Abdul Wahab, Zahle and Tababish
This spontaneous photo was taken in 1973 in Zahle, Lebanon, during Mohamed Abdel Wahab's last visit to Lebanon before the outbreak of the civil war. He used to eat at 'Arabi' restaurant every time he came to Zahle, and it is known that Zahle inspired Mohamed Abdel Wahab to write the melody of his poem "Ya Jarat Al Wadi".
The "musician of generations" recounts that he was once eating at 'Arabi' restaurant: "I asked to speak to the chef, and I told him that he serves delicious fried kibbeh discs, and I asked him to make them in the shape of a falafel or ta'ameya disc and grill them instead of frying them. He was surprised at first, but he did what we agreed on, and he started serving them to me every time I went to 'Arabi' restaurant. Then he started serving them to the restaurant's customers, and we agreed to call them (Tababish)."
In the photo, the late musician Farid Al Atrash is feeding the late musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab a bite of local cheese with his hand.
They were also accompanied by Mrs. Nahla Al-Qudsi, the wife of musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and Mrs. Salwa Al-Qudsi, the fiancée of the late musician Farid Al-Atrash, in addition to a group of friends who said that the laughter lasted throughout the session, which confirms that the artistic competition between them did not spoil the friendship.
Muhammad Abdel Wahab narrates in an interview with Badih Serbey that his friendship with Farid al-Atrash dates back to 1925, when he used to visit him with his sister Asmahan at his home in Abbasiya. Asmahan spoke in the Egyptian dialect, while Farid still spoke in the Syrian dialect. The friendship between them continued until Farid’s death in 1974.
This image has been converted from the original medium format film, resulting in a sharp and detailed image.
By May Serbey Chehab, from the Book "Boulevard of Stars: The Golden Age of Arab Entertainment".