The Yacoubian Building

Badly beaten, Taha is thrown into a cramped police van. He and the other prisoners chant religious slogans as they are taken to a strange place. Thrown out of the van, the prisoners have dogs set upon them. Taha is dragged to an interrogation room and asked questions. A man asks him why he is protesting and warns him that the beatings will continue. Taha cannot help but weep. The man asks for information, such as why he has the book (the Islamic Action Charter) that was given to him by Sheikh Shakir. When Taha denies knowledge, he is beaten again. He feels hands strip off his clothes, and he screams as he feels “a solid object being stuck into his rear” (117).

Abduh finishes his military service and begins a new life working at his kiosk. He sends for his family to come to Cairo, and they live in a room in the Yacoubian Building, where Hatim pays the rent. The neighbors like his wife and seem to know (and joke) about his relationship with Hatim. The neighbors tolerate his deviant behavior because they like him, and the only issue is the tense relationship with his wife. He becomes angry at her for the smallest mistake, as though he is trying to “punish her for knowing about his homosexuality” (118). He is desperate for her to accuse him of being with Hatim; one day, he says she should be thankful for Hatim’s generosity, and she rebukes him, hoping that one day he will not be indebted to Hatim.

Malak has an obsession with extension and control, like “some great colonial power” (119). His business has expanded rapidly in every direction. He takes over more and more space on the roof, including a big bay for which he has a door made. It becomes an extra store room. He quells the criticism from his neighbors. Despite his successes, he is never satisfied. He dreams of taking over apartments and real estate, springing on those owned by people who have died alone. He sets his sights on Zaki Bey’s apartment; as soon as Zaki dies, he will launch his plan, having the old man accidently sign a contract denoting them as business partners that Malak will produce upon his death. He offers Busayna £5,000 to trick Zaki into signing the contract. Busayna’s rapidly diminishing compassion for people allows her to accept the deal, but she struggles to dislike Zaki, and she becomes irritated and guilt-ridden by her growing admiration for him. One night, they eat dinner at Maxim’s. Zaki drunkenly talks about his youth and then asks Christine to sing for them. They leave, returning to the Yacoubian Building. She guides him into the apartment and lays him down on the couch. Then, she asks him a favor: she needs a guarantor for a loan; would he please sign for her? He agrees and begins to sign but stops, urgently needing the bathroom. As he stumbles away, Busayna hears a loud crash.

Sheikh Shakir and Taha meet in a dimly lit tea garden. Taha has been out for two weeks; he is almost certainly being watched but has followed instructions on how to lose his tail. The National Security Investigation Bureau is launching “a criminal campaign against all Islamists” (127). Sheikh Shakir tries to reassure the glum Taha, who feels humiliated; only his faith has prevented him from killing himself. Taha angrily states that he can never return to the mosque after being violated. Concerned, Sheikh Shakir tells Taha to meet him in a cinema in an hour’s time.

For two months, Hagg Azzam tries everything to convince Souad to get an abortion. A child at his age would be a disaster. He even tries pleading with Souad’s brother but to no avail. As a last resort, he goes to Sheikh el Samman, who is busy as the public face for the justification for military activity against Iraq. Hagg Azzam enlists the sheikh’s help, and they go together to the apartment. The sheikh attempts to convince Souad to get an abortion, providing spiritual justification for doing so. Hagg Azzam shouts to Souad to be polite, and she shouts back, accusing him of paying the sheikh to convince her. Hagg Azzam slaps Souad; the sheikh drags him away, and they leave the apartment. Souad is left behind, still furious, and she plots revenge. She is ready to kill or be killed rather than have the abortion; the baby is a means of recovering her self-respect and to dispel her loneliness. She feels suddenly liberated as she falls asleep. Souad is awoken in the night by the sound of a person inside the apartment. She calls out and tries to investigate. Before she can climb out of bed, a group of men burst into the room and pin her to the bed. She feels a prick in her arm and falls asleep again.

