Sunset Oasis

This novel is set in Egypt at the end of the 19th century. Many English readers may find parts of it hard going if they are unfamiliar with the history of that period, so here is the background, even if it looks a bit like a spoiler. In 1881 Colonel Arabi (here called Urabi) Pasha had started a nationalist revolt against European financial control of Egypt and against the Khedive who had acquiesced in it. The British navy had bombarded Alexandria in June 1882, had landed an army which defeated Arabi Pasha at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir in September 1882, and in 1883 had taken over political control of Egypt also. One of the two central characters of the novel, Mahmood, had been a lieutenant sent to the defence of Alexandria; had fallen out with Bedouin looters who claimed to be supporters of the Khedive; had been denounced as a traitor to the Khedive when the revolt was over; had been cleared, but was still held under suspicion by the British and by the Khedive's officials.They therefore sent him as district commissioner and tax collector to the Siwa Oasis, not a place invented, but an area of 600 square miles, far out in the desert, some 350 miles west of Cairo. That was a dangerous assignment, not only because of the perils of getting there, but also because the Siwans, most of whom are not Arabs but Berbers, had, since its occupation by Egypt in 1819, been very hostile to rule from Cairo and had already, in two recent rebellions, the last only two years earlier, killed previous Egyptian district commissioners. In the oasis itself there was a centuries-old rivalry between two clans, the "Westerners" and the "Easterners", who had often fought each other, though both groups would form a common front against tax collectors from Cairo.Mahmood, depressed but stoical, is married to Catherine, an Irish Catholic who shares her husband's hatred of British oppression. Against his advice, she insists on going with him: she is fearless; and not only does she love him, but she is also a scholar of antiquity. She knows that Alexander the Great had once campaigned in those parts; and it is a historical fact that he had visited the Siwa Oasis where an oracle had proclaimed him divine and the son of the god Amun (see [...].). His sepulchre was originally in Memphis; was then moved to Alexandria; but after six centuries disappeared. Catherine has a hunch that it might have been moved to Siwa (anticipating the disputed claim made in 1995 by a Greek archaeologist, Liana Souvaltzi, that she had located it in the Siwa Oasis).Anyway, Catherine hopes to find evidence for her hunch. On the way to the Oasis, she responds lyrically to the desert in all its moods, in the most beautiful descriptions. But the arrival of this emancipated woman, this infidel is of course seen as another provocation to the Siwans. In addition Mahmood is dangerously ignorant of the customs and superstitions of the community; Catherine has read about them in her books, but that does not stop her from offending against them.By now the reader of this review can see that we are in for a story full of menace and tension in this hostile atmosphere, and it would be a spoiler to go into further details. The chapters alternate between the often introspective accounts of Mahmood, of Catherine - both haunted by their past, both having moments of self-loathing - and of some of the other characters. Towards the end of the book the tensions that develop between husband and wife or the effect of Catherine's sister Fiona arriving in Siwa are more prominent than the explosive situation in the Oasis - and in fact the novel ends, rather unsatisfactorily in my opinion, with a very different kind of explosion which leaves a lot of loose ends behind.

Basically, my reason for buying Sunset Oasis because the story was set in the Oasis of Siwah which was visited by Alexander nearly two thousand five hundred years ago.The scene of the novel evolves at the end of the 19th century when Egypt is under British rule. The main figures are Mahmoud, who is appointed to replace the previously murdered District Commissioner at Siwah, and his Irish wife Catherine, who is very well versed in ancient languages and has a great interest in antiquities, particularly in Alexander the Great.The book gives a fascinating description of their trip through the desert from Cairo to Siwah during which they are caught in a sandstorm, not unlike Alexander’s experience. Their welcome in Siwah is hostile and as if that were not enough, the locals themselves are split between Easterners and Westerners causing friction and problems of their own.Bahaa Taher interestingly tells the story alternatively from the point of view of Mahmoud, that of Catherine, but also from that of the two main leaders Sheikh Yahya of the western clan and Sheikh Sabir of the eastern clan. There even is an entire chapter where Alexander the Great is giving his thoughts – not entirely without merit. As each person relates his own experiences and thoughts, we also get more information about what happened earlier in their lives and how they feel about it. It is striking to follow their “eastern” way of thinking and reacting (no wonder it collides with the British and in Mahmoud’s case with his Irish wife).This is all fiction and we should remember that this is a novel, but nonetheless, it makes good reading and gives an excellent insight into a period of time about which little is known otherwise and certainly not from such a remote location as Siwah, close to the Libyan border. It is quite fascinating to follow.An interesting chapter of Egypt’s history is being told here and for me, a not uninteresting approach to Alexander’s visit to the Oasis of Siwah.

Possibly Egypt's greatest writer here deals with the terrifying effects of cultural lack of understanding. Set in the Siwa Oasis and written in a deceptively simple style Taher deals with love and its loss, betrayal and faith and teaches us all a lesson in how easily we succeed in misinterpreting the gestures of others. The historical setting also provides an effective vehicle for thoughts about Egypt and Egyptian society today.

Speedy delivery, appropriate packaging and the book itself was excellent. Very elaborately written and translated.The story was so fascinating and catchy that I read the book in one single afternoon.

Excellent read! The story and its character stays with you. A good insight into Egypt.

The novel builds up well and the shift in the narrations works well on the whole. Lots of exploration of the main characters though like the previous reviewer, I felt the chapter on Alexander went on a bit. I enjoyed the book but found the ending a little less than satisfying