Arabesque (1966) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Professor Ragheeb was killed because he possessed a cipher containing crucial hieroglyphic drawings that multiple parties wanted. The optometrist Sloane, working for Beshraavi, replaced Ragheeb's regular optometrist and administered poisonous eye drops during an examination, causing Ragheeb to collapse and die. Beshraavi wanted the cipher that Ragheeb had hidden in his glasses.

Foreshadowing: The scene establishes early that the cipher is valuable enough to murder for, setting the deadly stakes of the entire film.

• ragheeb death
• cipher
• murder
• optometrist
• sloane

The cipher was a piece of paper with peculiar hieroglyphic-like drawings that Professor Ragheeb had hidden in his glasses. It contained secret information that Beshraavi needed for his plot against the Middle Eastern government. Multiple factions wanted control of it because it apparently contained evidence or instructions related to an assassination conspiracy against Prime Minister Jena.

Foreshadowing: The mysterious drawings found in Ragheeb's broken glasses become the central MacGuffin driving the entire plot.

• cipher
• hieroglyphics
• ragheeb
• secret plans
• assassination plot

David Pollock was recruited because he was a professor at Oxford and an expert in ancient languages, making him one of the few people capable of deciphering Ragheeb's hieroglyphic code. Beshraavi needed someone with Pollock's academic expertise to unlock the cipher's secrets, which is why he had Sloane approach him and ultimatelykidnapped him when he refused the job.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Pollock's academic credentials early when he takes over Ragheeb's class, explaining why he's valuable to Beshraavi.

• david pollock
• recruitment
• oxford professor
• decode
• expert

Beshraavi was planning an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Hassan Jena of his own Middle Eastern nation. The cipher contained crucial information related to this assassination plot. Beshraavi orchestrated Ragheeb's murder to obtain the cipher and later tried to have David killed once he decoded it, as part of covering up his conspiracy.

Foreshadowing: Beshraavi's ominous presence and his pet falcon symbolize his predatory nature and ruthless ambitions.

• beshraavi
• assassination
• jena
• conspiracy
• plot

Yes, Yasmin Azir was revealed to be a spy, though her true loyalties became clear only in the climax. While she appeared to be Beshraavi's lover and the owner of his London residence, she was actually working against him, helping David Pollock. Her relationship with David became genuine as they worked together to thwart Beshraavi's assassination plot.

Foreshadowing: Yasmin's early warning to David about Beshraavi orchestrating Ragheeb's murder establishes her as an ally with her own hidden agenda.

• yasmin azir
• spy
• allegiance
• double agent
• lover

David and Yasmin traced the cipher to Yussef Kassim's construction site, believing it was hidden there. During their frantic search, they faced life-threatening danger when a wrecking ball nearly crushed them. Yussef was killed at the site, and the situation escalated into a dangerous confrontation as Beshraavi's men pursued them.

Foreshadowing: Yussef's earlier possession of the cipher hints that he was involved in the conspiracy from the beginning.

• construction site
• yussef kassim
• wrecking ball
• cipher
• chase

At the climax, David saved Prime Minister Jena from a hired assassin at the airport. The assassination was part of Beshraavi's overall conspiracy to overthrow the government. David's intervention prevented the murder and helped expose Beshraavi's plot, leading to the final confrontation and resolution.

Foreshadowing: The earlier meeting between David and Jena establishes the Prime Minister as a key target in Beshraavi's scheme.

• airport
• assassin
• jena
• beshraavi
• showdown

David and Yasmin escaped from Beshraavi's London residence during dinner by hiding when Beshraavi entered the en-suite bathroom. They fled through the Zoological Gardens with help from an unexpected ally. Later, they were captured and interrogated in a moving van with truth serum, but David cleverly misled their captors into believing Beshraavi had the cipher.

Foreshadowing: Yasmin's earlier secret meeting with David, where she warned him about Beshraavi's plans, established their alliance before the escape.

• escape
• zoological gardens
• pursuit
• van
• truth serum

Sloane, who posed as an optometrist to get close to Professor Ragheeb, was a mercenary working for Beshraavi. He killed Ragheeb to obtain the cipher and later assisted Beshraavi in recruiting David Pollock. Sloane operated under the alias Major Sylvester Pennington Sloane, using his fake credentials to manipulate situations in Beshraavi's favor.

Foreshadowing: The optometrist scene establishes Sloane's deceptive nature and willingness to commit murder for his employer.

• sloane
• beshraavi
• optometrist
• mercenary
• deception

Yussef Kassim was initially part of Beshraavi's operation but his loyalties shifted throughout the film. He helped David and Yasmin at certain points, particularly during the van interrogation scene where David convinced him that Beshraavi had the cipher. Yussef was later killed at the construction site while trying to retrieve or protect the cipher.

Foreshadowing: Yussef's presence in the van with David and Yasmin hints at his complex allegiances.

• yussef kassim
• construction site
• allegiance
• betrayal
• death

David, Yasmin, and Yussef were captured and placed in a moving panel van where they were threatened with truth serum to force them to reveal information about the cipher. Under the influence, David cleverly gave cryptic clues that led Yussef to believe Beshraavi already possessed the cipher, redirecting suspicion and buying time for their escape.

Foreshadowing: This scene reveals David's intelligence and resourcefulness under pressure.

• truth serum
• van
• interrogation
• david pollock
• cipher