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European Expansion (1450 – 1800 CE)

  • ʿAlā Hlīhill (1974-, Palestine / Israel) – Uwrufwār ʿAkkā (‘Goodbye Acre’, 2014). This historical novel is set during the unsuccessful French siege of the Ottoman controlled Acre by Napoleon in 1799 (reference).
  • ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Maḥmūd (1961-, Qatar) – al-Shirāʿ al-Muqadass (2014, English trans. The Holy Sail, 2015). This novel takes place in the Gulf, where a fleet of Portuguese ships on route for their spice trade are confronted with the fleet of an Arab tribe in the 15th century. Its main protagonist is the young woman Ḥalīma, who, among the massacres taking place in the Gulf, falls in love with an Arab tribal leader. The novel refers to much of the research done by the author on the time-period in which the story takes place (reference).
  • ʿAbdallah al-Ṭāʾī (1924 – 1973, Oman) – al-Shāriʿa al-Kabīr (‘The big street’, 1981). This novel is set during the 15th century Yaʿrubi rule of Oman and the Omani resistance against European expansionism (reference). The storyline depicts individuals of several generations; starting with the generation who witnessed Portugal’s takeover of Gulf ports to the generation who fought the Portuguese. It also includes depictions of the traditional aspects of Omani life in the period covered, such as the coffee culture, the practice of religion, and society’s tribal structure, but also the Omani dialect (also in L: Languages and Dialects: Gulf dialect).

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