia Masabni's Movie: Queen of Theaters.
  • 1936 Publicity Flyer for Badia Masabni's Film: Queen of Theaters
  • 1937 Ad Announcing Grand Opening of Badia Masabni's Summer Casino in Giza
  • 1938 Ad Promoting a Comedy Called Chokehold at Badia Masabni's Summer Club.
  • 1938 Newspaper Ad for Grand Opening of Badia Masabni's New Club at Majestic Theater. Appeared in Al Ahram Newspaper on December 8, 1938.
  • 1939 Rival Ads for Badia Masabni's & Beba Ezz el-Din's Clubs. October 5, 1939.
  • 1939 Rival Ads Promoting Badia's Club and Beba Ezz El-Din's Club. Published on October 31, 1939.
  • 1930's Ad for a Show at Sala Badia. Songs, monologues, and Tunisian dancing.
  • 1930's Ad Showing the Cast Members for Shows at Badia Masabni's Summer Casino. Probably from early 1930's. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
  • 1930's Ad Promoting a Show at Badia Masabni's Summer Club known as Badia's Garden in Giza. Translated by Priscilla Adum. The cast included heavenly creatures from Marrakech!
• 1940's
  • 1940 Ad Promoting Shows at Badia's Summer Casino in Giza City
  • 1940 Ad Announcing Grand Opening of Casino Opera. Shows November 9 as the opening date.
  • 1940 Ad Announcing Grand Opening of Casino Opera. Shows November 14 as the opening date.
  • 1940 Ad for New Show at Badia Masabni's Casino Opera
  • 1940's Ad for New Show Featuring Badia Masabni's and Beba Ezz El-Din's Dance Company

Priscilla is a dancer of Lebanese heritage who enjoys researching the Golden Era of Egyptian dance. She owns a collection of more than one hundred classic black and white Egyptian films which is continually expanding.

Priscilla has also gathered a large library of dance related articles and clippings from Middle Eastern magazines and newspapers, many of which she has translated from the original Arabic to both English and Spanish.

Priscilla currently resides in Central America where she is a dance instructor.