Naguib Mahfouz partly retells the book of Genesis, adventures of Mozes, torments of Christ, the revolution of Muhammad and the advent of science in this allegorical tale about generations of people living in a single alley. The novel definitely demonstrates the author’s profound knowledge of the subject matter, and even satirizes a few more ridiculous concepts of the organized religion, but it’s also inherently predictable, especially if you know the myths/history it is based on.