Omar Al-Jabbar

Omar Al-Jabbar was an antiquarian in Algiers.

Biography[]

In 1939, while in search of the lost city of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and Sophia Hapgood tried to bargain with Omar Al-Jabbar in order to find where the Nazis dug in desert for ruins of an outpost of the mighty city.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

The Arabic word jabbār (جبار) means "great one" and is used both as a personal name and a surname. With the article, al-Jabbār (الجبار) it has notations such as "the mighty one, the great" used as a name of Allah; although it's not used as a name, it can be part of the personal name Abd al-Jabbar ("Servant of the Almighty"). The combined name Omar Al-Jabbār (عمر الجبار) would have the meaning "Prosperous of the Almighty".

The role of Omar Al-Jabbar is significantly different between the comic and the game. Even in the game his role can vary greatly depending on the path the player takes.

Comic version[]

In the comic, Omar Al-Jabbar is an underground character from Morocco allied with the Nazis for which he is despised by Berber Marksmen such as Habib Ouarzaza. As the nature of Moulay Idriss as a sacred place forbade foreigners from digging its ruins, Al-Jabbar was hired by the Germans to do the job. When Indy and Sophia learn about Atlantean relics they visit Morocco and they are attacked by Omar and Dr. Hans Ubermann from an air balloon but they retreat when Berbers arrive.^[2]

Indy and Sophia are befriended by Habib Ouarzaza who guides them to the German camp outside Moulay Idriss and causes the local diggers to flee. Omar, worried that after these failures Ubermann would want him dead, attempts to sneak into the doctor's tent with a thug to kill him, but they are both electrocuted by Ubermann's security system, as the man trusts nobody.^[2]

Afterwards, Ouarzaza helps the Jones and Hapgood to steal the balloon.^[2]

Game version[]

In the game, Omar Al-Jabbar is not allied with the Nazis but his intentions and demeanor vary between which path the player takes mid-game.

In the Team path, Omar directly deals with and helps Indy and Sophia. His shop has several Atlantean artifacts, from the Nazi dig site in the Atlas mountains; he knows Indy but he agrees to help him after he shows a Sunstone. At first he assists the pair in a form of a crude map to the Atlantean outpost and two camels, but the camels die a mile out of town, leaving Indy and Sophia to walk back on foot. To recompensate, he offers them an Atlantean mask (or, in case they have it already, he agrees to trade it with something of their choosing). Indy must find the most useful item (random in each gameplay) from Omar in order to cooperate with the locals and find another means of transportation.^[1]
In the Wits path, Indy must trick Omar's assistant Paul Abdul into leading him to Omar's home. Even there he will refuse to help Indy, forcing the archaeologist to lock Omar in a closet and steal his map and camel.^[1]
In the Fists path, Indy must follow Paul Abdul to Omar's house, where it is revealed that Omar is being interrogated at gunpoint by Hörst, a Nazi soldier. Indy must then save Omar who will briefly talk with Indy then offhandedly offer Indy his map and camel while Omar runs to tell the authorities that Nazis are in town.^[1]