The story of Gilly-Gilly, the Egyptian magician who took Europe by storm... His real name was Dessouqi Hussein Mohammed. He started his career in 1910s Cairo and Alexandria doing tricks in cafes and on the street. Every time he did a trick he would shout "gala-gala" [Thread]

The foreigners and tourists he performed to all assumed that "gala-gala" was some Egyptian magic word but none of the Egyptians who saw him had any idea what it meant, assuming that he had made it up and started calling him Dessouqi Gala-Gala...

As his popularity grew, he set his sights beyond Egypt. First he performed on the ships that came into harbour. In 1920 he set out for Marseilles armed with his box of magic tricks but no passport. Fortunately his show impressed the customs men so much they let him into France...

From there on in, his popularity grew and grew. He adapted his magic word, "gala-gala" in to "gilly-gilly", which audiences there seemed to prefer. He performed in theatres all over France, even travelling to Tunisia for a while. By the mid-'20s he didn't need theatres anymore...

He made his money from private parties to Europe's elite, including the Prince of Wales (who became a friend) and, according to stories, the Pope and his cardinals. He even gambled with the Shah of Iran.

He performed through the 1930s (here is a picture from 1935) and the word "gilly-gilly" became synonymous with Egyptian magic (both in Egypt and abroad). Through the 1950s and 1960s travellers talked about the "gilly-gilly men" they saw on the streets or on their boats.

(PS. A reminded that digitised editions of al-Dunya al-Musawwara can be found here https://digitale-sammlungen.ulb.uni-bonn.de/urn/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5:1-226692 ). Thanks to @TranslatioBonn

See also this article on an Indian "Gilly Gilly" magician https://thewire.in/culture/mysterious-gogia-pasha-original-gilly-gilly-man