Iftah Ya Simsim
The show focused on Arab heritage, like the wedding rituals of countries in the region, and included Arab poems and songs. "Iftah Ya Simsim" premiered in Kuwait in September 1979, and was broadcast in all Arabic-speaking countries excluding Egypt. The show's opening consisted of a catchy tune that became beloved of its young viewers. As the song played, the opening footage showed children across the Arab world running past familiar landmarks like the Pyramids and playing in playgrounds and ancient alleyways before running into a white fort that had its gates open wide. The show's set consisted of an intricately traditional Arabian neighborhood called "Sharee Eshreen" (20th Street).
Ibtisam Lutfi
Ibtisam Lutfi (, born 1950) is a blind Saudi singer. She was born Khayriyyah Qurban () in Ta'if in Saudi Arabia, and is one of the first female singers of that country. She began her career singing at wedding feasts in the city of Jeddah in the 1960s, and over the next two decades became famous in her native country as well as in Egypt. She retired from singing in the mid-1980s due to her mother's death. In a phone call with Al Arabiya channel in November 2013, she confirmed that she would be returning to her singing career.