'In their citation for the [Naguib Mahfouz} award, the judges described Masra al-Gharaniq fi Mudun al-Aqiq as 'a serious novel that speaks to our time through history. It takes the form of a journey from Arabia northwards and westwards to Andalusia, through the great cities of the Arab world in the eleventh century during the titular rule of the weakened Abbasids in Baghdad, the Fatimids in Cairo, and the warring factions of Islamic rule in Spain.' They went on to say, 'Al-Khamis’s language exquisitely traces a route through beleaguered cities in a novel that speaks to the importance of culture, imbuing them instead with rare and precious knowledge… Omaima Al-Khamis has succeeded in capturing the essence of cultural and religious diversity in the Arab world between 402 and 405 Hijri.. For the Western reader, the clearly presented controversies over issues such as the acceptance or rejection of rationalism will bring to mind much that is familiar in his or her own history.” (aucegypt.edu)