Cities of Salt Books in Order

Cities of Salt (Arabic: مدن الملح, Mudun al-Milh) is a petrofiction quintet first published in Lebanon in 1984, chronicling the transformative and destructive effects of oil discovery on an Arabian oasis community and its traditional way of life. Only the first three of the five original Arabic volumes have been translated into English (by Peter Theroux); the fourth and fifth remain untranslated.

Publication order

In the order the books were originally released.

  1. Cover of Cities of Salt

    Cities of Salt

    1984 · Abdulrahman Munif

    Cities of Salt is a 1984 book by Abdulrahman Munif. It is book 1 of the series Cities of Salt.

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  2. Cover of The Trench

    The Trench

    1985 · Abdulrahman Munif

    The Trench is a 1985 book by Abdulrahman Munif. It is book 2 of the series Cities of Salt.

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  3. Cover of Variations on Night and Day

    Variations on Night and Day

    1989 · Abdulrahman Munif

    The final volume of Abdelrahman Munif's Cities of Salt trilogy chronicles the creation of a fictional Persian Gulf nation, Mooran, in the 1930s,…

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Frequently asked questions

What order should I read the Cities of Salt books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with “Cities of Salt”. Start with “Cities of Salt.”

How many books are in the Cities of Salt series?

We list 3 books by Abdulrahman Munif , published between 1984–1989.

Where can I buy the Cities of Salt books?

Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.