← Gamal al- GhitaniAl-Zayyni Barakatby Gamal al- GhitaniHistorical novel about surveillance, torture, and authority in Ottoman CairoFind on Amazon↗About the authorGamal al- GhitaniEgyptian novelist and editor associated with the neo-classical revival in Arabic fiction. Zayn Barakat draws on medieval Arabic chronicle style to explore modern authoritarianism and spiritual experience.More by Gamal al- GhitaniZayni BarakatHistorical novel about surveillance, torture, and authority in Ottoman Cairo→The Book of Illuminations→Incidents in Zafarani AlleyNovel set in Cairo's historic Zafarani alley exploring transformation and change→Zayn Barakat→The Cairo of Naguib Mahfouz→The Book of Epiphanies→