Said Mahran
Said Mahran is a thirty-year-old man newly released from prison for thievery at the start of the novel. He is bent on revenge, his thoughts consumed with punishing his ex-wife Nabawiyya, his former friend Ilish Sidra, and his former mentor Rauf Ilwan, as well as getting his young daughter back. Said believes his cause is just and that any jury would deliver such a verdict, as well as consider him a great man. He is single-minded in his pursuit of revenge, which makes him rash and prone to missteps. He cannot face his new reality and gets caught in a downward spiral, mostly of his own making. He does come to love the prostitute Nur, but this love cannot forestall him from heading toward disaster.
Ilish Sidra
Ilish was Said's friend and coworker, and Said took him under his wing, giving him work and hope. In return Ilish sold Said out to the authorities and took his wife and daughter, while he rotted in a prison cell for four years. Ilish has a "barrel-like body" with a "fat round race buttressed by a square chin" (18). He clearly enjoys his new power and his sycophants, and lives a comfortable, even luxurious life (which Said attributes to Ilish's theft of his loot).
Nabawiyya
Nabawiyya was Said’s wife before he was thrown in prison. She was the only woman Said ever loved, yet she left Said for Ilish Sidra. We never see Nabawiyya herself in the novel, but instead only get glimpses of who she was/is through Said's memories and thoughts. In the older memories, she is depicted as beautiful, graceful, and well-mannered; in Said's later thoughts she is a ruthless, rotten-to-the-core woman.
Rauf Ilwan
Rauf Ilwan is a former revolutionary and a mentor of sorts to Said, who helped get him work when he was a young man and was his leader when both were in the military. At the time of Said's release from jail, he is a very wealthy man who, in Said's view, no longer adheres to his revolutionary ideals. He now writes a prominent, albeit gossipy, column in a newspaper. Said finds his former friend's face "cowlike in its fullness, and...despite his apparent friendliness and courtesy, there was something chilly about him, as well as an unfamiliar and rather disturbing suavity, a quality that could only have come from a touch of blue blood" (39). In the past Said was struck by Rauf's words of wisdom and immense charisma, but now considers him enemy #1.
Sana
Sana is Said and Nabawiyya's daughter, who is six years old at the time of the novel's events. She has long dark hair and wears a "smart white frock and white open slippers that showed henna-dyed toes" (21) when Said finally sees her when he is out of jail. She is "bewildered" (21) by him, and cries and screams for her mother when he tries to embrace her. This wounds Said deeply, and cements his hatred of Nabawiyya and her new husband Ilish.
Sheikh Ali al-Junaydi
The Sheikh is a peaceful religious leader whom Said’s father used to follow. He is very old with a face that is "emaciated but radiant with overflowing vitality, framed with a white beard like a halo" (26). His piercing eyes seem to see right into Said, but his words are cryptic and Said struggles to find solace in them. The Sheikh is also extremely giving and allows Said to stay with him and eat his food, even though he knows Said is lost. Ultimately, the Sheikh's calmness, sense of self, love for humanity, and acceptance of the vagaries of life is a contrast to Said.
Tarzan
Warm and welcoming, Tarzan is an old and trusted friend of Said’s. He owns the cafe where Said seeks refuge. He is a person with underground ties able to provide Said with news, a gun, and advice.
Nur
Nur is a prostitute who has deep feelings for Said and helps him with food, shelter, and companionship while he is on the run. When Said sees her again after many years, he thinks she is thinner, wears too much makeup and a too-sexy dress, and has "given up all claims to self-respect" (61). Yet these are just his opinions, and it is clear Nur is a kind, giving, and loving woman who simply wants to be loved in return. She has had a hard life and wonders when she will be able to be secure and happy.
Hasaballah
A detective in the company of Ilish. He is coarse and aggressive, desirous of intimidating and mocking Said to appease Ilish.
Bayaza
A former friend of Said's and a business associate of Ilish's.
Shaban Husayn
The innocent man who Said accidentally killed, thinking he was Ilish because he was in Ilish's former flat.
