House of the Wolf by Ezzat El Kamhawi

Author:Ezzat El Kamhawi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press

GLOSSARY

Arak: A colorless, anise-flavored distilled alcoholic drink.

Asaliya: A sweet made by boiling molasses until it becomes a dark syrup, then letting it cool and solidify enough to be molded into various shapes. It can also be sprinkled with ground peanuts or roasted sesame seeds.

Asida: A thick porridge, similar to polenta, often eaten with molasses.

At the foot of the pyramid: A reference to the Battle of Imbaba, also known as the Battle of the Pyramids, fought between Napoleon’s army in Egypt and forces led by local Mamluk rulers on July 21, 1798. Napoleon named it the Battle of the Pyramids due to the fact that the pyramids were visible on the horizon from the spot where the battle took place.

Bashmuhandis: “Chief engineer,” used as a term of respect.

Bilbeis: A small, densely populated ancient fortress city on the eastern edge of Egypt’s southern Nile Delta.

Burqa: The eastern part of present-day Libya.

“Cover me up and wail over me”: An old saying referring to a trick employed to avoid taxes. When the tax collector came around, the man of the household would lie down and his wife would cover him up and begin wailing over him as if he were dead. Later, the saying came to be applied to other situations. If, for example, someone tried to get an older man who’d been widowed to marry again but he feared he might not be able to have sex, he might say, “What? Shall I tell her to cover me up and wail over me?”

The crossing: This refers to the massive crossing of the Suez Canal by Egyptian forces on October 6, 1973 that initiated what has come to be known as the Yom Kippur War.

al-Deeb: The name al-Deeb literally means “the wolf.”

Dhikr: Literally, ‘mentioning’ or ‘remembering,’ the term dhikr refers to the repetition of words and phrases as a means of holding God in remembrance. It also refers to a gathering in which such words or phrases are repeated, along with singing, chanting, and, at times, dancing as a form of worship and spiritual ecstasy.

“Fast every Monday and Thursday”: The practice of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is seen by Muslims as a way of emulating the Prophet Muhammad. Its relevance to Mubarka’s attempts to avoid physical intimacy with Mugahid is due to the fact that fasting within an Islamic context includes abstention from sexual activity.

Fatta: A dish made of dry bread with rice, in a garlicky broth.

Feddan: A feddan is equal to 4,200 m2, 0.42 hectares, or 1.038 acres.

Gallabiya: A long, flowing garment with billowing sleeves, a collarless neck, and slit that extends approximately six inches down the front.

Ibrahim Bey (1735–1817): Born in eastern Georgia and converted to Islam after being captured by Ottoman slave raiders who then sold him in Egypt, Ibrahim Bey became an influential Mamluk commander who shared de facto rule of Egypt for a time with his fellow Georgian Murad Bey. He died in obscurity after his reign was effectively brought to an end by his defeat at the hands of the French.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.