الأهواس

The inner world of a person who has experienced displacement and loss due to wars, along with their family, forms the backdrop of the novel "Al-Ahwas" by writer Halima Al-Sitrawi. The novel recounts the events while adding the story of "Najid," who finds himself in a land far away from his homeland, family, and companions, a constant visitor to the Alhambra Palace in Andalusia, enchanted by the Lion Fountain that adorns the palace courtyard. Driven by a strong feeling of responsibility to restore it, he becomes obsessed with it and passionate about seeing its twelve lions surrounding it, to the point that everyone who saw him would say: "And the thirteenth is Najid."

"Najid," who lost his family members one after another, took the "Lion Fountain" as a safe haven for his soul. Whenever he got close to it, he imagined that there was a complete life beneath it—a vibrant life gathering people from the past and present, some he knew and others he did not. He would lie on his back, lift his eyes trying to direct his gaze into the basin, then move his head to press his ear against the marble ground until a security guard informed him of the necessity to get up and move away.

These features become evident in the text through a series of events experienced by the protagonist in the "past," which are summoned and expressed narratively through a hallucinatory and psychological state he lives in the "present." This is textually realized through hallucinations and internal dialogue, consciousness and unconsciousness, or diving into the turbulent inner self, culminating in the final lines of the novel where the author intensifies this vision and condenses it into the moment of revelation about "Najid," facing his psychiatrist, receiving treatment while on a sickbed, suffering from a disconnect from reality.

"I am Najid the obsessed, I am Sultan the self-tormentor, I am Hazem the whorehouse owner, I am Farqad the pimp, I am Liliana the soprano, I am Asil the adopted, I am the caring grandfather. This is what my psychiatrist, whom I was referred to for treatment following a bizarre attempted act against the lions, told me when he caught me embodying the author of this novel. I am Najid the writer."

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”