El Mansoura: a large town in the northeast Delta, about a hundred miles from Cairo.
modest dress: the concept of “modest dress” gained currency in Egypt in the 1970s and as usually employed means dress that covers all of a woman’s body except her face and hands, conceals the outlines of her figure, and covers her hair and neck; in an extended interpretation, it may involve the covering of the face and hands as well.
Muhammad Naguib: Egypt’s first president, who acceded to the position in 1953 and was deposed by Gamal Abd el Nasser in 1954.
mulukhiya: a leafy green vegetable (Jews’ mallow or Corchorus olitorius) that is prepared as a slightly viscous soup.
Muslim Brothers: an Islamist political movement founded in Egypt in 1928.
Nahhas Basha: Prime minister at the time of the 1952 revolution by Gamal Abd el Nasser’s Free Officers against the monarchy.
National Union: replaced the Liberation Union in the wake of the evacuation of foreign troops from Egypt in 1956.
Open Door Policy: introduced by president Anwar el Sadat with the aim of reversing Gamal Abd el Nasser’s “Arab Socialism” and restoring capitalism to Egypt.
Patriotic Party: no party by this name exists in Egypt.
People’s Assembly: the Lower House of the Egyptian parliament.
People’s suit: a men’s outfit made of unlined cloth and consisting of pants and a short-sleeved top. It was introduced during the Nasser era as a cheap alternative to the conventional business suit and sold at government-owned People’s Stores.
Phantom Mercedes: the nickname of the Mercedes S320 (1991–1998).
rayyis: a title for lower-class men who hold positions of responsibility in traditional occupations.
Saad: Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, a leading Companion of the Prophet Mohammad, reputedly the first Muslim to fire an arrow “in God’s cause,” and a commander of the Muslim armies during the early conquests (died between 670 and 680).
Sa’idis: Upper Egyptians.
Sayed Kutb: Islamic writer and activist, the leading thinker of the Muslim Brothers (1906–1966).
Shibin el Kom: a medium-sized town about eighty kilometers northwest of Cairo.
Sidi Bishr: a suburb of Alexandria.
siwak: a small stick, usually of the arak tree, the tip of which is softened by beating or chewing and which is rubbed on the teeth and gums.
Socialist Union: replaced the National Union in 1961 following massive nationalizations and other measures which inaugurated the new phase of “socialist transformation.”
Suleiman Basha Street: one of the main avenues of Cairo’s Downtown, running between Tahrir (“Liberation”) Square and Twenty-sixth July Street (formerly, King Fouad Street). The street is named after Joseph Seve (1788–1860), a French officer who following the defeat of Napoleon was hired by Muhammad Ali, viceroy of Egypt, and became commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army, having converted to Islam. In 1954, the official name was changed to Talaat Harb Street but many people still use the old name.
Taha Hussein: literary critic, author, and educator (1889–1973).
Tahrir Square: “Liberation Square,” the main square in Cairo’s downtown area.
Talaat Harb Street: though the author generally refers to the street by its original name of Suleiman Basha Street, its official name since 1954 has been Talaat Harb Street, after the nationalist banker and entrepreneur of that name.
Throne Verse: Qur’an II, 255; in Arberry’s translation this reads “God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His Throne comprises the heavens and the earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-hearing, the All-glorious” (I, 65).
Turah el Asmant: an industrial suburb about fifteen kilometers south of Cairo and the site of a large cement factory and other major industrial plants.
Umar: Umar ibn el Khattab, the second caliph (died 644).
Vanguard Organization: created in 1964 or 1965 to act as a clan destine network within the Socialist Union to ensure the latter’s fidelity to its socialist vocation.
Wafd: the largest political party during the monarchy.
Workers’ seat: Under the constitution, Egyptian parliamentary constituencies are represented by two seats, one of which is reserved for workers or farmers, the other for “other categories.”
Zaki Naguib Mahmoud: literary critic, translator, and essayist (1905–1993).
Qur’anic References
Had the peoples of the cities believed and been God-fearing, We would have opened upon them blessings from heaven and earth.
VII, 96 (Arberry 155)
It may happen that you will hate a thing which is better for you.
II, 216 (Arberry 29)
A monstrous word it is, issuing from their mouths; they say nothing but a lie.
XVIII, 5 (Arberry 288)
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate… who said of their brothers…
III, 168–74 (Arberry 66–67)
You have had a good example in God’s Messenger.
XXXIII, 21 (Arberry 429)
How evil a homecoming!
II, 126 (Arberry 16)
How often a little company has overcome a numerous company, by God’s leave!
II, 249 (Arberry 36)
Sweet patience.
LXX, 5 (Arberry 606)
Your women are a tillage for you…
II, 223 (Arberry 31)
Surely God is with the patient.
VIII, 46 (Arberry 174)
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. So let them fight in the way of God…
IV, 74–75 (Arberry 83)
Acknowledgments
This novel would not have seen the light without the help of many friends, first among whom is my friend and teacher Alaa el Deeb, to whom I owe the credit for anything I have achieved in the field of literature. Next are Gamal al-Ghitani, who courageously undertook the publication of the novel in Akhbar al-adab, and Dr. Galal Amin, who adopted it enthusiastically and recommended it to the publishers. Likewise, I cannot forget the kindness of Bilal Fadl, Khalid al Sirgani, Ragab Hassan, Makkawi Sa’id, Mahmoud el Wardani, and Muhammad Ibraheem Mabruk, to all of whom I extend my thanks and gratitude.
About the Author
ALAA AL ASWANY is the bestselling author of three previous books published in Arabic. He is a journalist who writes a monthly opposition newspaper column, and he makes his living as a dentist in Cairo, Egypt, where his first office was in the Yacoubian Building. The Yacoubian Building, which caused an immediate scandal due to its sexual frankness when first published in Egypt, has been translated into nine languages and was made into a film. It had the largest budget in Egyptian cinema and has been screened at various international film festivals.