…venues for shadow plays (khayāl al-ẓill), which regularly poked fun at the foibles of politicians and bureaucrats. Especially during the period of Ottoman control over large portions of the Arabic-speaking world, the Karagöz puppet show was a prevalent popular source of public entertainment, much like its Western analogue, the…

The earliest Arab author to discuss systematically the technique of the shadow play, without however using the term khaydl al-zill, was the scholar Ibn al-Haytham (d. 1039) in his work on optics, Kitib al-Manizir.

Khayal al-zil translates to ''shadows of the imagination'' or ''shadows of fancy,'' a term that captures the fantastical nature of the shadow puppet plays. The stories tend to be...

Egyptian khayal al-zill used different characters, and their stories tended to be more allegorical, and often more distinctly Islamic. Although popular year-round, the "shadows of fancy" were never more sought after than during Ramadan.

“The more he could add song, poetry, emotional expression and the diverse, animated voices of men, women and children—and even of animals and birds—the more popular he would become. Sometimes he enlisted help, especially boys to do the female voices.

A German scholar? Trying to squeeze the research about Khayal al Zill (shadow theatere in Arabic) into a coherent argument.

Types of Khayal Al-Zill The first type of this art is called the “common khayal al-zill”, which is performed through reflection of light on a white cloth. This art did exist in many countries baring different names, from those countries: India, Indonesia, Iran, …

From the tenth century on, Cairo has been a center for the plays called khayal al-zill, shadows of imagination. Audience appreciation surely drew upon the suggestively theatrical in the city’s architecture. Take, for instance, the stepped merlons adorning many a rooftop.

Ibn Hazm (994-1064) uses the term khayal al-zill in his Kitiib al-Akhldq wa 'l-Siyar in speaking of a different type of shadow play, which may represent one of the first stages in the development of this art.4 He describes a system which gives the impression of a Chinese magic lantern.

May 10, 2017 · Khayal Al Zill Shadow Puppetry (Egypt) Search this Guide Search. IB Theater Research: Khayal Al Zill Shadow Puppetry (Egypt) Overview; Noh Theatre (Japan) Bunraku (Japan) Kabuki (Japan) Punch and Judy; Khon (Thailand) Kathakali (India) Commedia dell'arte (Italy) Kecak (Indonesia) Restoration Comedy of Manners;