An award-winning novelist’s vibrant portrayal of the struggle to create a more unified society in medieval Egypt and how this has shaped Egypt today.
Brimming with intrigue, adventure, and romance, Al-Qata’i: Ibn Tulun’s City Without Walls tells the epic story of visionary Egyptian leader Ahmad Ibn Tulun who built Al-Qata’i (now Cairo) into a thriving multicultural empire.
The novel begins with the rediscovery of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in 1918 and recounts Ibn Tulun’s life and legacy in the ninth and tenth centuries. Bassiouney presents Ibn Tulun’s benevolent vision to unify all Egyptians in a new city, Al-Qata’i. He becomes so focused on his vision, however, that he cannot see the impact it has on his family or the fate of Egypt. When a betrayal leads to his demise, the rival Abbasid caliph threatens to regain control of Al-Qata’i. In the aftermath of Ibn Tulun’s death, his daughter Aisha emerges as a pivotal figure, bravely taking a stand against the Abbasids to preserve her life, the city, and the iconic mosque.
This contemporary Egyptian writer forces us to consider universal themes, such as diversity and equality, through both a historical and intercultural lens that enriches our understanding of these issues in our world today.
Table of Contents
The First Story: Maisoon
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Part Two
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Part Three
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Part Four
Chapter Fifteen
The Second Story: Ahmad’s Dream
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Part Two
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
The Third Story: The Pledge
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Part Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Part Three
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Part Four
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Afterword
List of Characters
Timeline
About the Author
About the Translator
Reviews
"A journey to ninth and tenth century Egypt, recounting the intrigues of power, love, and revenge."—Pauline Kaldas, Author of Letters from Cairo, The Time Between Places, and Looking Both Ways
"This trilogy is a mountain of verifiable historical facts wrapped in an exotic atmosphere which emanates the magical along with the surreal. It bespeaks a rich imagination enhanced by period poetry and viable motifs—an unforgettable read."—Nazek Fahmy, Ahram Online
"Bassiouney offers a singular perspective stretching across the many stages of Egyptian history to narrate the human experience of life: endeavor, love, loss, injustice, forgiveness, and the making of meaning ... Taken together, [Bassiouney’s] historical fiction provides a unique contribution to world literature."—Melanie Magidow, Translator of The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himm
"As in the coffeehouses of old Cairo, where the medieval epics were recited until the last century, the pleasure here is to be found in the storytelling itself ... A professor of linguistics as well as an award- winning novelist, [Bassiouney] is alive to the tricks of language and the words her characters dress themselves in."—Amir-Hussein Radjy, Times Literary Supplement
"Reem Bassiouney is a contemporary and gifted Egyptian author that has his enthralled readers considering such universal themes as diversity and equality as viewed through historical and intercultural lenses that make his historical work of fiction one that will enrich his reader's understanding of these same issues as are presented in the contemporary world of today. Aptly translated from Arabic into English for an American readership by Roger Allen, Al-Qata'i: Ibn Tulun's City Without Walls is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Literary Fiction collections."—Midwest Book Review
About the Author
Reem Bassiouney is an Egyptian author living in Cairo. She won the Naguib Mahfouz Award for best Egyptian novel for Sons of the People: The Mamluk Trilogy. She also won the 2009 Sawiris Foundation Literary Prize for Young Writers and the 2009 King Fahd Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies Translation of Arabic Literature Award.
Roger Allen is an Arabic literature scholar and translator. He is credited with bringing Naguib Mahfouz to international recognition.
