زنزانة حيّ الدقّاقين العربية 2023

Zinzānat Ḥayy al-Daqqāqīn (The Cell of the Millers’ Quarter) is a haunting Syrian novel by Usāmah Shākir, published in 2023 by Sameh Publishing. Spanning 236 pages, the story unfolds in the historic neighborhoods of Old Damascus, tracing the intertwined lives of three childhood friends—Murtaḍá, Salīm, and Jaʿfar—from the 1970s through the 2010s, a period marked by escalating repression and societal fragmentation. The novel explores: The personal and ideological divergence of the three protagonists as they navigate love, betrayal, and political disillusionment A vivid portrayal of Damascus as a living city, breathing through its green lungs and bustling with trade, tolerance, and layered identities The gradual descent into tragedy, as each character’s path leads to a different form of confinement—literal, emotional, or existential Reflections on sectarian diversity, urban memory, and the resilience of communal life amid authoritarian decay The title metaphorically evokes both physical imprisonment and the psychological entrapment of a generation caught between nostalgia and collapse.