Bassam Dakkak

Rijal Al-Izz — Men of Honor — is a 2011 Syrian Damascene period drama set in the Saroujeh neighborhood of Damascus during the French occupation of the 1930s. The series follows Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shami, a wrongfully accused man who escapes a death sentence and transforms into a resistance fighter, striking fear into the French occupiers while navigating betrayal and injustice within his own community. Starring Rashid Assaf and Qusai Khouli.

The series presents archetypes that reflect the issues encountered by people who are about to marry, as all the romance fades once the groom is forced to pay all he has in order to secure a house, turning his life after marriage into a struggle to pay off his debts.

Dalila wal-Zaybaq (دليلة والزيبق) is a 2011 Syrian historical adventure series set during the Mamluk era, spanning Cairo, Baghdad, and Damascus. At its heart is a gripping battle between good and evil — Dalila, a cunning and ruthless woman who stops at nothing to achieve her goals, and Zaybaq, a brave young hero who rises to confront her wickedness after she kills his father. A lavish reimagining of a beloved classic from Arab folklore, starring Karis Bashar and Wael Sharaf.

The series revolves around a poor man who wants to get rich. As he has a dream that he has found a treasure, his social status changes as he goes out every night to abandoned areas and begins digging and goes home by day to rest.

The events revolve around the migration and the difficult circumstances of a mixture of Arab citizens and refugees produced by the Iraq war.

Having spent most of her 20s taking care of her sick mother and her family's household, a sexually repressed woman elopes and has to face the hypocrisies of middle eastern society.

In one of the slums, a group of intertwined stories revolve around residents whose movement may extend outside this neighborhood due to work or study, and their fates intersect with the paths of some characters from other neighborhoods of the city.

The show tells the story of a playwright, Jalal, who holds secular views, and his close friendship with Michel, his childhood friend. Michel initially worked as a lawyer but later transitioned to journalism, founding his own magazine in which he boldly addresses societal issues, drawing significant criticism. Additionally, the narrative explores themes of separating religion from civil and political life through a love story between a man and a woman from different faiths: Jalal (a Muslim) and Hanan (a Christian). Their relationship culminates in a secret marriage, which lasts until Jalal’s sudden passing. Throughout the story, the work focuses on two major issues related to secularism: the demand for a civil personal status law that permits civil marriage, and the call for a secular education system that allows students the freedom to seek their own truths instead of being indoctrinated with a predetermined "absolute truth." It also tackles issues of political and social corruption.

The seemingly random lottery game reveals secrets to the professor Jamil and the student Ghazi when they succeed in deciphering its codes and achieving financial gains using mathematics. Jamil realizes that he is heading towards a dark tunnel, but after a while...

This 30-episode television series falls within the genre of contemporary social dramas with a comedic tone. It presents a group of characters who work at the same institution, each dealing with their own concerns, problems, desires, and dreams. These issues affect both their personal and professional lives, as the challenges of the workplace follow them home, impacting their family dynamics. Likewise, the hardships of daily life influence their performance at work.