The Sphinx

Author: Ahmed Mourad

“Diaries Banned from Publication” by the photographer and forensic expert, Suleiman Effendi El-Sioufy, in which he documented the details of a mysterious criminal case that unfolded during the outbreak of the plague in 19th-century Cairo, after the discovery of a floating body in the Nile carrying many secrets. The events began during Suleiman Effendi’s imprisonment in the Liman "Al-Dimirkhana" prison, where he was serving a life sentence with hard labor, "class M," under harsh and debilitating conditions. These conditions affected his psychological state and exacerbated his disorder, which psychiatrists classified as severe paranoid schizophrenia. Its symptoms combined delusions of persecution with megalomania accompanied by severe delusions. Their impact was amplified by Suleiman's sudden and involuntary cessation of the calming "St. John's wort" herbs. Despite this, El-Sioufy managed to chronicle a thrilling adventure fraught with dangers on all sides.