Soheir Zaki Hospitalized after Sudden Health Scare

Prominent former Egyptian belly dancer Soheir Zaki was hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) on Monday after suffering a health scare.

Zaki, 81, is receiving treatment in a private hospital in the 6th of October city, south of Egypt.

Sources close to the retired artist revealed that the health crisis began in the middle of last week as a result of severe dehydration that led to a rapid deterioration in the indicators of her vital organs.

The medical team treating her stressed the need to place her on medical devices for addressing dehydration range and prevent reaching the stage of "functional failure," especially since she suffers from chronic diseases related to her advanced age, most notably diabetes and high blood pressure as well as health problems in the bones and nerves.

Despite undergoing an intensive treatment protocol that led to a "relative" stabilization in her condition, sources confirmed that Zaki is still under close observation and will not be moved to a regular room until her body has regained its normal functions and can overcome the danger stage.

Born on January 4, 1945, Zaki is one of the most prominent belly dancers of the 1960s and 70s.

She was dubbed by the former president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, as the "Om Kalthoum of dance."

Umm Kulthum Kalthoum was the legendary Egyptian singer and songwriter, one of the most famous and influential figures in Arabic music to this date.

Throughout her career, she participated in more than 50 films, combining acting and dancing, before retiring in the early 1990s.

Since then, Zaki has chosen to completely disappear from the spotlight and the cameras, preferring a quiet private life away from the clamor of the showbiz scene.