Badia Masabni (1892-1974), was a Lebanese / Syrian actress and belly dancer. She is best known for opening a series of influential clubs in Cairo from the 1920s onward and is considered to be the matron of modern belly dance and is credited with launching the careers of Egyptian belly dance stars سامية جمال (Samia Gamal) and تحية كاريوكا (Taheyya Kariokka).