Ighraa
Ighraa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nihad Alaeddin January 19, 1945 |
| Years active | 1959 - 1992 |
Ighraa (Arabic: إغراء), also is known as Igraa, (January 19, 1945) is a Syrian actress and belly dancer who achieved fame mostly in Syrian cinema of the 1970s. She was considered one of the most notable sex symbols in 1970s Arab cinema.
Born Nihad Alaeddin (Arabic: نهاد علاء الدين), she left her native Syria with her elder sister for Egypt in 1958. Trained under famous Egyptian belly dancer Tahiya Karioka, she was given the stage name Ighraa ("Temptation"). After appearing in various films and TV dramas in Egypt and later in Syria, her acting breakthrough came with the critically acclaimed film The Leopard (الفهد) by Nabil Maleh released in 1972. Her scenes in the film were considered risqué and very explicit causing some criticism in conservative circles. The film is considered one of the best all time Syrian films. [1] The Leopard was followed by a series of what can only be considered as softcore films in which she appeared topless, reflecting a liberalism in Arab cinema at that time which would be unthinkable today. In the early 1980s and due to a shift in public taste , she chose a lower profile but has remained a symbol of "openness and liberalism that reigned in the Arab world during the 1960s and 70s."[1]