Hatim is editor-in-chief of the French-language newspaper Le Caire. The staff know about his homosexuality, but it remains “merely a distant, pale shadow to his forceful, compelling professional image” (135). There have been incidents: A disgruntled employee raised the issue at a staff meeting, and Hatim was harassed by a trainee journalist, an incident Hatim cut short with authority. Hatim is talented, multi-lingual, intelligent, well-read, and a known socialist sympathizer. This is Hatim’s public image, but his private life is slightly different. He views his sexuality as a release, as other men treat alcohol or women. It is better that he has a single, stable relationship, lest he become overcome with temptation and find himself associating with society’s disreputable factions. Such situations have ended with him being attacked and robbed.

He imagines what would happen if his parents were still alive—how he would confront them. He resents his father for his lack of affection, and he resents his mother for her perpetual loathing of Egypt and its culture and people. He weeps and occasionally thinks of suicide. However, his relationship with Abd Rabbuh has provided the stability he craves. He tries to encourage Abduh to continue his education, but the two disagree. They are interrupted by loud knocks on the door: Abduh’s wife is outside, his son in her arms. The boy is sick and needs to go to a hospital.

Busayna finds Zaki Bey on the floor, covered in his own vomit. He is unable to move. She picks him up, sits him on a chair, and cleans him up. She puts him to bed, and in the morning, she makes him a light breakfast. Abaskharon is already present, but Zaki soon dismisses him. Busayna stays with Zaki, who has changed in her view. She feels guilty about her attempted trick with the signature and feels she can no longer pretend to be “resisting her real feelings toward him” (142). She loves Zaki Bey and wants to stay with him and care for him. Eventually, her feelings of guilt and remorse compel her to go to Malak. She can no longer be part of the deal, she tells him. Malak sips tea and turns away from her. She leaves, hoping that she has rid herself of the problem.

Taha and Sheikh Shakir ride the metro toward Helwan; Taha does not know where they are going. The sheikh has spent days convincing Taha to give up his anger but has failed. He tells Taha that should Taha continue his vendetta against the police officer who assaulted him, he will be killed. Taha, however, is no longer afraid of death. If that is the case, Sheikh Shakir has told Taha, then there is a journey he can take. Their stop is located near a cement factory. They walk into the desert and are met by a man in a truck, with whom they exchange a coded message. They climb into the truck and begin to drive until they arrive in a slum. Taha is led to a room where the sheikh’s students are waiting. Taha is introduced to a disfigured man named Bilal who will teach him “to take what is yours and how to wreak revenge on all the tyrants” (147).

Souad wakes in great pain. She realizes that she is in a hospital, where a nearby nurse tells her that she “hemorrhaged badly.” Souad reacts angrily, accusing the doctors and nurses of purposefully aborting her baby. Her brother appears, along with Hagg Azzam’s son, Fawzi, and tries to reassure her, reminding her of the agreement she signed with Hagg Azzam. Fawzi tells her that Hagg Azzam has filed for divorce and that she will be paid and sent back to Alexandria.

Afterward, Hagg Azzam tries to forget Souad, but it is painful. He might replicate the experience with another woman, but instead he throws himself into his work. To celebrate the acquisition of the car agency, he throws a large party at great expense. The event and the acquisition are praised in the media; for the first months, sales exceed expectations. As the profits roll in, however, Hagg Azzam delays his meeting with Kamal el Fouli until he can no longer put it off.

Hatim accompanies Abduh and his wife to the hospital. Sick of waiting, Hatim makes several phone calls, and they are soon seen by the hospital’s deputy director. The child is quickly admitted to intensive care and treated, but all they can do is wait. Hatim must go to work, so he hands Abduh money and tells him to call if anything is needed. 

Busayna and Zaki Bey talk together in bed. She wants to leave the country; friends and relatives have told her that there are countries abroad with no poverty and no injustice. Set to receive a big sum of money in the coming months, Zaki Bey promises to take her away from Egypt. As they lay together, Zaki hears someone else in the room. He leaps up, and Busayna screams. A police office appears in front of them, flanked by others. Zaki and the police officer exchange angry shouts. Dalwat appears; she has made a complaint and accuses her brother of cavorting with prostitutes. The policemen take Zaki and Busayna to the station.

