The turban and the hat /
The Napoleonic-era French invasion and occupation of Egypt are often seen as the Arab world's first encounter with the military and technological prowess of the West and it came as a terrible shock. The Turban and the Hat tells the story of those three tumultuous years from the perspective of a...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Language Notes: | Translated from the Arabic. |
| Published: |
London ; New York :
Seagull Books,
[2022].
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| Series: | Arab list.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | The Napoleonic-era French invasion and occupation of Egypt are often seen as the Arab world's first encounter with the military and technological prowess of the West and it came as a terrible shock. The Turban and the Hat tells the story of those three tumultuous years from the perspective of a young Egyptian living in late-eighteenth-century Cairo. Knowing some French, he works as a translator for the occupiers. He meets their scientists and artists, has an affair with Bonaparte's mistress and accompanies the disastrous campaign to take Syria, where he witnesses the ravages of the plague and the horrific barbarism of war. He is astonished by the invaders' lies and propaganda, but he finds that much of what he thought he knew about his fellow Egyptians was also an illusion. Convincing in its history but rich in themes that resonate today, The Turban and the Hat is a story of resistance, but also of collaboration, cooperation and corruption. |
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| Physical Description: | xiv, 253 pages ; 24 cm. |
| ISBN: | 0857429809 9780857429803 |