KHAN AL-KHALILI

A companion to The Harafish code 94875 and another in the modern Arabic literature series by the winner of the Nobel Prize. Set in 1942, the Second World War is at its height, and the Africa Campaign is raging along the northern coast of Egypt as far as El Alamein. The novel tells the story of the Akifs, a middle-class family who has taken refuge in Cairo's historic and bustling Khan al-Khalili neighbourhood. Believing that the German forces will never bomb such a famously religious part of the city, they seek safety among the crowded alleyways, busy cafés, and ancient mosques of the Khan. Through the eyes of the eldest child Ahmad, a minor civil servant who has sacrificed both education and personal ambition to support his family, we see the people and traditions of the Khan. A debate emerges that pits old against new, history against modernity, and faith against secularism. Expertly translated, 306pp in large softback.