Taha trains at the camp where he ended up, learning physical fitness and martial arts. He and the others there study the Qur’an and practice using firearms, learning how to shoot guns and make bombs. At night, he thinks about Busayna, but he cannot dislodge the memory of the interrogation from his mind. His hatred drives him, and he soon impresses his instructors. He pushes them to all him to “participate in the gihad” (155). Eventually, he is called into a meeting with Bilal, who tells him that Taha is going to be married. Taha reacts angrily, and Bilal reminds Taha that he is not alone in having been tortured. Bilal points to the scars on his face as proof. Taha apologizes and listens as he is told that he is to marry the widow of a martyred man, a good Muslim woman named Radwa who already has one son.

The condition of Abd Rabbuh’s son worsens and, that evening, he dies in the hospital. Abd Rabbuh rips apart a packet of cigarettes, and his wife is inconsolable. Everyone on the ward weeps. The residents of the Yacoubian Building hear the news and stay up to mourn the loss. When Abd Rabbuh and his wife return, the residents greet them with condolences and embraces. The bereaved parents are unable to sleep and soon find themselves swept up in “a bitter and violent fight whose echoes could be heard all over the roof” (159). The next day, they leave the building and move to a place in Imbaba. Abd Rabbuh seems utterly dejected.

Hagg Azzam meets Kamal el Fouli. He has failed to pay the Big Man the agreed percentage of the profits of the car agency. Kamal threatens to remove Hagg Azzam from the People’s Council if he does not pay. Before Kamal can leave, Hagg Azzam asks to meet the Big Man. He hopes to gain time and perhaps even persuade the Big Man to lower the percentage needed. After a few months, the meeting is arranged.

Dawlat’s plan included bribing the police officers, which means that they treat Zaki Bey badly. Zaki knows that there is nothing he can do, and the sound of Busayna sobbing hurts him. They eventually answer the officer’s questions, trying to repudiate the charges. Afterward, Zaki makes a phone call to a friend—a former judge—who arrives and compels the station head to apologize to Zaki. There is a chance that the investigation might be suspended. Zaki and Busayna walk home. Zaki is shocked that he so passively accepted the insults and the accusations. He invites Busayna for breakfast at a restaurant, where he tries to explain the situation as Busayna eats in silence. If she loves him, he says, she should forget the “whole stupid affair” (163). Quietly, crying, Busayna explains how her entire life has been marked by bad luck.

Taha meets Radwa and is pleased by her. They talk about her dead husband and the men who have sought her hand since. None have been adequately religious. A few days later, Bilal offers his congratulations to Taha, as do the other scholars. The marriage ceremony is performed there and then. Afterwards, everyone celebrates, and their joy deeply affects Taha. The bride is led to her new home, an abandoned house in the old cement factory’s company town. Taha bids farewell to his fellow students and Bilal and joins Radwa, thinking of the wedding night advice Bilal gave him the day before. Taha knocks and enters Radwa’s room. He joins her on the bed, blessing her.

Hatim returns to the Yacoubian Building to find Abd Radduh already gone. He asks the other residents to tell him where Adb Radduh has gone, but they tell him nothing. For three days, he watches the kiosk in case Abd Radduh returns, but he does not. Hatim searches long and hard for his lover but always in vain. Hatim regrets leaving the hospital. His agony increases, and he feels that he is truly unlucky. He worries that he will have to begin his search for a companion all over again. He becomes isolated and drinks more, failing to turn up for work. In the depths of his despair, he remembers something Abduh once said. He rushes to a café in Imbaba run by people from the same part of the country as Abduh. He finds Abduh seated in the back and rushes toward him.

The first night Taha and Radwa spend together is “simple and spontaneous, as though she had been his wife for years” (169). Taha loves Radwa, especially her sincere religiousness. They spend whatever time they can together. Months pass. One night, Taha springs from the bed, suddenly affected by the realization that his marriage has interrupted his quest for revenge. He still has not been given a single mission. Radwa reassures him, telling him that she will encourage him in gihad and be proud of him if he is martyred. She tells him to be patient.

