Zayni Barakat

Zayni Barakat was written in 1971 discussing the state of Egypt during the 16th Century. Throughout the 16th Century, the Mamluk maintained control over the nation of Egypt, despite being on the brink of losing power to the invading Ottoman empire. Barakat, although an able leader, maintains power through tyranny. Although the novel is made up of the personal accounts of Barakat’s subjects, it is clear this book was written because Zayni Barakat is depicted in the image of Gamel Abdel Nasser, the prime minister of Egypt at the time the book was written. I would argue that Barakat, like Nasser, only came into power as result of political instability, and maintained power only through oppression.