Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Sons of the People: The Mamluk Trilogy

Sons of the People: The Mamluk Trilogy

Bassiouney, Reem
Allen, Roger

Paperback

Series: Middle East Literature in Translation

General FictionHistorical FictionLiterary Fiction

Publisher Price: $49.95

ISBN10: 0815611412
ISBN13: 9780815611417
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: Jun 22 2022
Pages: 640
Weight: 2.84
Height: 1.48 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English

This monumental family saga offers a vivid portrait of Egypt's Mamluk period, one that is at both sweeping in scope and intimate in detail. Set in medieval Cairo, the novel centers on three generations of Egyptians, foreign-born Mamluks, and their descendants as their trials and victories mirror those of their turbulent country. The first volume, Sons of the People, introduces us to Zaynab, the daughter of a middle-class merchant in Cairo who catches the eye of the powerful Mamluk amir Muhammad. After they marry, Zaynab is transported to the foreign world of Mamluk politics and wealth where she must navigate the complicated machinations of various rulers and raise their four children. Their oldest son becomes an architect and embarks upon the monumental task of building a grand mosque with Sultan Hasan as a symbol of the Mamluks rise to power. In the second volume The Judge of Qus, Bassiouney tells the story of Amr ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Karim, a wise and compassionate judge of Islamic law whose refusal to bend to the demands of the Mamluk rulers ultimately leads to Amr's downfall. The final volume, Events of Nights, weaves together testimonies from three characters, each with narrow and differing perspectives on the novel's events, subtly calling the readers' attention to the unstable nature of historical fiction.

Filled with compelling drama, ruthless ambition, and tragic love, Bassiouney's masterful trilogy brings the Mamluk's rich cultural and architectural heritage to life through the eyes of one family.

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