Omar (TV series)

This article is about the 2012 TV series. For other uses, see Omar (disambiguation).
Omar
English title card
Also known asFarouk Omar
Omar Series
  • Omar
  • عُمَرْ
GenreBiography
Drama
Religion
History
Serial
Based onOmar bin al-Khattab a.k.a. Omar al-Farouk or Caliph Omar I
Written byWalid Saif
Directed byHatem Ali
Chadi Abo
Starring
Voices ofAssad Khalifa (Omar)
ComposerFahir Atakoglu
Country of originArab World
Original languageArabic
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes31
Production
ProducersMBC Group
Qatar TV
Production locationsSaudi Arabia
Morocco
Qatar
EditorRaouf Zaza
Running time44–47 minutes
Budget200 million SAR
Original release
NetworkMBC1
Qatar TV
EPTV
Nessma TV
Atv
MNCTV
Nour TV
Medi1 TV
ReleaseJuly 20 (2012-07-20) –
August 18, 2012 (2012-08-18)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Omar (Arabic: عُمَرْ) or Omar Farouk (Persian: عمر فاروق) is a historical[1][2] Arab television drama miniseries/serial produced and broadcast by MBC1, Hatem Ali serves as director, with Chadi Abo co-directing. Abo is best known for directing battle scenes and complicated visual effects projects.[3] Co-produced by Qatar TV, the series is based on the life of Omar ibn al-Khattab (also spelled 'Umar', c. 583–644), the second Caliph of Islam, and depicts his life from 18 years old until the moments of his death.[3]

The series faced several high-profile controversies[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] due to its depiction of Omar, Abu Bakr, Uthman and Ali, the four Rashidun Caliphs,[11] along with other characters, who some Muslims believe should not be depicted, much like Mohammad. The series consists of 31 episodes and was originally aired in the month of Ramadan since July 20, 2012.[12][13][14] Produced at a cost of 200 million Saudi riyals (est. USD$53 million), filming took place in Morocco, primarily in the cities of Marrakesh, Tangiers, El Jadida, Casablanca and Mohammedia.

Following initial broadcast, the series was dubbed into several languages for international broadcast,[15][16][17] and subtitled in English on YouTube; it received great support from many different Sunni scholarly bodies and people watching it.[18][19][20]

  1. ^ Al Tamimi, Jumana (28 July 2012). "TV drama Omar is steeped in Islamic history". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  2. ^ Ritman, Alex (6 February 2013). "Omar could show us the future of history". The National (Abu Dhabi). Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Behind the scenes of the biggest Arabic TV series". Al Arabiya. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  4. ^ Habboush, Mahmoud (13 Aug 2012). "Ramadan TV show stirs argument across Arab world". Writing by Mahmoud Habboush; Additional reporting by Regan Doherty; Editing by Andrew Torchia and Giles Elgood. Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  5. ^ Agence France-Presse (23 July 2012). "TV series causes controversy in Arab world". NDTV. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  6. ^ Abu Awad, Riad (24 July 2012). "Arabic TV series depicting Islamic figure triggers backlash". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  7. ^ "TV show stirs argument across Arab world". according to reuters Dubai. Hurriyet Daily News. 15 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  8. ^ Al-Asif, Mohammed (20 July 2012). "The debate over a Ramadan drama". Arab News. Retrieved 23 June 2015.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Prophet Companions TV Series Stirs Debate". onislam.net. 23 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  10. ^ al-Sharif, Osama. "Controversy Over Omar". Venture. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  11. ^ Roxborough, Scott (24 July 2012). "Fatwa Issued Against Saudi TV Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 27 July 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  12. ^ Al Tamimi, Jumana (6 July 2012). "'Omar' drama series to hit the airwaves". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  13. ^ Montasser, Farah (8 Aug 2012). "Islamic history drama 'Omar' stands out this Ramadan". Ahram Online. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Omar ibn al-Khattab TV series raises controversy - Egypt Independent". Egypt Independent. 8 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
  15. ^ Pickard, Michael (7 May 2012). "ATV delves into Mid East history". C21Media. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  16. ^ "'Omar' marches toward wider range". Saudi Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  17. ^ "OMAR"-Ibn-Al-Khattab-TV-series-continues-its-march-towards-Global-reach-by-adding-Indonesia-to-the-Broadcasting-countries.html#comment%7Clist "Concurrently with the MENA Region and Turkey during the holy month of Ramadan "OMAR" Ibn Al-Khattab TV series continues its march towards Global reach by adding Indonesia to the Broadcasting countries". mbc.net. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  18. ^ "Ramadan diary: Why I'm spending my month with controversial TV series 'Omar'". Doha News Team. Doha News. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  19. ^ Salem, Ola (2 August 2012). "Controversial Omar TV drama a big hit across the Arabian Gulf". The National (Abu Dhabi). Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  20. ^ "Controversial Ramadan series wows audiences". Daily News Egypt. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.