Text Hoda Sherif

Whether it’s the yellow and red lights shimmering among the swaying date palms and olive trees, the shop windows bursting with flickered color, or the charmingly dusty balconies where rope-tied sabat baskets dangle, carrying treats between neighbors, Ramadan’s traditions have always been about finding love in unexpected places.

Streets pulse alive as fanous lanterns cast bright patterns on weathered cobblestones while sweetshops host golden Konafa, syrup-soaked Qatayef, and the nutty abundance of yameesh, their sugary scents mingled with the leftover incense of Turkish coffee.

Through all the hushed chaos, nothing can quite capture the spirit of Ramadan like our mosalsalat—the post-Iftar dramas that leave families sunken into overstuffed cushions, their eyes glued to screens while nightly soap operas unravel in tantalizing, cliff-hanging episodes filled with emotionally-charged character arcs.

For years, the holy month carried a comforting rhythm on our screens—a cycle of faces so familiar they felt like family. After all, Ramadan is when all great networks unleash their most anticipated dramas, with new episodes dropping daily for 30 consecutive nights, harnessing an unparalleled surge in viewership.

Yet these binge-worthy series have long been shaped by the same visionary titans behind MENA screen brilliance. Take the infamous Yousra, who carried entire generations with her timeless performances; Mohamed Ramadan, who made swagger and spectacle his signature or Ahmed Ezz, who once said, “I hope my films will live on, like the classics of our greats and the films of the Golden Age.”

Among others, these epochal icons were the very architects of Ramadan’s cinematic pinnacle, their names etched into the DNA of countless nights, not as actors but rituals almost as central to Ramadan as the family gathered around the dining table. But the time has come for the handover of reigns.

This year, while the famed screen heavyweights take a step back, their absence is palpable—but not a void. A fresh wave of MENA talent is unapologetically ambitious in their theatrical mastery, already giving us vivid tales that align passionately with the depth of today’s spirit.

This latest generation of stars reminds us that Ramadan’s very essence has always been about reflection and renewal. So too, the horizon of its dramas has never burned brighter.

The roster of this year’s mosalsalat’s promises a revived season of fresh faces and breakthrough performances—here’s an inside look at who you’ll want to keep on your radar.

Ahmed Malek

No script writer could hope for better than to have their art brought to life with as much vigor as Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek in one fleeting glance. With each new series, the 29-year-old sensation breathes a language untranslatable through words.

Born and raised in Cairo, Malek’s journey from childhood performances to the international stage, and now one of the most sought-after actors in Egypt, has been anything but conventional. After a three-year hiatus, Malek marks his return to Ramadan dramas following his last appearance in 2021’s Nasl El Aghrab, where he shared the screen with Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, and Mai Omar.

In his newest Ramadan series, Welad El Shams (Sons of the Sun), Malek co-stars with Taha Desouky in a gripping narrative about the searing realities of orphanhood. Malek’s portrayal of Welaa is a study in emotional restraint and fractured determination. Welaa, a product of neglect and cruelty, emerges not as a mainstream hero, but a reflection of the violence and survival instincts forced upon him.

The series is a masterclass in streamlined narrative. Gone are the tiresome filler scenes, the unnecessary pauses that stretch the story thin—here, pacing is tight, deliberate, and expertly crafted to keep the viewer hooked. There’s no dragging out the tension; each episode propels Malek’s characters forward, ensuring that even in their most solitary moments, their psychological odysseys remain compelling.

To Malek, each role is an opportunity to excavate the nooks of the human condition and Welad El Shams is no different. It’s a series that will test his range, requiring him to explore the full spectrum of emotions—grief, joy, doubt, and strength—but as his fans already know, the cinematic firecracker is always ready to tear through the challenge.

In watching Ahmed Malek, we aren’t just watching a character. We’re witnessing the soul of an entire generation unfold, one gut-wrenching, riveting performance at a time.

Marilyne Naaman

A Lebanese actress, singer, and songwriter, Marilyne Naaman, is rapidly becoming an emerging powerhouse in the Arab entertainment scene. Born in 1998 in Beirut, Naaman honed her craft from a young age, pursuing a degree in audio-visual cinema at Notre-Dame University in Lebanon. Her passion for the craft led her to Germany, where she further refined her skills by attending the prestigious Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s international intensive workshop in Stuttgart in 2019.

But at just 27, Naaman has already marked her regional territory. Last Ramadan, her breakout role in ع أمل (On Hope) propelled her into the spotlight, where her hauntingly beautiful vocals meshed seamlessly with her powerful on-screen presence. This year, she returns to the Ramadan scene with بالدم, (With Blood) rekindling her alliance with Maguy Bou Ghosn, their visual chemistry an unmissable force. Naaman’s graceful talent extends beyond acting, lending her beautiful voice to the series’ evocative theme song and proving once more that her artistic range knows no bounds.

Marilyne Naaman is reshaping what it means to be a multi-talented artist in the modern Arab entertainment industry through her emotionally charged performances and lyrical excellency. Her voice—a euphonic blend of rawness and unshakable lyrical potency, is only a pinch of what her magnetically charming aura has to offer the world of Lebanese cinema, through boldly uncharted dimensions of expression.

