On Wednesday, October 25th, the Islamic Studies Program hosted a film screening of the 1969 Egyptian classic, The Night of Counting the Years (Arabic: Al-Mummia). The film dramatizes true events that occurred in 1881, when officials from the Archaeological Society in Cairo discovered the sale of archeological treasures on the black market. In the film, a local tribe had been raiding a lost tomb near Thebes, and selling artifacts on the black market as a source of income. After the death of the tribe’s leader, his sons learn the secret of their tribe’s source of income. After refusing to take part in the looting, one son is killed, and the other is left with a moral issue. The film ends as the surviving son alerts the Archaeological Society to the location of the lost tomb, and in turn, the group is able to remove the mummies and artifacts left in the tomb, and return to Cairo. The surviving son is left among his tribe, watching as the Archaeological Society floats away with the artifacts on their steamboat.
Al-Mummia is the only feature film from writer and director Shadi Abdel Salam, although he made a few documentaries. The film was shown in Arabic, with English subtitles. The Arabic used in Al-Mummia is formal, classical Arabic; rare for use in films, as opposed to the more commonly used colloquial Arabic. Originally shot in black and white, the film has been restored and colorized, and will be available for future viewers to enjoy.