After studying at Victoria College, Alexandria, the late Abdel Salam started his career in cinema as an assistant director to Salah Abou Seif. He later became a set and costume designer for renowned Egyptian filmmakers including Youssef Chahine. In 1964, he worked on the set of Cleopatra with Joseph Mankiewicz and designed costumes for Renzo Rossellini’s Fight for Survival in 1967. In 1969, he directed The Mummy—The Night of Counting the Years. Despite dedicating 12 years to Akhenaton, the project failed due to lack of funds, after which Salam focused on short films and documentaries. He taught at the Egyptian Film Institute and headed the Experimental Film Department before his death in 1986.