I can see why this book has been banned in Arab countries. Cities of Salt details the transition of an unnamed Arab emirate from how it had apparently been functioning to a current, oil producing state. The story, taken as a whole is heartbreaking. The story begins before oil is discovered, and tells a tale of a generous, yet human, people. Their Emir, unbeknownst to them, allows some Americans into the country to test for oil and eventually, drilling takes place. On the way, people are driven out of their homes, villages are leveled, lives irrevocably, irretrievably changed. The old way of life is gone, and with it, the general pleasantness and generosity that had once been prevalent. The story is of mainly of a place, the characters only secondary, for their is no true protagonist, save the land. Characters play the lead for a time, but soon something happens, someone leaves, someone arrives and things change again. Cities of Salt is a moving and bittersweet story told in a matter-of-fact manner, a story which mourns the passing of a way of life, without being mournful itself.

This is the first part of the pentology city of the salt.I read this pentology 3 times,and i will read it again and again.In this volume the author described the Saudia,s people"before the oil era"they were poor but happy and how they had changed with the oil drilling and the coming of the Americans,you can feel the nostalgia of the old days.i laugh a lot about the prince when he saw the first radio and how he loaded his gun before he put it on.The next 4 volumes"i do not know how many volumes had been translated to English as i read it in Arabic" described how people there changed,rich but lost their old nobel feelings.you can know easly the real names of the main characters.This book is forbidden in Saudia Arabia ,even there is a debat about rhe real nationality of the author,but surely he feels nostalgia for old days,even the name of this novel,as he said in one of his pages,means ir will collapse for the first rain because it is made of salt.Many members of my family have the same feelings when they read this book,they are so absorbed to the book ,so that they can not even talk to anyone at home.lastely i think this is the second great book written in arabic after mahfouz Cairo triology

It is about the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia, how it started and its affect on the people of that country. You read almost the first 100 pages just of the description of the oasis -like Wadi Al-Uyoun in the middle of the desert and its people how they live and what they do, just Bedouins living their life peacefully disconnected from everything and everyone around them except for the caravans that brought them sugar and flour and news of those who chose to work in other towns. The title refers to what they used to do before the discovery of oil, which is extracting salt from the sea.

Then, the gradual changes start with the arrival of the Americans, the demolition of their homes and tents, the digging for oil and the construction of the first pipeline. The ruthless greedy rulers who all they want is money and richness demonstrating their power over their own people favoring the Americans and giving them the green light to work and live on their own land as they wish.

The story is not about one character rather than about the city Harran which the Americans created out of nowhere to a famous and rich city deploying its people and all the Arabs around it. What is sad is those Bedouins who know absolutely nothing about the world around them. Even the Arabs from other countries are shown as educated civilized people, but not the Arabs of Saudi Arabia who were introduced to the necessities and accessories of life through the Americans and their neighboring Arabs. Harran itself is divided into American Harran and Arab Harran emphasizing the cultural and religious differences and the way the foreigners looked at the citizens.

Munif describes those situations in a very subtle way that you don't know whether to laugh or cry! He takes you into the heart and mind of each character so you really know how and what they feel and think about what is happening around them. They go with the flow wherever it takes them without any questioning or understanding; at the beginning they don't even know that they are actually building a pipeline!! Even their reaction at the end is not ultimate and decisive!

I think that Theroux delivered the feelings and the impact that Munif intended of his story. He also maintained the essence of the Arabic language and the implied meanings intended. A great book on the conflict of power and money!