(MENAFN- Morocco World News) Rabat – Over the course of 2016, the Arab world suffered great losses with the deaths of numerous iconic and much admired figures from many various fields including cinema, music and politics. Morocco World News recalls them here and honours their achievements.
Mahmoud Abdel-Alim
Mahmoud Abdel-Alim Egypt was saddened on January 5th by the death of treasured actor Mahmoud Abdel-Alim at the age of 60 following a heart attack.
Abdel-Alim was known for her great performances in soap operas and television dramas that include 'Layale El Helmeya,' or in English 'the Nights of Helmiya,' which focused primarily on Egyptian history from the era of King Farouk to the early 90s.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-GhaliOn February 6th, news of the death of Egyptian politician and diplomat at the age of 93 at a hospital in Cairo struck a blow to Arab international diplomacy.
Born in 1922, Ghali was the sixth UN Secretary General. He was the first Arab and African to be elected to this position.
Nabil Maleh
Nabil MalehThe Arab world was saddened on February 24 by the death of Syrian film director, producer, screenwriter, painter and poet Nabil Maleh, at the age of 79.
Born in 1936, Maleh, became well known for his blockbuster cinematic works of art, such as his 1972 movie 'The Leopard,' based on the novel of Syrian author, Haydar Haydar, and his 2006 documentary 'The Road to Damascus,' which was as a predictor of the so-called Arab Spring of 2011.
To his credit. Maleh also published over 1,000 works including articles, poems and short stories.
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)At the age of 65, famous Iraqi-British architect, Zaha Hadid, passed away on March 31st in a Miami hospital, after suffering a heart attack.
Hadid was the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She is well known for her remarkable architectural works such as the Vitra Fire Station in Germany constructed in 1993, the Rosenthal Centre of Contemporary Art in Cincinnati erected in 2003, and the Guangzhou opera house, completed in China in 2010.
Kalthoum Bornaz
Kalthoum BornazOn September 2016, the Arab world lost one of its cinematic giants with the death of Tunisian screenwriter and film editor Kalthoum Bornaz, aged 71.
Born in 1945, Bornaz worked internationally on the development of many films as an editor and director. She also collaborated with a number of directors and producers such as Roman Planski and Claude Chabrol on several movie projects.
Hassan Sharif
Hassan SharifArab art suffered a great loss September 18th with the passing of famous Emirati artist Hassan Sharif at the age of 65, following a lengthy fight with cancer.
Beginning his career in the 1970s, Sharif rose to fame by virtue of his satirical caricatures and cartoon drawings for Emirati newspapers.
Born in 1951, Sharif studied craft at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London from 1976-1984. He was known as the godfather of UAE's contemporary art field.
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-Thani
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-ThaniOn October 23rd, Qatar mourned the death of former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Bin Hamad Al-Thani, at the age of 84.
The deceased was the grandfather of Qatar's current Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad. He ruled the state of Qatar from the time of its independence in 1972 until 1995.
Melhem Barakat
Melhem BarakatThe Arab musical scene lost one of its iconic singers when prominent Lebanese singer and composer, Melhem Barakat, died at the age of 71 following a lengthy battle with illness.
Barakat began his professional career in the 1960s, inspired by celebrated Egyptian singer Mohammed Abdel Wahhab.
Barakat was distinguished by his songs in colloquial Lebanese Arabic, a choice he passionately defended throughout his artistic journey.
Mahmoud Abdel Aziz
Mahmoud Abdel AzizOn November 12th, the tragic news of the death of Egypt's most treasured television figure and film actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, at the age of 70, struck a blow to Arab television and cinema.
Born in 1946, Aziz died after a battle with illness. He starred in approximately 90 feature films and worked with the most renowned Egyptian directors.
Aziz rose to fame following his work in the 1991 film 'Al Kit-Kat,' as a blind man who dreams of riding a motorcycle.
Zubaida Tharwat
Zubaida TharwatOn December 13th of this year, the Arab world was saddened by the loss of Egyptian prominent actress Zubaida Tharwat at the age of 76, following a long fight with illness.
Tharwat made her first television appearance in 1956. Following this debut she went on to star in several films with celebrated artists such as Abdel Halim Hafez, Omar Al-Sharif and Farid Al-Atrash.
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