Bab Al-Hara

Bab Al-Hara (Arabic: باب الحارة; "The Neighbourhood's Gate") is one of the most popular television series in the Arab world, reportedly watched by millions of people in the Arab world. The series chronicles the daily happenings and family dramas in a neighborhood in Damascus, Syria in the inter-war period under French rule when the local population yearned for independence. The appeal is cross-generational, and viewers include Muslims, Christians, Druze and Jews from Arab countries. The show was a huge success in the Arab World, so MBC managed to renew it for a second season. The series' second season was even a bigger success, and the finale was watched by over 50 million viewers around the Arab World. It was renewed for 10 more seasons.
The show announced its cancellation due to a long run of seasons. The series made a comeback in Ramadan 2014, with season 6. It has been proposed that it be filmed in Dubai on film sets, but many Syrians protested against this as it removes the Bab Al Hara sensation. The sixth season premiered in Ramadan 2014 on MBC HD Channels and received mixed reviews.
Bab Al-Hara aired during Ramadan and forms part of the emerging modern tradition of the Ramadan soap opera. The Arab satellite channels broadcast special programming every night during Ramadan to try to capture audiences from among the families who have gathered together to eat and break the fast.
Directed by Bassam al-Mulla and broadcast on MBC, the first installment of the series, comprising 31 episodes, aired during Ramadan in 2006 and enjoyed broad viewership and a positive reception. The second installment, entitled Bab al-Hara 2, was highly anticipated, receiving even wider acclaim in Ramadan of 2007. A third installment to be aired in Ramadan of 2008 was officially announced on al-Arabiya channel in October 2007, and focused on the post-marriage lives of the children of Abu Issam, the local doctor and barber.
Like many of the most recent popular Arabic series, Bab al-Hara is a Syrian production, financed by the Gulf-state satellite channels. It reflects a new trend representing the shift of Arabic media dominance away from the Egyptians to the Syrians.
Two more Bab al-Hara seasons were aired in Ramadan 2009 and 2010. Bab al-Hara 4 and 5 were produced directly after each other just like Bab al-Hara 1 and 2. This was announced just after airing 10 episodes of Bab al-Hara 3 after realizing that Bab al-Hara 3 was able to keep its audience and not decline in ratings. It is obvious that MBC will be the channel to broadcast the series during the next 2 years, although this year they did give the rights to Libya Al-Shababiya (Libya Youth Channel) to broadcast Bab al-Hara 3 at the same time of airing it in MBC.
Bab al-Hara takes place in the 1920s through the 1940s, a time when much the Middle East was colonized by Western powers. Syria was occupied by France and Palestine was occupied by The United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Jewish people were brought into Palestine by England after Prime Minister, Baldfour's Declaration to give the land of Palestine to Jewish people. Before the 1920s, the percentage of Jewish people in the region was very small (under 5%). The entire region including the current countries of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine was called "Great Syria" until European colonist occupied the land and divided it among them.
Some of the neighborhood men formed a resistance in Syria to fight France. This was shown at the end of the second installment of the series. Palestinians also formed a resistance to defend their lands from the British and the incoming Jewish people. Jewish people started coming into Palestine in larger and larger numbers. In 1948, the day that the British left (before the date told to the Palestinians, which helped the Jewish people there to wage a surprise attack), a full fledged war was waged and resulted in the occupation of most of Palestine (except for the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and some land surrounding current Gaza). These areas, the Gulan heights, and Sinae from Egypt was occupied in 1967. Sinae was returned to Egypt in 1978 under conditions which Israel broke in 2024 during their genocidal war in Gaza. Syrians were also helping Palestinians by especially sneaking weapons in. This was shown around the third installment of the series.
Bab al-Hara depicts the last moments of Syrian society as it existed in its centuries-old Ottoman era make-up, just prior to the transition into the colonial and post-colonial period. The series' ouches emotions of nostalgia for this era partially which partially explains its massive popularity, an expression of the Arab world's nostalgia and yearning for a revolution that came after the cataclysmic turmoil and cultural identity crisis ushered in by the colonial period.
Bab al-Hara is based on an interpretation of life in the old city of Damascus. Every neighborhood, or hara, has its own Zaa’im, a chosen older man held in high regard. Ideally chosen Zaa’im based on his history in the neighborhood, the zaa’im depended on a number of men from the neighborhood gathered around him to assist him in his functions. These members along with the zaa’im constituted a small nucleus that ran the hara and decided on what was good for it. Wealthier members funded the zaa’im and had a say in its use, such as use for public renovation, given to charities for the poor or set aside for emergency uses. Members generally were of the mercantile class, having steady incomes from having shops or businesses, such as barber shops, bakeries, smiths, ghouta orchards, groceries or other merchant activities.
Evidence and old actors statements (i.e., Hussam Tahseinn Beik) point out that the depiction of the culture during this time period, especially at the start of the series, was exaggerated and sometimes totally inaccurate. The "zaa'im" of each neighborhood did not really have that much power. There was much more interaction between neighborhoods. The series inaccurately depict the neighborhood as if they had some self governing status almost as if they were states or federation (by practice not law). This was not at all the case. The aggression between neighborhoods and the oppression of women was hugely exaggerated.
"Baab el Hara" opened the door to many series that depict earlier historical periods. Such series always existed, but their number and popularity increased greatly after "Baab el Hara." Some of these other series were less unrealistic in their depiction of the culture during thess eras.
Family of Abu Issam
Family of Abu Hatem
Family of Abu Zafer
Family of Abu Bashir
Family of Abu Khater
Family of Abu Ibrahim
Family of Abu Dibo
Family of Abu Shehab
Family of Abu Salim
Family of Abu Bader
Family of Ida3shiri
Family of the Za3im
Men of Abu Nar
Haret al-Yehud
Other Characters
Season 8 Characters