Thousands of fans bid farewell to Zaki

Thousands of Egyptians yesterday bade a tearful farewell to Ahmad Zaki, one of Egypt's most popular actors for more than 30 years.

Zaki died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 56. Fans from all over the country thronged a major Cairo square for the funeral.

Senior officials, including chief of presidential staff Zakaria Azmi and Speaker of the Senate Safwat Al Sherif, joined the procession.

Zaki's coffin was draped in an Egyptian flag upon orders from President Hosni Mubarak, said state media.

The procession had been switched from Al Tahrir Square in central Cairo, where police on Sunday foiled an attempt by Egypt's banned opposition group, Muslim Brotherhood, from marching on to the parliament.

Zaki's funeral was held amidst tight security as police were concerned the funeral would turn into an anti-government protest.

"I came from Sharqia to attend the funeral," said Fuad Abdul Wahid, 21, referring to Zaki's Delta hometown. "We lost him as a great man and an exceptional actor," he told Gulf News.

Zaki continued to film during his illness, taking on the role of popular Egyptian singer Abdul Halim Hafez.

Zaki was buried in a grave in the Sixth of October City outside Cairo.

The versatile Egyptian actor is best known for his roles in docudramas, in which he played former Egyptian presidents Jamal Abdul Nasser and Anwar Sadat. He excelled in doing comedy as well. He has to his name 60 movies and a few television series.

The writer is an Arab journalist based in Cairo