Palace Walk

Main Characters

al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad — father and family patriarch (45), shop owner

Aisha — daughter, 16; blond beauty, but useless

Amina — wife and mother of four plus one stepson

Fahmy — son, tall and slim

Kamal — youngest son, 9, prankster

Khadija — daughter, 20, second eldest, strong and plump, brunette

Yasin — oldest son, 21, stocky-large like father, Amina’s stepson

Haniya — Yasin’s mother

Umm Hanafi — family servant

al-Sayyid Muhammad Ridwan — their next-door neighbor

Bahija Ridwan — Maryam’s mother

Hasan Ibrahim — police officer interested in marrying Aisha

Jalila — performer al-Sayyid had loved for such a long time

Jaljal — Zubayda’s servant

Jamil al-Hamzawi — father’s shop assistant

Madam Nafusa — the widow of al-Hajj Ali al-Dasuqi, owns seven stores

Maryam — next-door neighbor’s daughter; Ridwan. Fahmy wishes to marry her

Mrs. Shawkat — the oldest friend of the parents

Sadiqa — Amina’s mother’s servant

Shaykh Mutawalli Abd al-Samad — blind religious guide and friend

Umm Ali — matchmaker

Zanuba — Zubayda’s foster daughter

Zubayda — a nightclub singer

A book about the center of a universe. A look inside a family from a different society. The place of people in the world and the individuals in that family. Written in the words of a great poet. A true understanding of people and one’s self.