Some phrases from chapter eight further indicate that the novel is set in Cairo as well as offer a glimpse into the culture. The newspaper “The Sphinx” (210) as well as the headline “Dastardly Murder in the Citadel Quarter” (210), further establish a setting. This is because sphinxes and citadels are usually associated with Egypt. The reference to the “Holy Koran” (208 ) offers some insight into the culture by suggesting that the majority of the characters in the novel are Muslim.
-“Blessed be ye, O people of Egypt, our lord Husayn is now yours” (208).
The scene for chapter eight is illustrated in the following quote: “He pushed the Sheikh’s door, met no resistance, entered, closed it behind him, and found himself in the open courtyard where the palm tree towered, as if stretched upward into space as high as the watchful stars” (205). The Darrasa quarter where the Sheikh lives is quite significant as it acts as a safe-house for Said. It is ironic how a place so religious shelters a criminal who has murdered, an act said to be a sin in the Koran. Towards the end of the chapter Said leaves his place of refuge, foreshadowing a shift in location.
Tags: culture, Egypt, Islam, sense of place, shelter
