Director Tawfiq Saleh Dies at the Age of 87

The director Tawfik Saleh died Sunday morning after a long struggle with disease, as mentioned by AlAhram electronic newspaper. His funeral will take place this afternoon, and he will be buried in Giza Cemetery beside his friend, the great writer, Naguib Mahfouz.

A number of artists mourned the loss of the director on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Among them Mahmoud Hemeida, who tweeted: “Tawfiqk Saleh...Rest in Peace”, and the director Nadine Khan wrote on her Facebook page: “Farewell Tawfik Saleh, One of the most important and underrated directors. He added a lot to culture and art, RIP.”

The former Minister of Culture, Emad Abu Ghazi, wrote on his Twitter account: “The death of the great director Tawfiq Saleh. Tawfiq Saleh is a milestone in the history of Egyptian Cinema and Egyptian culture.” Mourning, both Saleh and Rafiq Sabban (the movie critic who died last night), Sheriff Abanndari wrote: “Sad about Tawfiq Saleh and Rafiq Saban, a sad day for Egyptian cinema.”

The artist's creative journey lasted more than forty years, during which he made seven movies and a number of documentaries. Among his distinguished work is “Darb El Mahabil” (1955), “Yawmeyat Na'eb Fe El Aryaf” (1969) and “El Makhdouun”(1972).