Mamlakat al-Ghuraba’ (مَمْلَكَة الْغُرَبَاء)

Published in 1993, this novel is a collection of interconnected stories that explore memory, war, and the search for truth in a fractured world. The book does not follow a single linear plot. Instead, the narrator (often identified with Khoury himself) gathers fragments of stories from people he meets. These include:

• The legend of a Lebanese monk, Jurji Khairy, who lived in a cave near Jerusalem.
• The story of Widad, a "Circassian" girl sold as a maid in Beirut who later becomes a beloved wife.
• The harrowing experiences of refugees and fighters in the Shatila refugee camp.

Author: Elias Khoury (إلْيَاس خُورِي)

He was a Lebanese novelist, playwright, and public intellectual. Born in Beirut, his work is deeply rooted in the history of the Lebanese Civil War and the city's diverse cultural layers. He rejected traditional storytelling, preferring a "circular" narrative where stories lead into other stories, much like One Thousand and One Nights. His most famous work, Gate of the Sun (Bab al-Shams), is considered the definitive epic of the Palestinian Nakba.