Midaq Alley

One of the most important symbols in Midaq Alley is the alley itself. Beyond its physical presence, the alley is a microcosm of Egypt’s cultural, social, and political landscape during a period of significant change. As such, it takes on an existential quality, symbolizing Egypt’s past and future. As Samiha Salib argues, “[The alley] is no longer a place where a group of people live, but it has become the window through which they view life and with which their life’s attitudes are stamped” (Salib, Samiha. A Cross-Cultural Interpretation of Midaq Alley and Difficulties It Presents to Western Readers. Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, Connecticut, 1988, p. 10).

Mahfouz introduces his characters through the alley’s dilapidated appearance at the beginning of the novel. At the same time, the alley has its own ragged charm, combining the stone pavement with the smells of the traditional life, which few places retain. The fact that the alley “lives in almost complete isolation from all surrounding activity” (1) is one of its most important features. The alley preserves fragments of tradition that have been lost in the outside world, and as the story unfolds, these fragments illuminate the characters’ struggles to adapt to a changing world.