A conflict between Tim Hassan and Bassam Koussa in the 1940s in the series “Taj”

In the 1940s, in the aftermath of World War II, the events of the series “Taj” take place in the city of Damascus with a former boxing champion, who was raised on moral values, love of the homeland, and resistance to colonialism, before he was accused of treason and lost everything he had!

How will Taj deal with his new reality? Will his courage and the championships he achieved as a boxer be enough to restore his past and extract his rights from opponents who took his life from him?

The director of the work, Samer Al-Barqawi, explains that the events of the series take place in a sensitive historical era in the region’s history, which is Syria’s transition from the shadow of the French occupation to the stage of the first independent state. He added, "That period witnessed the spread of the sport of boxing in Syria and the region, coming from America and Europe. It became widely popular and many champions became professionals, and Taj is one of them."

Al-Barqawi continues, "Taj ( Tim Hassan ) is a virtual, dramatic character, not a real one. We see him working in the tailoring market, but he secretly belongs to a national organization called the Iron Shirts, working to assassinate French officers whose hands are stained with the blood of the people." Al-Barqawi explains that Taj goes through several psychological stages during the workshops, the most prominent of which is his feeling of confusion regarding his affiliation and loyalty to the Iron Shirts group, who in turn disengage from those around him. He lives in a state of frustration that results in the reshaping of his awareness as events unfold, in light of his quest to restore his reputation, his wife, and his daughter from his rival. Riyad ( Bassam Koussa ).

Samer Al-Barqawi for “Taj” Al-Barqawi stops at the relationship of the two characters, Taj and Riyad, and says, “The relationship between them is equal and governed by the nature of the dramatic story. They are two poles in the story, so the conflict between them is essential in the dramatic structure of the series. This conflict will result in a different type of scenes that bring them together, in parallel with the exciting dramatic context that will be As big as the names of these two big stars, Bassam Koussa and Tim Hassan.”

Al-Barqawi concludes, “The work carries the idea of the conflict between the concepts of labor for the colonizer on the one hand and patriotism on the other hand, in both their apparent and hidden aspects...what people see in public and what secretly hides behind appearances. It is a conflict over the truth and how we can show it at a time when some are calling for ideals and values on pulpits.” And they hide their truth, which revolves around treason and collaborating with the enemy! Others are unjustly accused of treason, and in reality they are honorable and patriotic. This discrepancy creates the focus of the conflict and its dimensions throughout the episodes of the series.”

The series “Taj” is shown on MBC channels and the “Shahid” platform during Ramadan. It stars: Tim Hassan, Bassam Koussa, Faya Younan, Joseph Bonsar, Ihab Shaaban, Noura Rahal, and others. Written by Omar Abu Saada and directed by Samer Al-Barqawi.