Syrian director Hatem Ali who has recently won the best director award at the Cairo Festival for Radio and TV for his series Saladin al Ayyoubi, started working on a new TV series entitled Saqr Quraish (the Eagle of Quraish), according to the daily Syria Times.
The series marks the second cooperation between director Ali and scenarist Walid Seif.
The biography of the Eagle of Qureish is based on superstitious events. His name is Abdul Rahman Bin Mua’awiya Bin Hisham Bin Abdel Malek, he fled the Abbasids following their overthrowing of the Umayyad dynasty. He fled Palestine to live in a village on the Euphrates banks. Abdul Rahman crossed the river swimming and headed to Morocco from which he traveled to Spain. In Spain, he established the Andalusian rule that lasted for eight centuries.
The series casts light on the Andalusian civilization and its contribution to human civilization in all domains, especially science and architecture.
The series is being filmed at a number of archaeological sites in Syria. Some shots will be taken in Morocco to give more credibility to the series.
Costarring in the series are a number of outstanding Syrian and Arab actors. Syrian actor Khaled Taja will play the role of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham Bin Abdel Malek, while Syrian actor Jamal Suleiman plays the role of The Eagle of Qureish. Moroccan actor Mohammad Miftah plays the role of the deputy of the Eagle of Qureish. The Abbasid characters are played by Rafiq Sbeai and Fayez Abu Dan who plays the role of Abu Jaafar al Mansour.
However, Ali achieved a remarkable success in Saladin, a historical series that deals with the biography of Saladin, the prominent Muslim leader – Albawaba.com
