A new novel documents the transformations of Damascus history , customs and traditions

“ Stories of Al-Moayyed Alley.. Jinn and Lovers” is a novel by the writer Imad Naddaf, in which he monitors the transformations of the history of Damascus, its customs  and traditions in most of its regions in close times, starting from the fifties and sixties. 

The novel is considered one of the most important novels that present the facts of the city of Damascus including its different beliefs and visions in a narrative style in which the writer combines reality and imagination and adheres to the elements of the novel .

Naddaf monitors the transformations and changes due to the superstitions that some people   believed in, such as the stories of the jinn, and what they caused in Al-Moayyed neighborhood , the departure of Dr. Khaled Al-Moayyed’s wife from the palace to Europe, in addition to Dr. Khaled’s inability to withstand what is happening , as his life began to transform and change.

He also observed the end that misconceptions about jinn reached and what happened to Dr. Khaled inside the palace after his wife left as   the palace turned into ruins after it was a beautiful landmark in the neighborhood.

Dr. Khaled, according to the narration, who did not believe in jinn after his wife escaped and dealt with the antiquities that remained in the palace, reached an altered psychological state that led him to nightmares and oppression, and not to go to what was left of the palace and to live in another place.

Naddaf turned in his novel to the period of President Shukrial-Quwatli and his abandonment of power during the union with Egypt, the contradictory opinions that took place in Damascus during this period between supporters and opponents. 

The events of the novel reached the period in which writer Ghada Al-Samman appeared, and  the rejection of the people of Damascus of what she expressed in varying forms, cases of death, moving from one environment to another, and the clothes worn by the people of Damascus.

Naddaf concluded the novel with the greatness of Damascus, its ancient history, and its adherence to values, belonging, and morals, despite all the circumstances that it endured and suffered against all wars and occupation, which ended with the confrontation of the Zionist entity during the days of unity with Egypt, which some supported and others rejected.

The novelist Naddaf managed to create from all the characters of the novel influential heroes who interactedwith its events honestly and in a way that combined reality and imagination and convinced the recipient of the components of the fictional personality.

The 350-page novel, issued by the Syrian General Organization of  Books is one of the most important novels that chronicle the city of Damascus and monitor its history.

It is noteworthy that the author of the novel is a member of the Arab Writers Union and the Story and Novel Society. He wrote a number of literary works  including “Writing on Water,” and “Unlicensed Demonstrations.” 

Naddaf   has studies on  television drama writing and the development of television script, in addition to a number of books,   articles and writings published in newspapers and periodicals. 

Rawaa  Ghanam