One of the most successful dramas of Ramadan 2015, this is a love story set in the changing political world of 1950s Egypt, in a district of Cairo where Jews, Muslims and Christians lived side by side.
The series takes place between 1948 and 1954, six very important years in the history of modern Egypt and its now almost extinct Jewish community. It shows how significant political events, such as the establishment of the Israeli state, the 1952 Egyptian Revolution and the end of the British occupation, affected the everyday lives of all Egyptians, through some of the inhabitants of the Jewish Alley, a neighbourhood in Islamic Cairo that historically housed a melting pot of Jews, Muslims and Christians.

At its core is the love story between Ali (played by Jordanian actor Eyad Nassar) who grew up in the Alley, and his Jewish childhood neighbour Laila (Egyptian actress Menna Shalabi). Ali is now a Muslim officer in the Egyptian Army, fighting in the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 and Laila an elegant francophone saleswoman working in one of Cairo’s upmarket department stores.

Their romance will have to face the rise of Egyptian nationalism and the political, religious and social tensions brought about by the foundation of the State of Israel. Laila is torn between joining her brother in Israel and her love and loyalty to Egypt.

In cosmopolitan 1950s Cairo and with vintage elegance, this series attempts to dispel stereotypes by showing that villains and extremist nationalists can be found on all sides.