Cities of Salt 5 parts Abdulrahman Munif

Author: Abdul Rahman Munif Cities of Salt is an Arabic novel by the Saudi novelist Abdul Rahman Munif. It is considered one of the most famous Arabic novels, and this novel consists of five parts. The novel talks about and depicts life with the beginning of oil discovery and the rapid transformations that affected the cities and villages of the Arabian Peninsula due to the oil discovery. Parts of the novel: 1- The Wandering: The first part addresses the early signs of oil emergence in the Arabian Peninsula through its inhabitants, and features the character Metab Al-Hadhal, who refuses as an expression of the spontaneous stance of the landowners, which forced the authorities to use violence. This part describes in detail the construction of new cities (Harran was the model) and the harsh and stormy changes on the spatial level, especially the human level. 2- The Trench: In the second part, Munif moves to depict the rulers and politics in the desert, which transforms into an oil field. The starting point was the transfer of power from Sultan Kharbit to his son Khuzayl, who grants all facilitation to the Americans to implement their plans. The main character in this part is the advisor of the new Sultan, Subhi Al-Mahmilji, nicknamed Al-Hakim, who is of Lebanese origin, came to Harran first as a doctor, then moved to the capital Muran with an adventurous spirit to rise to the highest positions and expand his influence. In this part, the pace of transformations increases in severity and speed, so no one can predict what will happen. This part ends with a moment when Finner revolts against his brother while he was outside Muran. 3- Divisions of Night and Day: The third part returns to the roots of the ruling family, to the years of tribal conflict, which crowned Kharbit as the most important ruler in the region at the moment when the West invaded the desert, finding in its alliance with Kharbit a means to acquire the wealth he was seeking. The Sultan exploited this circumstance to dominate everything within his reach. This part also traces the origins of Khuzayl and Finner. 4- The Offspring: The fourth part is a biography of Khuzayl in exile until his death, with a record of the revolutionary changes imposed by Finner and his attempts to redirect the desert’s course, freeing himself from the remnants of his father’s and brother’s policies and American influence. He begins establishing a state with loyal apparatuses, characterized by harsh features like the desert. 5- The Wilderness of Darkness: After Finner’s uncontested rule is established, Munif returns to observe the state of the people under these changes, where customs no longer remain the same, nor even the places, and even the sense of belonging and identity change. In this final part, the name of the land becomes the Hudaibiya State, and Finner becomes a legendary figure, but he ends with assassination by his own. It is considered one of the banned novels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It represents a qualitative shift in historical narration and personal documentation of an era, which many of the new generation see as an incomplete picture, lost in descriptions of what followed that phase or the present in a rosy but also incomplete manner (60% of the Saudi population around and under 21 years old, 2004-2007). Cities of Salt is an important document that talks about and chronicles what the winds of civilization brought to Bedouin life, undoubtedly affecting the life of the desert dwellers. The author accurately observed Bedouin life and expressed what stirs in the hearts of many Bedouins, and how their situation changed to sudden wealth and the effects resulting from that.