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

Translator's Note: Al Aroussa magazine reported that one of the dancers at Badia Masabni's club, Sala Badia, had won a beauty contest there.

Source:
Al Aroussa
August 16, 1933

The author of this article was evidently under the incorrect impression that Beba Ezz el-Din was Egyptian. She was actually Lebanese, from Tripoli.

Above the Picture in Large Letters:

The Most Beautiful Egyptian Eyes Won in a Competition For "Most Beautiful Eyes in Egypt" 

The Article:

The eyes have a magic that is even more powerful than the magic of Harout and Marout.*

The eyes of heavenly creatures are as arrows that are shot into the heart, and beautiful eyes have the power to conquer even the very strongest. Egypt is the showcase for the gazelles that are the daughters of Eve. Egyptian eyes take the prize when it comes to attractiveness, and those tempting eyes [he means the ones in the picture] belong to the slim dancer Beba. Her eyes are the epitome of beautiful, and nobody would disagree that Beba has magical eyes. Thus she was the sole winner in the Beautiful Eyes Competition that went on for a full week at Casino Badia in Giza City.

The decision was revealed on Wednesday night, August 2, and Beba was the sole winner. Normally these contests have 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. However, the jury, who was the audience, unanimously agreed that Beba's eyes were the winners in the Beautiful Eyes Competition and no other eyes shared in the spotlight.

Beba, as her picture tells us, is a beautiful, gentle and kind soul. She tried to hide her beautiful face with a transparent fabric, but that only adds to her beauty. She spread her hands over her shoulders like a serene gazelle, and from the bow of her eyebrows she shot arrows that made hearts bleed.

Beba is considered to be the most skillful Egyptian dancer at the present time, and she has performed at Sala Badia for the past six years. She has become top among her colleagues, so we offer our congratulations on her dazzling success.

Caption under the Picture:

The slim and glamorous dancer, Beba, who won first prize in the Beautiful Eyes Competition at Casino Badia.

* Harout and Marout are two angels mentioned in the Quran. They eventually were sent to Babylon, where they taught magic to the people there.

• Articles and Advertisements Featuring Beba Ezz el-Din and Her Businesses. An index to other resources on this web site about Beba.

• Ad Promoting the Show at Badia Masabni's Summer Casino Which Hosted the Beautiful Eyes Contest. Ie, the ad that appeared before the event described in the above article.

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.