Al Arabiya exclusive: Making of MBC ramadan drama Saraya Abdeen

Saraya Abdeen, a Ramadan drama produced by MBC this year, has attracted millions of viewers across the Middle East - the result of a massive backstage production effort.

The series, which takes place during the reign of Khedive Ismail in Egypt during the 1860’s, portrays mesmerizing landscapes and extravagant architecture, which is vividly on show in each episode.

But the beautiful palace in which the dramatic events unfold is the result of hours of digital animation by a team of 3D artists and compositors.

“We never had access to the Saraya Abdeen [the Abdeen Palace in Cairo]… so we started designing the whole thing from pictures,” Ragui Hanna, a post-production supervisor at Stargate Middle East told Al Arabiya News earlier this week.

Shot between Cairo and Dubai, Hanna said the visual effects in the series are on par with top international feature films.

This green screen used for Saraya Abdeen and a number of other drama productions is considered to be one of the largest of its kind in the Middle East.