Turk 'Noor' distracts Egyptians from everyday hardships

“Noor” became an immediate hit when satellite television began broadcasting the Turkish soap opera earlier this year. The drama, which failed to rate when it aired in Turkey in 2005, is set against the affluent backdrop of Istanbul’s Bosporus Straits and tells the story of a girl who finds love in an arranged marriage.

Every evening Sumaya Mahmoud, a mother of three, makes sure she finishes doing her house chores in time to watch "Noor", Gulf News reported. "Watching Nour and Muhannad reminds me of my happy engagement days," she said, referring to the two leading characters in "Nour", also known in Turkish as "Gumus".�

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"Muhannad is attentive to his wife and encourages her to be more independent and fulfill her dreams," said Sumaya, who is married to a government employee who also works as a taxi driver to suppliment his income, remembering the early days of her 16-year marriage.

"When he talks to me, it is always about price rises and customers' haggling over fares for taxi journeys. Rarely does he talk about emotions. I think my husband and the like have a lot to learn from Muhannad," Sumaya told Gulf News.

Over recent months, Egypt has been gripped by a series of protests against price hikes and low wages. Last April, three Egyptians were killed and scores injured in clashes with police during a protest against low wages.

"This series is boring and unrelated either to Islamic traditions or Egypt's present circumstances," said Ahmad Hassan, a father of four and a shop assistant in central Cairo. "As I heard, this series is set in fabulous mansions and revolves around life of wealthy people, who are unlike the majority of the Egyptians," he said.

"People here are literally fighting to get some loaves of bread to feed their children," added Hassan, citing tragic fights in some areas of this nation of 80 million people during a recent acute shortage of heavily subsidised bread.

The popularity of the soap opera has also provoked a flood of Gulf Arab tourists to Turkey that even includes royalty.