In this early novella by the acclaimed Lebanese author, a wandering man travels to a faraway city in order to lead a life of luxury, surrounded by beautiful mistresses and provided with the finest clothes and perfumes. However, when he arrives to the walled city of Beirut he is unable to find a proper entrance. After an extensive search, he eventually encounters several young and mysterious women, each of whom offer to permit him to enter the city alone, and to meet him inside at the city square. After initially refusing these gestures, he eventually agrees to the gesture from the last woman that he meets. Once inside, he discovers that the city is nearly deserted, and that the town square is bare, except for the coffin of the deceased king and the sounds of wailing from an unknown source. He is unable to find any of the women he met previously, and after walking aimlessly in circles, he cannot find a way out of the town or anyone who can help him. He decides to return to the square, where he eventually meets the women and the entombed king, who share stories about what has happened to the town, and themselves.

I found City Gates to be an easy and pleasurable book to read, but I didn't understand the message that Khoury was trying to convey. ( )