Omar (2012)

TV show · 2012 · Drama, War & Politics · AR

Curator score: 4.6/10 (10.8K ratings)

Overview

A historical saga about the second caliph and Commander of the Faithful Omar Bin Al-Khattab and his pivotal role in the Islamic State.

Ratings

Created by

Hatem Ali

Production

MBC Production, Qatar TV

Cast

Ghassan Massoud, Samer Ismail, Mehyar Khaddour, Mai Skaf, Bernadette Hodeib, Qasim Melho, Fadi Sobieh, Mohammad Hadaki, Nadera Omran, Khaled Alkeesh, Hicham Bahloul, Majd Fiddah, Ghanem Al Zrelli, Jaber Jokhadar, Ghazwan Al-safadi, Mahmoud Nasr, Amer Al Ali, Faisal Al Omairi, Zied Touati, Rafi Wahbi

Where to watch

Shahid VIP

Curator Review

Verdict

A serious, large-scale historical miniseries that treats early Islamic history with unusual ambition, production value, and reverence. It is best approached as a prestige docudrama: expansive, earnest, and often compelling, though more interested in historical sweep and moral gravity than in brisk entertainment.

Best for

  • Viewers interested in Islamic history and historical epics
  • Fans of reverent, large-canvas miniseries
  • Audiences who like political-religious drama with battlefield scale
  • Viewers comfortable with a solemn, didactic tone

Skip if

  • You want fast pacing or lots of narrative twists
  • You prefer character-driven ambiguity over devotional storytelling
  • You are looking for a light, modern, or visually minimalist historical drama
  • You are sensitive to dramatizations of sacred history

Overview

Omar is one of the most ambitious Arabic television productions of its era, staging the life and leadership of Omar ibn al-Khattab with a scale usually reserved for major historical epics. It leans into pageantry, battlefield logistics, and political-religious turning points, aiming for reverence as much as drama. The result can feel solemn and instructive, but it also gives the series a sense of importance that many historical dramas never reach.

Worth noting

The show’s strength is its seriousness of purpose: it wants to dramatize history with clarity, dignity, and momentum. That makes it especially effective for viewers who want a broad, accessible account of early Islamic history rather than a psychologically intimate portrait. At the same time, the tone can be heavy and the storytelling occasionally more declarative than nuanced, which may limit its appeal for viewers seeking complexity or ambiguity.

Bottom line

As a one-season miniseries, it works best as a complete, self-contained event rather than something to sample casually. If the subject matter interests you, it is absolutely worth watching for its scale, cultural significance, and production ambition. If not, its earnestness and length may be a barrier rather than a draw.

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Topics

historical epic, miniseries, religious drama, political drama, battlefield spectacle, prestige television, solemn tone, period piece, Middle Eastern television

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