Hadschi Halef Omar
Encyclopedia
Hadschi Halef Omar Ben Hadschi Abul Abbas Ibn Hadschi Dawud al Gossarah, literally hajji
Halef Omar, son of hajji father-of-Abbas, son of hajji David al Gossarah, is one of Karl May
's literary characters. Hajji
means "one who has performed the Muslim pilgrimage
to Mecca
".
Knowing the complete name of Halef is considered fundamental for a true Karl May fan.
Halef is the exceedingly loyal (though not too intelligent) servant, companion and friend, in honored sidekick
tradition, of the author's alter ego, German Adventurer Kara Ben Nemsi
. Halef accompanies Kara Ben Nemsi through all his adventures in the Middle East
from Durch die Wüste to Der Schut. Halef has a special talent for proverbial flowery oriental language and long strings of rather comical curses. But while comical, he is always dignified, never just ridiculous caricature. He is a very devout Muslim, and throughout the adventures with Kara Ben Nemsi he tries to convince him of the superiority of Islam.
After many adventures he became Scheik of the Haddedihn of the great tribe of the Schammar. He is married to Hanneh, the "most beautiful wife on earth", and with her has a son called Kara Ben Halef, who in later novels also has some adventures.
The German disco group Dschinghis Khan
also released a song entitled "Hadschi Halef Omar" on their 1980 album "Rom
." The entire chorus is basically reciting Halef's name.
Within the book series Karl May’s Gesammelte Werke there is a sequel of Am Jenseits: „In Mekka“ (1923) by Franz Kandolf.
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
Halef Omar, son of hajji father-of-Abbas, son of hajji David al Gossarah, is one of Karl May
Karl May
Karl Friedrich May was a popular German writer, noted mainly for adventure novels set in the American Old West, and similar books set in the Orient and Middle East . In addition, he wrote stories set in his native Germany, in China and in South America...
's literary characters. Hajji
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
means "one who has performed the Muslim pilgrimage
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
".
Knowing the complete name of Halef is considered fundamental for a true Karl May fan.
Halef is the exceedingly loyal (though not too intelligent) servant, companion and friend, in honored sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
tradition, of the author's alter ego, German Adventurer Kara Ben Nemsi
Kara Ben Nemsi
Kara Ben Nemsi is a fictional character in the works of Karl May, best-selling 19th century German writer...
. Halef accompanies Kara Ben Nemsi through all his adventures in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
from Durch die Wüste to Der Schut. Halef has a special talent for proverbial flowery oriental language and long strings of rather comical curses. But while comical, he is always dignified, never just ridiculous caricature. He is a very devout Muslim, and throughout the adventures with Kara Ben Nemsi he tries to convince him of the superiority of Islam.
After many adventures he became Scheik of the Haddedihn of the great tribe of the Schammar. He is married to Hanneh, the "most beautiful wife on earth", and with her has a son called Kara Ben Halef, who in later novels also has some adventures.
The German disco group Dschinghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan was a West German pop band, created in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. The name of the band was chosen to fit the song of the same name, written and produced by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Bernd Meinunger....
also released a song entitled "Hadschi Halef Omar" on their 1980 album "Rom
Rom (album)
Rom is the second album released by German disco group Dschinghis Khan.-Side A:#Rom - 5:50#Madagaskar - 4:35#Kaspar Hauser - 4:44#Mann und Frau - 4:13#Käpt'n Nemo - 5:25#Die Fremden - 5:05#Sierra Nevada - 4:44-Side B:#Machu Picchu - 7:08...
." The entire chorus is basically reciting Halef's name.
Original German Stories
- Durch Wüste und Harem (1892), since 1895 with the title Durch die Wüste
- Durchs wilde Kurdistan (1892)
- Von Bagdad nach Stambul (1892)
- In den Schluchten des Balkan (1892)
- Durch das Land der Skipetaren (1892)
- Der Schut (1892)
- Eine Ghasuah (in Orangen und Datteln, 1893)
- Nûr es Semâ. – Himmelslicht (in Orangen und Datteln, 1893)
- Christi Blut und Gerechtigkeit (in Orangen und Datteln, 1893)
- Mater dolorosa (in Orangen und Datteln, 1893)
- Im Lande des Mahdi III (1896)
- Blutrache (in Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
- Der Kys-Kaptschiji (in Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
- Maria oder Fatima (in Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
- Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen I (1898)
- Die »Umm ed Dschamahl« (1898)
- Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen II (1898)
- Am Jenseits (1899)
- Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen III (1902)
- Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen IV (1903)
- Bei den Aussätzigen (1907)
- Abdahn Effendi (1908)
- Merhameh (1909)
- Ardistan und Dschinnistan I (1909)
- Ardistan und Dschinnistan II (1909)
Within the book series Karl May’s Gesammelte Werke there is a sequel of Am Jenseits: „In Mekka“ (1923) by Franz Kandolf.
Movie Actors
- The first oriental Karl May movies (1920/21) were in the age of silent movies. Halef was played in those by Meinhart MaurMeinhart MaurMeinhart Maur was a Hungarian film actor. He appeared in 44 films between 1919 and 1954.He was born in Hajdúnánás, Hungary and died in London, England.-Selected filmography:* Harakiri * Die Teufelsanbeter...
. - In the first Karl May sound-movie Durch die Wüste (1936) he was played by Heinz Evelt.
- In the Karl May movies of the 1950s actor Georg ThomallaGeorg ThomallaGeorg Thomalla was a German actor.He appeared in a number of German films from 1939 to 1992.However, Thomalla was mostly known in Germany as a voice-over artist, dubbing particularly comedians, such as Peter Sellers as Inspector Closeau in the Pink Panther movies, and he also was the standard...
played Halef. - In the TV-series Mit Karl May im Orient (1963) Osman Ragheb played Halef.
- In the Karl May movies of the 1960s Halef was played by Ralf WolterRalf Wolter-Selected filmography:* Peter Voss, Hero of the Day * Conny und Peter machen Musik * Freddy und das Lied der Südsee * The Heathens of Kummerow * Hannibal Brooks * Heintje: A Heart Goes on a Journey...
. - In the TV-series Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi (1973/75) he was played by Heinz SchubertHeinz Schubert (actor)Heinz Schubert was a German actor, drama teacher and photographer, best known for playing the role of Alfred Tetzlaff in the German television comedy sitcom Ein Herz und eine Seele.- Life :...
.