Career
Badiaa is considered to be the matron of modern belly dance and is credited with launching the careers of Egyptian belly dance stars Samia Gamal and Taheyya Kariokka. Badiaa was born in 1892 in Damascus, Ottoman Empire, one of seven siblings to a Lebanese father and a Syrian mother. Her father owned a Soapmaking business.
Soon afterwards, the soap factory was consumed by fire and one of Badia"s brother died with fever.