Anas Tayara

One of Syria’s most charismatic up-and-coming actors, Anas Tayara has been rattling waves in the industry since his 2013 debut in Ancient Jasmine (زهرة الياسمين). This Ramadan, he showcases his range in two high-stakes roles: Cutting Vein (قطع وريد) and Under the Seventh Ground (تحت سابع أرض), the latter marking a reunion with Syrian legend Taim Hasan after Al-Zind (2023). Tayara has an unparalleled knack for unearthing the elusive threads of emotion hidden beneath his characters’ every move, channeling consistent undercurrents of brilliance. With each burgeoning performance, he’s on the fast track to becoming a master of visual prowess and presence.

Yasmina El Abd

At just 18 years old, Egyptian-Swiss singer Yasmina El-Abd, a starlet whose expressive eyes speak volumes, has mastered the art of entertainment. From her mesmerizing portrayal of Farah in Massar Egbari, where every glance was a story in itself, to her breakthrough role in Finding Ola, Yasmina has shown an uncanny prowess in channeling difficult emotions with a depth that defies her age.

This Ramadan, Yasmina takes on her most compelling role yet in Lam Shamsia, a suspense-laden series that burrows straight into childhood trauma and fractured family ties. With her character caught in the turmoil of a teacher’s desperate fight to protect her students, Yasmina’s performance promises to be nothing short of revelatory. Alongside a stellar cast, including Amina Khalil and Yousra El-Louzi, the star’s presence in Lam Shamsia will leave audiences spellbound, drawing them into a world where the emotional stakes are as high as the tension-filled drama itself.

With both the lingering innocence of girlhood and the confident stride of a woman in full flourish, the teenage luminary continues to navigate the razor-thin space between tragedy and jubilance with equal performative mastery, owning both realms as if they were her birthright. In doing so, she shatters the age-old principles of an industry that favors years over youth.

From the humble venues of her Swiss upbringing to pioneering her prolific role among MENA’s most elite, the young phenomenon continues to bend the set to her will. An icon to watch out for, Lam Shamsia is only the latest in Yasmina El Abd’s meteoric rise to cinematic fame.

Taha Desouky

Taha Desouky’s rise from Egyptian theater to 3-D screens, from stand-up comedy to the role of a versatile star-in-the-making, and a commanding presence with endless range, has been marked by a deliberate rebellion against mediocrity.

What makes Desouky’s craft even more captivating is his commitment to elasticity. His portrayal of Wageeh in El Suffaara was a watershed moment in his career trajectory, slowly revealing his extraordinary capacity for emotional nuance. For the blissful minutes Desouky takes center stage, he projects himself onto the big screen as the lead, as his own casting director and as the pulse of the character itself.

With the arrival of his imminent role in Welad Al Shams, a series that doesn’t necessarily ask for sympathy, but compels a serious reckoning, Desouky steps into a world of ferocious emotional terrain. Set against the backdrop of a brutal orphanage, he isn’t just embodying the role, but a reality frequently disregarded in the world of entertainment.

The series doesn’t shy away from the darkness of its world, instead doing something far more unhinged. It hurls viewers straight into the very heart of despair where the fracture of betrayal and existential struggle for dignity are not mere plot points, but a mirror into the throbbing of society’s outcasts. With Desouky’s stellar portrayal of human suffering, the rising prodigy will be the one to anchor this story home.

A promising career that only continues to climb, Taha Desouky emerges as an irrepressible force set to peel back the layers of Egyptian cinema, sculpting powerful scenes that linger long after the credits roll.

Nour Ali

Despite her presence as a familiar face on screen, it was Nour Ali’s captivating performance in لعبة حب (Game of Love) last year that catapulted her into the limelight, cementing her stature as one of the brightest talents in Arab cinema.

This Ramadan, Nour takes on another sensational role in Al Batal (The Hero), a series that promises to deepen her repertoire. In Al Batal she joins a renowned ensemble alongside Bassam Kousa and Mahmoud Nasr. The narrative revolves around a middle-aged man who finds himself hailed as a hero in his village after risking his life to save a teenager from a deadly fire. But this newfound attention quickly leads to trouble as the man is pulled into a dangerous power struggle with a ruthless hoodlum. Nour Ali’s character offers a rich canvas for exploration, wielding her rare alchemy for grace with feminine defiance. She will summon the emotional complexity of a woman caught in the swirl of heroism, sacrifice, and survival.

The star’s trajectory has been marked by performances across a portfolio of roles, from A Very Hard Birth (2011) to Red (2016), Yellow Air (2019), The Harem (2019), and Bride of Beirut (2020). In each role, she has proven herself a versatile artist, never afraid to explore the darker, more complicated facets that her elaborate character arcs demand. In Al Batal, what’s sure is that Nour Ali is slated to further lock in her status as an actress capable of elevating every performance with emotional authenticity and piercing insight, absolutely blazing her rise to stardom in Syrian drama.