Arab Swordsman

CHARACTER
Arab Swordsman
Gender	Male
Death	1936 Cairo, Egypt
Nationality	Egyptian

The Arab Swordsman (also known as the Cairo Swordsman) was a member of the Cairo underworld who had a reputation as an assassin and muscle-man feared by many men.

Biography

Hired by Nazis in 1936, the Arab Swordsman challenged Indiana Jones to a duel in Cairo during the archaeologist's frantic search for the kidnapped Marion Ravenwood. A busy Cairo marketplace suddenly parted as the black-robed man confronted Jones with an oversized scimitar.

Giving a small laugh, he began displaying his skill with his weapon to intimidate the American. However, Jones, deciding he had no time for a protracted fight against the flamboyant swordsman, simply took out his revolver and shot him. The Cairo onlookers cheered Jones' action and ran off with the assassin's sword.

Behind the scenes

The Arab Swordsman was portrayed by Terry Richards in a nonspeaking role.

The scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark as shot for the film was dramatically shortened; the original script intended Indy to fight the swordsman with a lengthy choreography and usage of his whip. However, Harrison Ford along with most of the crew were suffering from dysentery, and could not wear their trousers for more than a few minutes. Ford then suggested they "just shoot the f***er". Steven Spielberg agreed, resulting in the biggest laugh of the film and one of its most memorable sequences.

The player fights this character in the Cairo mission of Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures. The swordsman will not attack the player, and as in the film the player defeats him by shooting him with the pistol.

Indy searching his empty holster.

The scene is humorously referenced in the prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. After Indy escapes the temple, two Thuggee swordsmen challenge him (even briefly showing off their skill with the sword much like the Arab Swordsman), and he smugly reaches for his gun. However, this time Indy can do nothing but smile sheepishly and fight them with his whip after he remembers that his gun was lost by Willie Scott earlier in the film. The music cue confirms the homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

In LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, the swordsman will block all of Indy's bullets, but can be knocked out by a banana.

Appearances

• Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Non-canonical appearance)
• LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (Non-canonical appearance)
• Star Wars Galactic Spy (Non-canonical appearance)

Sources

• Raiders of the Lost Ark Sourcebook
• Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide