Men in the Sun

Men in the Sun – Chapter 1 (Abu Qais)

The story begins with Abu Qais, an aging Palestinian man, lying on the cold, damp earth beside the Tigris River in Baghdad. The soil reminds him of the land he lost back in Palestine — land he once cultivated with love and sweat. The memory of olive trees, the smell of the soil, and the cries of his children haunt him. He places his ear to the ground, almost as if listening for the voice of his homeland.

He thinks of his wife and children, left behind in the refugee camps. The pain of displacement and poverty gnaws at him. He fears the journey to Kuwait, but even more, he fears dying poor and useless, with nothing left for his children.

He remembers the young men talking about “Abu Khaizaran,” the smuggler who could take people across the desert to Kuwait, a land of opportunity and oil. But at his age, is he strong enough? Can he survive the desert heat, the humiliation, and the risk of death?

Abu Qais debates the idea, torn between dignity and desperation. The thought of dying in foreign land terrifies him, but the idea of doing nothing — of just waiting — terrifies him more.

As the wind brushes against his face, he presses his hand into the soil again, closes his eyes, and begins to weep — not out of weakness, but out of a silent grief that only the earth understands.

Men in the Sun – Chapter 2: Assad

Assad is a young Palestinian man in his twenties, filled with a burning desire to escape the life of stagnation in the refugee camps. He dreams of reaching Kuwait, where his brother has built a life and has promised to help him find work. But the journey is not easy.

He meets a smuggler who promises to get him across the Iraqi desert. Assad agrees and begins his journey, only to be betrayed midway. The smuggler demands more money than they agreed upon. When Assad refuses, he is abandoned in the desert, alone under the merciless sun.

With barely enough water and no clear direction, Assad fights against exhaustion and hallucinations. The sand burns beneath his feet, and the heat suffocates him. He begins to question everything—his decision, his purpose, even his worth.

He finds his way to a small town, half-dead, and spends days recovering. As he regains strength, he also regains his determination. He will not give up. Despite the betrayal and humiliation, he knows that going back means giving up on life.

He decides to try again—this time with more caution. He begins searching for another smuggler, one with a better reputation. This search eventually leads him to hear of Abu Khaizaran, the mysterious driver who is said to transport men across the border hidden inside his water tanker.

Chapter 3: Marwan

Marwan, the youngest of the three, is just a teenager, yet burdened with responsibilities beyond his years. His father has left the family and married a young woman. His older brother, once the family’s provider, has stopped sending money from Kuwait.

Now, Marwan feels the pressure of caring for his mother and sister. Poverty surrounds them like dust, always present, always choking.

He walks the streets of Baghdad with silent determination, seeking a way out. He hears about men going to Kuwait to work in oil companies, returning with enough money to change their families’ fates.

Despite his age, he decides to make the journey. He meets Assad and Abu Qais, older, more experienced, but also defeated in different ways. Though they are strangers, their shared struggle binds them silently. Together, they start to look for someone who can get them across the border.

Chapter 4: Abu Khaizaran

They hear about Abu Khaizaran, a man with a mysterious past — once a resistance fighter, now a truck driver. He owns a water tanker and has smuggled people before.

Abu Khaizaran agrees to take them in exchange for money. He gives clear instructions: they must hide inside the empty water tank when they reach the border. No noise. No movement. No speaking.

As they prepare for the journey, the three men are filled with a mix of fear, shame, and hope. Each reflects on what brought him here.

Abu Khaizaran, though seemingly indifferent, also carries a wound — both physical (he lost his manhood in war) and emotional. His shift from hero to smuggler mirrors the collapse of ideals in the Arab world.

Chapter 5: Death and Silence

The tanker enters the desert. The sun blazes down like fire. As they reach the Kuwaiti border, Abu Khaizaran instructs them to get inside the tank.

He steps out for inspection.

But bureaucracy delays him. A long, pointless conversation with border officials wastes precious minutes. The tank, sealed under the sun, turns into an oven.

When he returns and opens the tank — they are dead.

All three — Abu Qais, Assad, and Marwan — suffocated in silence.

They didn’t knock. They didn’t scream.

They just died, quietly, passively.

Abu Khaizaran is shocked. He drives into the desert, dumps their bodies in a ditch. His hands shake. His heart races.

Then comes the final line — one of the most powerful in Arabic literature: