Wikipedia
Zaat (also known as The Blood Waters of Dr. Z, Hydra (Canadian bootleg title), Attack of the Swamp Creatures (US bootleg title) and Legend of the Zaat Monster (proposed re-release title) is a 1971 American cult science-fiction/horror film that was written, produced and directed by Don Barton. It gained significant exposure when it was used in an episode of movie-mocking television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in May 1999.
Zaat has been cited as one of the worst films ever made.
Zaat: The Tale of One Woman's Life in Egypt During the Last Fifty Years is a novel by Sonallah Ibrahim. The book was originally published in 1992. The English translation by Anthony Calderbank was published by the American University in Cairo Press in 2001. Hosam Aboul-Ela of the University of Houston wrote in 2001 that it was Ibrahim's "most celebrated novel to date". An excerpt is within the anthology The Anchor Book of Modern Arabic edited by Denys Johnson-Davies.
Sarah Hahn of the The Middle East Journal wrote that the book was "[r]enowned for its black humor and ironic commentary on modern Egyptian life". It is about the life of Zaat, a woman from a lower middle class background. Zaat chronicles her relationships, the surrounding political climates, and her experiences. She lives through the governments of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and Hosni Mubarak.