Mario and Abu Abbas

Author's name: Reem Bassiouni

A novel set between the era of the Sufi Al-Mursi Abu Al-Abbas and the era of the Italian architect Mario Rossi. Despite the long time gap between the two characters and the events that accompanied them, the writer Reem Bassiouni presents their lives and how the Italian architect, who built numerous mosques for the Egyptian Ministry of Endowments, met Al-Mursi Abu Al-Abbas when he was commissioned to design, implement, and build his mosque in Alexandria in the 1930s. We learn about the life of this Sufi who was forced to migrate with his family from the city of Murcia in Andalusia to Tunisia, where he met the Sufi leader Al-Shadhili and moved with him to Alexandria. They lived there and witnessed significant events that influenced them both. We also witness his acquaintance with Al-Busiri and his influence on him, as well as Ibn Atta Al-Iskandari, who became an extension of Al-Shadhili, and Abu Al-Abbas, who became a living symbol in the lives of the people of Alexandria. The novel also explores many of the milestones that occurred in the lives of Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi and Mario Rossi.