7 Egyptian drama series you need to watch this Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan will soon be upon us, and that means a lot of fasting, simmering heat and delicious replenishing treats are to be expected. It also means that the 2016 season for TV series will shortly begin in the Arab world.

As with each year, the drama menu is full of plentiful options featuring some of the Arab world's biggest film and TV stars, some of them returning for the second year in a row and others making a long-awaited comeback to the screen.

These are the seven most promising Egyptian drama series that will air in this Ramadan season.

Egyptian starlet Nelly Karim is returning this Ramadan in yet another El-Adl Group production written by Mariam Naoum, following the widely acclaimed 2015 series "Taht El-Saytara (Under Control)" and equally acclaimed 2014 series "Segn El-Nesa" (Women's prison).

This time, the A-list team is tackling a crime drama revolving around the story of a young woman, played by Karim, who is accused of killing her husband and sister and admitted to a mental health institution by court order, which sets her on a troublesome path to uncover the truth about the murders and herself.

Co-written by Wael Hamdy and directed by Shawky Al-Magry, "Sokoot Hor" also stars Ahmed Wafiq, Mohamed Farag, Anoushka, Ferial Youssef, Safaa El-Toukhy and Wafaa Sadeq. It will air on CBC Egypt and Dubai Al-Oula .

Based on legendary Egyptian novelist Naguib Mafhouz's novel "Afrah Al-Qoba", the drama is witnessing the long-awaited comeback of iconic Egyptian actress Mona Zaki .

Drawing from the novel, the series revolves around a theater group in the 70s who discover that the characters in their new script are actually themselves and that the script reveals their secrets. They are forced to put on the stage production, playing themselves and acting out their darkest secrets in real life.

Directed by Mohamed Yassin, written by Nashwa Zayed and co-produced by Al-Shorouq, iProductions and JWT, the series also stars Eyad Nassar, Kinda Alloush, Sayed Ragab, Rania Youssef and Gamal Siliman. "Afrah Al-Qoba" will air on Al-Nahar and OSN .

Starring iconic Egyptian singer and actor Mohamed Mounir, the drama tells Mounir's life story and revolves around the events that shaped his career and ultimately his life.

Directed by Sherif Sabry, produced by Mohamed Fawzy Films and written by Ahmed Mohiey and Mohamed Mohamady, "El-Moghany" features new music from Mounir made exclusively for the series. It also stars Rania Farid Shawky, Maisaa Maghribi, Mohamed Abu Daoud, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Inas Kamal. The series will air on Al-Hayah .

Rising Egyptian star Amr Youssef is starring in this crime drama written by Tamer Habib, directed by Mohamed Shaker Khedeir and co-produced by Beelink Productions and Eagle Films.

Also starring Dina El-Sherbiny, Ahmed Dawood, Anoushka, Ragaa' El-Gedawy, Mohamed Mamdouh and Sherine, the series takes place in an iconic Egyptian hotel frequented by society's elite. The story revolves around the brother of one of the hotel's employees who heads there to investigate his sister's murder, which occurred at the hotel. "Grand Hotel" will air on CBC and OSN.

Iconic Egyptian actress Yousra is making her comeback to the Arab screen with this psychological thriller produced by El-Adl Group, written by Abdullah Hassan and directed by Hany Khalifa.

Starring alongside Sayed Ragab, Ahmed Hatem, Morad Makram, Sherine Reda and Naglaa Badr, Yousra plays a woman suffering from a mental illness who is planning an elaborate plot of revenge against everyone around her. "Fok Mostawa El-Shobohat" will air on Al-Hayah and Dubai Al-Oula.

Iconic Egyptian actor Adel Imam reunites with iconic Egyptian actress Lebleba for this comedic drama written by Youssef Maa'ty and directed by Ramy Imam.

Also starring Mostafa Fahmy, Sherine and Khaled Sarhan, the socially-satirical series revolves around the story of a stingy Egyptian billionaire, played by Imam, who refuses to spend any money on his family until they find out how much he's actually worth and start digging for his concealed millions. "Mamoun Wa Shorakah" will air on MBC Masr .

Egyptian starlet Ghada Adel is starring in this action-packed legal drama directed by Ahmed Khaled Mousa, written by Baher Dewidar and produced by TVision.

Also starring Ahmed Fahmy, Basel El-Khayat, Mohamed Farag, Nahed El-Sebaa'y and Sherine Reda, the series revolves around the complexities of the justice system and what goes on behind the scenes in the world of courtrooms and lawyers. "El-Mizan" will air on Al-Nahar.