# White Abbas in the Black Day (2004)

> A history teacher returns from prison to find his family believes him dead and his wife married to his best friend, forcing him to live under another man's name.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/47224

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 36
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Samir Khafagi, Youssef Maaty
- Cast: Yehia El Fakharany, Haitham Mohamed, Magda Zaki, Rania Farid Shawqi, Ahmed Saeed Abdel-Ghany, Donia Samir Ghanem, Nehal Anbar, Ahmed Azmy
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0431503/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: melancholic, intimate, sincere, tense

## Synopsis

White Abbas in the Black Day (2004) is an Egyptian television drama series created by Samir Khafagi and Youssef Maaty. Yehia El Fakharany leads as Abbas, a history teacher whose search for money in Iraq leaves his wife and children behind. Haitham Mohamed and Magda Zaki are among the principal players in the household and social circle he returns to. Across a single season of thirty-six episodes, the engine of the story is simple and painful: Abbas comes home after years in prison to discover that his family has mourned him, that his wife has married his closest friend, and that he must now move through daily life under the borrowed name Lotfy Al-Ganainy. Each episode builds the tension of a man watching his own life from the outside, with the constant risk of exposure hanging over every conversation. The series is a long-form Arab melodrama, carried by emotional confrontations, family loyalties and quiet humiliation rather than action. Its tone is melancholic and intimate, with a sincere register of regret and longing. Themes of stolen identity, homecoming after loss and betrayal by a trusted friend run through the story. Viewers who enjoy The Return of Martin Guerre and other identity-swap dramas, or the broader tradition of Arab family melodrama, will find resonance here.

## Shows like White Abbas in the Black Day

- [Winter Sun (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59479)
- [The Hunter (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/73327)
- [Sarah (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/48397)
- [Home is My Home (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/125304)
- [The End (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/44364)
- [Echoes of the Past (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/162158)
- [The Giza Killer (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/143661)
- [Date with Destiny (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/120942)
- [Karadayi (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/42994)
- [Wild Heart (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/149224)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt