Reflection on The Rock of Tanios

#1 : Most of the events depicted in the novel The Rock of Tanios by Amin Maalouf take place in a small village in the mountains of Lebanon called Kfaryabda. The author uses alot of Arabic terms and phrases. He also mentions several Lebanese customs which I am familiar with since I am Lebanese., for example the "kishk" meal they refer to on p.66, the uniform that the sheikh's wear p.10 " black baggy trousers(seroual), white striped shirt, terracotta colored cap...". The obligation for the citizens of Kfaryabda to kiss the Sheikhs hand at least once per month wasnt suprising to me becuause this is an old arabic custom that is still applied till now in certain arab countries. The act of kissing the hand shows respect and in many arab countries nowadays the children are obliged to kiss their fathers hand. Even the appelations that were used such as "Sheikh, Khoureeye.." sounded familiar. I really enjoyed reading the novel, the writing of this novel is admirable.