Sabah

Jeanette Gergis Feghali, universally known by her single name Sabah and the honorific Al-Shahroura (The Singing Bird), was born in Bdoun near Beirut. Moving to Cairo in the 1940s, her radiant blonde charisma, effortless high-register trills, and vivacious screen presence made her one of the most prolific superstars in Arab cinematic history.

Over a dazzling six-decade career, Sabah starred in ninety-eight feature films alongside Abdel Halim Hafez and Farid al-Atrash, headlined twenty-seven musical plays, and recorded more than three thousand songs. Famous for her flamboyant zest for life, generosity, and iconic mijdana folk chants, her funeral in Beirut in 2014 was celebrated as a joyful national festival of song and dance per her final request.