In the Arab world in the twentieth century, women rose to great heights of achievement, especially as actors, perhaps more than in any other artistic endeavor. Indeed, in its various branches the theater has proved to be a very rich field of enterprise for women. Arab women today have also carved careers for themselves as stage managers, playwrights, choreographers, and costume designers – all areas that were initially reserved for men.

In the nineteenth century, Edward Lane, the chronicler of Arab and Egyptian manners and customs, noted how rare it was for women t…