It’s *not *“The Streets of Cairo”.
This is just the first few bars (in the key of Em), but I think you’ll recognize it if you know it:
Note: B___________________Bb__________________G_F#E____F#G____E
Beat: 1____2____3____4____1____2____3____4____1____2____3____4____1____2____3____4
Bump.
Sounds like this piece off the Aladdin soundtrack to me.
If you have a sample of it playing, Shazam on ios and Android does a good job of identifying music. The database is really large as it recognized some Asian music from the 80’s that really isn’t that well known.
Do you have any way of converting that to an audio file?
Similar, but not it.
It couldn’t have been written for the film - I’ve heard it much earlier (e.g., on the Red Skelton Show in the 1950’s).
Question: Why do you think it’s Middle Eastern? 
I cannot read music/notes at all, so I’d have a potential answer but I’d need to make sure I’m actually correctly guessing what piece of music you’re referring to.
It’s not quite an exact match, but hits the first five or so notes: Marche Slave by Tschaikovsky?
If it’s a somewhat known song, I do have to think this is the one.
Again, very similar. In fact, I’m glad to learn the name of that one. But it’s not the one I posted.
Some background on why I asked this: I play a slide guitar instrumental called “Guitar Rag”. It’s a country blues, and long ago, I started throwing in snippets of other melodies from memory, including “The Streets of Cairo” (referred to in my OP), Marche Slave (cited above by pulkamell) and the melody I’ve asked about. They’re about as far from country blues as you can get, so they add novelty and contrast.
Mainly, the minor key with the flatted fifth (Bb), which is common in middle eastern music. Hope that clears up your confusion. 
A better answer: because it *sounds *middle eastern.
I agree that it sounds remarkably like “Marche Slave” (aka “Slavonic March”).
I don’t know it but I thought I’d try to help turning the OPs description into something auditory for those of us without a mind for music.
I don’t recognize it, and I’ve heard a lot of middle eastern music. Hmmmmm
I recognize it, although I think the first two notes are typically 2 beats rather than 4.
I’ve been looking at several cartoons with middle eastern or African settings (it seems like I’ve heard it used as a jungle theme as well). Drawing blanks so far…
Well that certainly helped me. It’s the song from the Bugs Bunny cartoon A-Lad-In His Lamp, although I don’t know the name. Maybe this will help someone else get a step closer.
Interesting. IMBD calls it “a Vision of Salome”
A version on youtube
For those looking for it, it appears most obviously at 3:03. That does seem to be the OP’s tune.
[quote=“Folly, post:16, topic:828067”]
Interesting. IMBD calls it “a Vision of Salome”
A version on youtube
[/QUOTE]more on the creators of that version:
Anyone “condemned by Joseph Goebbels as indecent” is OK by me!
Here is a clip of them performing. The OP’s song is at 2:45
YouTube has a surprising number of 21st Century dancers re-creating their act.