🌟 From Ismailia to Stardom
Taheyya Kariokka, whose birth name was Badawiya Mohamed Ali El-Nidani, was born in Ismailia and moved to Cairo while still young to pursue her artistic ambitions.
Her major breakthrough came through Badia Masabni’s troupe. In 1940, she performed the famous “Kariokka” dance, which became so closely associated with her that it eventually became part of her stage name.
She later expanded her career into cinema and theater, becoming one of the most recognizable performers of her generation. Among the productions associated with her career are “Shabab Imra’a,” “Leabet El-Set,” and “Om El-Arousa,” along with numerous theatrical performances.
💍 The Story Behind Her Many Marriages
Taheyya Kariokka became famous not only for her artistic career but also for her complicated personal life.
Most published accounts list 14 marriages, although other accounts, including statements attributed to her niece Ragaa El-Gedawy, have mentioned a higher number.
Her marriages included Antoine Issa, Mohamed Sultan Pasha, the American officer Levy, director Fatin Abdel Wahab, actor Ahmed Salem, King Farouk’s private pilot Hussein Akef, Rushdy Abaza, Mustafa Kamal Sedky, Abdel Moneim El-Khadam, Hassan Hussein, singer Moharram Fouad, Ahmed Zulfiqar Sabry, playwright Fayez Halawa, and director Hassan Abdel Salam.
Some relationships lasted only a few months, while others continued for years.
❤️ Taheyya Kariokka and Rushdy Abaza
One of her most famous marriages was to actor Rushdy Abaza in 1951.
Kariokka was Abaza’s first wife, and their marriage lasted approximately three years. Their relationship became one of the most talked-about romances in Egyptian entertainment history.
The marriage eventually ended in divorce following serious disagreements, with accounts linking the separation to an incident involving Abaza and a French woman during their stay in Lebanon. Despite the divorce, their relationship remained one of the best-known chapters of Kariokka’s personal life.
💔 Hassan Hussein and a Painful Chapter
In late 1956, Kariokka married army officer Hassan Hussein.
Their marriage lasted around two years before ending after she reportedly discovered a relationship between him and singer Sabah.
The emotional impact was severe. Accounts of her life state that she took a large amount of sleeping pills in a suicide attempt and was eventually rescued. She then stayed away from marriage for several years.
🎭 Fayez Halawa: Her Longest Marriage
Her relationship with playwright Fayez Halawa was very different from most of her previous marriages.
The marriage lasted approximately 18 years, making it the longest relationship of her life. The couple also worked together theatrically and established a theater troupe.
However, their relationship eventually deteriorated into serious disputes involving their home and financial matters. Their separation became a painful chapter in Kariokka’s later life, and she reportedly faced difficult living conditions after leaving the marital home.
🕌 Her Relationship with Sheikh Shaarawy
One of the most fascinating aspects of Kariokka’s later life was her relationship with Sheikh Mohamed Metwally Shaarawy.
Accounts from people who knew her described a relationship based on advice and personal guidance. Kariokka reportedly turned to him during difficult moments, including the crisis surrounding her separation from Fayez Halawa.
According to these accounts, Shaarawy became involved in efforts to help her with legal matters connected to her home. However, Kariokka eventually chose not to continue some of the legal procedures because she did not want her former husband and his family to be left without a home.
The story became an important example of the more compassionate side of Kariokka’s personality, particularly during the final years of her life.
👶 “Atiyat Allah”: The Baby Who Changed Her Final Years
Another deeply emotional story involved a baby girl whom Kariokka found abandoned outside her home.
According to Ragaa El-Gedawy’s account, Kariokka contacted Sheikh Shaarawy to ask what she should do. He reportedly encouraged her to care for the child and suggested the name “Atiyat Allah.”
The child became a major source of happiness for Kariokka during the final years of her life. Before her death, she reportedly asked actress Fifi Abdou to take responsibility for the girl’s care.
For a woman whose personal life had been dominated by complicated relationships and marriages, the story offered a very different image: that of an older woman finding happiness through caring for a child.
🤍 From Fame to Giving
Kariokka’s later years were far removed from the glamour of her peak career.
As her public visibility declined, she faced financial difficulties, yet accounts from people close to her described her as generous toward poor and needy people.
She also became increasingly devoted to religious practices and reportedly performed Umrah. Several artists later recalled the transformation in her lifestyle during her final years, as she moved away from the intensity of show business and toward a quieter life.
🕊️ Her Final Days and Legacy
Taheyya Kariokka died in September 1999 after a life filled with artistic success, relationships, controversy, hardship and remarkable personal transformations.
Before her death, she left instructions concerning the care of “Atiyat Allah,” and accounts also mention personal wishes involving the distribution of some of her perfumes among hospital workers.
Her legacy therefore extends far beyond the famous dance that gave her stage name.
✨ Taheyya Kariokka was not simply a legendary dancer or actress. Her life was a complicated human story of fame, love, disappointment, resilience, compassion and change—and that is why her name continues to attract attention decades after her death.