A smartly dressed man arrives at the Yacoubian Building in a black Mercedes. He is directed to Hagg Azzam’s office and introduces himself as Gamal Barakat from the Basha’s office. He escorts Hagg Azzam to the car, and they ride together to the Big Man’s palace. The security around the property is very tight. Hagg Azzam is made to wait in a lobby, increasingly suspicious that this is an attempt to humiliate him. Finally, he is led into another room and told to wait again. A booming voice calls to him; terrified, Hagg Azzam jumps up and discovers that he is speaking to the Big Man via a telephone. His prepared thoughts stumble in his mind, and he asks that the rates be reduced. Annoyed, the Big Man informs him that the rates are set and are the same for everyone. The Big Man makes it clear that he is aware that Hagg Azzam’s real profits come from the narcotics trade, revealing that a file in the room contains all of this information. There is enough inside to destroy Hagg Azzam, as well as a partnership contract. The Big Man tells Hagg Azzam, “Study it and learn it well” (174). 

Cold and distant, Abduh greets Hatim “with distaste.” He believes that the death of his son was a punishment from God. Their relationship is over, he tells Hatim. His attitude begins to change when Hatim tells him about a potential job, a way of ensuring that his friend will remember him kindly after their break-up. Hatim writes a check to cover Abduh until this well-paid job begins. Abduh takes the check and mumbles his thanks. Hatim has one last request, asking Abduh to stay with him one last night. They drive together in silence to the Yacoubian Building. Hatim hopes that the money will eventually convince Abduh to resume their relationship. Abduh, for his part, has struggled to find work and needs the money. He does not plan to tell his wife what he is doing; she still blames him for their child’s death.

They enter the apartment, and Abduh begins to drink whisky quickly while Hatim readies himself. Hatim begins to talk about how much he has missed Abduh, who reminds him of their deal. Abduh pulls Hatim into the bedroom, and they have sex. Afterward, Abduh rises and announces that he is leaving. He cannot stay any longer. When Hatim argues, Abduh pushes him. They argue: Hatim accuses Abduh of being an ignorant, claiming that he made Abduh into a human being. Hatim loses control, threatening to call the police to arrest Abduh. When Hatim tries to grab hold of Abduh’s clothes, Abduh slaps him. Hatim is taken aback that Abduh would dare “slap [his] master” (178). Abduh unleashes an animalistic roar and jumps at Hatim, throwing his fists as hard as he can. Later, a police report indicates that neighbors heard a disturbance at four in the morning. They attributed the noises to Hatim’s notorious private life.

Bilal leads the scholars in a prayer. Afterward, he meets Taha in his office. He worries that Radwa has told Bilal about his complaints. He finds two older men waiting in the office, so he sits and chats with them. Bilal arrives soon and tells Taha that he has been chosen for an “important operation.” All of the men stand joyfully and thank God. The operation, Taha learns, is to be carried out that very day. Bilal runs through the plan. Two hours later, a small truck is loaded with cylinders of cooking gas. The two men from the office have shaved their beards to disguise themselves as workers; they are to inspect the site an hour before the operation. They are to delay a National Security officer and then open fire with rifles or throw grenades.

They arrive at the site and begin selling gas. Taha inspects the building where the officer lives. In the hour before the operation begins, they drink tea and discuss the target, who has been in the crosshairs for over a year. Taha asks the man’s name, saying that to tell him is a matter of trust. He learns that the target is Salih Rashwan, who is “a criminal, an unbeliever, and a butcher” (182). He has tortured and killed many young Islamists.

With five minutes until the time of the attack, they return to the site. Taha feels his heart beating hard, his whole life flashing before his eyes. The target appears, and it is Taha’s job to stall him. He approaches and asks the target for directions. The officer does not stop, but Taha recognizes the voice as belonging to the man who oversaw his interrogation. Taha leaps at the man. Rifle fire echoes through the streets. Taha watches as the bullets riddle the man’s body, and the man collapses in the street. As he runs toward the truck, Taha hears windows breaking, and gunfire rains down on him from above. Taha is hit. He falls down and dies in the street.

Maxim’s is being cleaned and prepared for a private party under Christine’s supervision. Finally satisfied, Christine goes home to change and returns in an evening gown as the band begins to play. Guests arrive—old friends of Zaki Bey and Busayna—and Christine welcomes them all inside. At nine o’clock, Zaki Bey arrives in a black suit, appearing “ten years younger than his real age” (185). People congratulate him on marrying Busayna, who arrives shortly after. Christine plays piano and sings Edith Piaf. The married couple dances. Soon, the band begins to play. Zaki Bey relinquishes his bride to the other guests and then, after watching from the side, joins her on the dance floor.