Alamut is set in 11th Century Persia, within the fortress of Alamut. Here, the self-proclaimed prophet Hasan ibn Sabbah orchestrates a mad and brilliant plan to dominate the region using a select group of elite fighters, known as his "living daggers." By crafting a virtual paradise at Alamut, replete with beautiful women, lush gardens, wine, and hashish, Sabbah persuades his young warriors that they can attain paradise by adhering to his commands.

Drawing parallels to modern figures like Osama bin Laden, Alamut narrates how Sabbah instilled fear in the ruling class by assembling a small, devoted army ready to kill, and be killed, to reach paradise. Embracing the supreme Ismaili motto, “Nothing is true, everything is permitted,” Sabbah sought to manipulate religious devotion for his political gain, exploiting the stupidity and gullibility of people and their penchant for pleasure and selfish desires.

The novel chronicles Sabbah as he reveals his plan to his inner circle and focuses on two young followers: the beautiful slave girl Halima, who arrives at Alamut to join Sabbah's earthly paradise, and young ibn Tahir, Sabbah's most talented fighter. As both Halima and ibn Tahir grow disillusioned with Sabbah's vision, their lives take unforeseen turns.

Originally penned in 1938 as an allegory to Mussolini's fascist state, Alamut became a cult favorite in Tito's Yugoslavia during the 1960s and was later read as an allegory of the Balkan's War strife in the 1990s, achieving bestseller status in Germany, France, and Spain.

The Daughter of Kurdland is a powerful portrayal of a little school girl who defies Saddam Hussein's regime, survives the Anfal Genocide, and goes on to become an award-winning champion for human rights.

By combining crisp prose with utterly enthralling storytelling, Widad Akreyi pulls back the curtain to reveal in vivid detail and with unflinching honesty the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood in the Kurdistan region where she faced persecution, to her years as a university student chronicling crimes against humanity at just 17 years old, to her phenomenal resilience in exile.

The Daughter of Kurdland takes the reader on an intimate journey to uncover deep truths that are valid in any age, but especially so in our present context. Sparkling with wit and wisdom, this book poses universal questions: Should we always do what others tell us to do? How important is it to defy norms? How much of ourselves should we be willing to compromise for the sake of others? And how much should we be prepared to pay?

A profile in courage, Widad Akreyi is today an international icon for peace and women's empowerment. A testament to the power of human endurance, The Daughter of Kurdland will inspire and surprise men and women alike.

Naguib Mahfouz’s magnificent epic trilogy of colonial Egypt appears here in one volume for the first time. The Nobel Prize-winning writer's masterwork is the engrossing story of a Muslim family in Cairo during Britain's occupation of Egypt in the early decades of the twentieth century.

The novels of The Cairo Trilogy trace three generations of the family of tyrannical patriarch Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad, who rules his household with a strict hand while living a secret life of self-indulgence. Palace Walk introduces us to his gentle, oppressed wife, Amina, his cloistered daughters, Aisha and Khadija, and his three sons–the tragic and idealistic Fahmy, the dissolute hedonist Yasin, and the soul-searching intellectual Kamal.

Al-Sayyid Ahmad’s rebellious children struggle to move beyond his domination in Palace of Desire, as the world around them opens to the currents of modernity and political and domestic turmoil brought by the 1920s. Sugar Street brings Mahfouz’s vivid tapestry of an evolving Egypt to a dramatic climax as the aging patriarch sees one grandson become a Communist, one a Muslim fundamentalist, and one the lover of a powerful politician.

Throughout the trilogy, the family's trials mirror those of their turbulent country during the years spanning the two World Wars, as change comes to a society that has resisted it for centuries. Filled with compelling drama, earthy humor, and remarkable insight, The Cairo Trilogy is the achievement of a master storyteller.

Palace Walk is the first volume of the masterful Cairo Trilogy by Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz. This engrossing saga unfolds in the early 20th century, during Egypt's occupation by British forces.

The story intricately portrays a traditional Muslim family in Cairo, led by a domineering patriarch who demands strict adherence to Islamic principles from his wife and children. Yet, he indulges in the pleasures of music, wine, and courtesans, unbeknownst to him, his eldest son shares similar tastes.

Set against the backdrop of a turn-of-the-century Cairo, the novel vividly recreates an era of both discipline and sensuality, offering readers a captivating glimpse into the life and culture of a bygone time.