The icon of belly dance, the artist, Tahia Karioka, who was born on February 22, 1915 in the Ismailia Governorate, has practiced dancing since her childhood, and discovered her talent as the Egyptian dancer, Mahasin Mohamed.
Tahia Carioca participated in many cinematic works in the fifties of the last century, including the films: “The Six Game, Youth of a Woman, Keep Your Mind from Zuzu, Mother of the Bride, Farewell Bonaparte, Sakka Matt.”
In the theater, “Carioca” participated in many works with the artist Ismail Yassin, following which she founded her theater group with her husband, the artist Fayez Halawa.
The dancer, Tahia Karioca, was known to fall in love quickly; Which made her marry 17 times, and her first marriage was with the artist Rushdi Abaza, and the first wife in the life of Al-Dingwan, she said in a previous interview with the media, Suzan Hassan.
In an interview with the media, Lamees Al-Hadidi, on the “Hana Al-Asema” program on the CBC channel in October 2017, the artist, Rajaa Al-Jeddawi, said regarding the marriages of her aunt Tahia Karioka: “When she married, she loved Ui, and fused with her husband Ui, in all her 17 marriages.”
Al-Jeddawi revealed the reason for not giving birth to Tahia Karioka, despite her multiple marriages, saying: “Art took her a lot, and she was definitely herself behind, specifically from Rushdi Abaza, she herself was very behind him, because they were a very special couple.”
She retired from art in the last years of her life, moved away from the artistic community, and was keen to perform the Hajj. While performing the Hajj rituals, she caught a glimpse of Sheikh Muhammad Metwally Al Shaarawy, and made her way to reach him among the crowds, and introduced him to herself, and her appearance had changed following wearing the hijab.
Al-Shaarawy joked with her: “If I had known you, I would have come to you as a head and not as a dance.” He called for her to be guided and to respond to her prayer, and they agreed that she should contact him whenever she needed advice and advice.
The relationship of the late artist and dancer, Tahia Carioca, with Sheikh Al Shaarawy following their first meeting in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, and it became on the family level, as she used to visit him and ask him for advice in many of her matters.
One morning, Tahia was surprised by a baby girl wrapped and lying on the ground in front of her door, so she asked Al-Shaarawy for advice, and he indicated to her to take her and raise her, saying to her: “Take her, for this is a gift from God to you.”
Tahia Carioca worked with his advice and took the girl and named her “Atia”, and near her departure she entrusted her upbringing to the artist and dancer Fifi Abdo, and this is what happened and “Atia” is still in the care of Fifi Abdo.
The last husband in the life of Tahia Karioka was the artist Fayez Halawa, who married her to another woman, the media, Feryal Saleh, and he was not satisfied with that.
Tahia appealed to Sheikh Al-Shaarawy, so he ordered one of the lawyers to file a lawsuit to enable her to her apartment, but he was surprised by Karioka’s response, saying: “My ex is an old man who has no other shelter, and the forbidden is degrading while he is in his late days, along with his wife and daughter.” She refused to allow Al Shaarawy to continue his legal procedures.
Al-Shaarawy cried from the position of greeting, and said to her: “You made me cry, O greeting, and I became jealous of you.” She said to him: “You are jealous of me, O Maulana.” He replied, “Yes, you started, you will have palaces in heaven, O Greeting.”
The artist and dancer, Tahia Karioka, died in 1999 at the Nasser Medical Institute at the age of 80, following suffering a severe respiratory crisis.
