Ahmed Said, Egyptian veteran broadcaster and iconic media personality of the pan-Arab era of the 1950s and 1960s, died Monday at the age of 93. Said was the first director, main announcer and the signature voice of for Sawt al-Arab (The Voice of Arabs), the pan-Arab radio station commissioned by the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, from 1953 to 1967. Following the June 1967 defeat in the war against Israel, Said resigned in Septmber of same year. He was born in Cairo in 1925 and graduated from Cairo University's Faculty of Law in 1946. Said was a supporter of Arab unity and the liberation of Palestine from “the sea to the river." The groundbreaking host is believed to be the author of Sawt al-Arab's famous tag line: "Calling on the Arab nation from the heart of Cairo." Several media and broadcast figures nationwide mourned Said on social media and in late-night TV shows. Egypt's National Media Authority head Hussien Zain commemorated Said in a statement, saying his work guided several generations of media figures as he was a role model model for professionalism and innovation in Egyptian broadcast. His funeral is set to process from Al-Sayida Nafisa mosque in downtown Cairo after noon prayers on Tuesday.
