Cities of Salt
Cities of Salt is Abdulrahman Munif's five-novel chronicle of how the discovery of oil transformed a Gulf oasis and its people.
Overview
"Cities of Salt" (Arabic: مدن الملح) is a quintet of novels by the Saudi novelist Abdulrahman Munif, published between 1984 and 1989. It is widely regarded as one of the most important works of modern Arabic fiction.
Plot
The quintet chronicles the transformation of a fictional oasis in the Gulf by the discovery of oil, following the arrival of American engineers and the social and cultural dislocation that follows. It traces the fate of the local inhabitants across several generations.
Significance
The work is a landmark of the Arabic novel and a major literary treatment of the impact of oil on the societies of the Arabian Peninsula. It was banned in several Gulf states but has been translated into many languages.
References
- Cities of Salt \u2014 Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 5 October 2026)
- Munif and the oil novel \u2014 Journal of Arabic Literature (accessed 5 October 2026)
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