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

This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the song "Ah Ya Zein", which was popularized by Mohamed Qandeel, Sabah, Mohamed el-Bakkar, and others. Also included is a transliteration of the Arabic lyrics into the Roman alphabet so you can sing along if you like.

• Ah Ya Zein! (Oh, You Handsome Person!), 1954
• Song Title in Arabic: آه يا ​​زين
• Appeared in the Motion Picture: Raqsat al-Wadah
• Lyricist for Sabah's 1958 Version: Asad Saba
• Composer: Yesari Asım Arsoy
• Original Artist in Arabic: Mohamed Qandeel

About this Song

Many sources say "Ah Ya Zein" is based on a portion of the melody of the Turkish song "Muhabbet Bağına Girdim Bu Gece" from the 1940's. It was composed by Yesari Asım Arsoy with Turkish lyrics by Sadettin Kaynak. Sometimes the song title in Turkish is listed as "Ararım Sorarım", which is what the lyrics in the chorus say.

The song was written in the style of Ottoman classical music.

However, some say "Ah Ya Zein" is an old traditional Egyptian song that the Turkish composer borrowed when writing his song.

Samia Gamal performed a raqs sharqi dance to this song in the movie Raqsat al-Wadah.

Artists who have performed this song:

• Safiye Ayla, in Turkish ("Muhabbet Bağına Girdim Bu Gece")
• Mohamed Qandeel, 1954, in Arabic ("Ah Ya Zein") in the movie Raqsat al-Wadah, for a dance scene featuring Samia Gamal
• Mohammed el-Bakkar, 1957, in Arabic ("Ah Ya Zein")
• Sabah, 1958, in Arabic ("Ah Ya Zein")
• Stratos Dionisiou, 1960, in Greek ("Ayazin")
• Semiramis Pekkan, 1971, in Turkish ("Ararım Sorarım")
• Omar Khorshid, 1974, in Arabic ("Ah Ya Zein")
• Şevval Sam, 2006, in Turkish ("Muhabbet Bağına Girdim Bu Gece")

Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source.

About Sabah

Sabah was a highly successful Lebanese singer and movie star, born in 1927 to a Christian family. Tragically, her father was abusive, and her brother murdered her mother because he believed she was having an affair. Sabah's first marriage was mostly to escape this home life.

Sabah recorded her first song in 1940, at age 13. Her first movie, El-Qalb Luh Wahed, was released in 1945 and made her a star. Her career in cinema led her to move to Egypt.

Sabah had ten different husbands. One of them, Egyptian actor Rushdie Abaza, married her in 1977 while still married to Samia Gamal! It seems he failed to inform Sabah that he had not yet completed his divorce from Samia, and the marriage only lasted three days. There is a famous quote in which Sabah said, "Whoever hasn't been married to Rushdy Abaza, hasn't been married." (Her words are always repeated with a broad wink.)

Over the course of her career, Sabah recorded over 3,000 songs and appeared in 98 movies. She received a special honor at the 1998 Alexandria film festival and retired from cinema in 1981. Sabah is considered one of the three Lebanese icons, along Wadih El Safi and Fairouz, and she was nicknamed "The Empress of Lebanese Song".