Naguib Mahfouz books in order
Egyptian writer
- Lived
- 1911–2006
- Country
- Republic of Egypt
- Books
- 47
- Series
- 1
Naguib Mahfouz published 30 novels, 8 novellas, 6 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 1 other book, beginning with Palace Walk (1956). The series is Cairo Trilogy (3 books, starting with Palace Walk). The best-known is Children of Gebelawi (1967).
Updated September 2026
Cairo Trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Palace Walk (1956) · 2 Palace of Desire (1957) · 3 Sugar Street (1957)
- 1.
Palace Walk (1956)
- 2.
Palace of Desire (1957)
- 3.
Sugar Street (1957)
Where to start with Naguib Mahfouz
Start here
Children of Gebelawi
Naguib Mahfouz's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Khufu's Wisdom (1939)
Rhadopis of Nubia (1943)
Thebes at War (1944)
Cairo Modern (1946)
Midaq Alley (1947)
The Thief and the Dogs (1961)
Zaabalawi (1961)
Autumn Quail (1962)
The Beggar (1965)
Adrift on the Nile (1966)
Children of Gebelawi (1967)
Miramar (1967)
The Mirage (1967)
Khan El-Khalili (1968)
Love Under the Rain Clouds (1973)
The Crime (1973)
The Harafish (1977)
Arabian Nights and Days (1979)
Wedding Song (1981)
Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth (1985)
The Beginning and the End (1985)
Respected Sir (1986)
Naguib Mahfouz, One-act Plays, 1 (1989)
Mirrors (1999)
Morning and Evening Talk (2007)
Final Hour (2010)
Tablet & Pen (2010)
Novellas in order
The Search (1964)
Karnak Café (1974)
Heart of the Night (1975)
Stories from Our Neighbourhood (1975)
In the Time of Love (1980)
The Journey of Ibn Fattouma (1983)
The Day the Leader Was Killed (1985)
The Coffeehouse (1988)
Short story collections in order
God's World (1973)
Modern Egyptian Short Stories (1977)
The Time and the Place and Other Stories (1990)
Voices from the Other World (2002)
The Dreams (2004)
The Seventh Heaven (2005)
Non-fiction in order
Echoes of an Autobiography (1995)
Naguib Mahfouz at Sidi Gaber (2001)
Other books in order
Naguib Mahfouz Al - Sukkariya Trio ثلاثية نجيب محفوظ السكرية قصر الشوق بين القصرين مجموعة 3 كتب (2014)
Film and TV adaptations
- Midaq Alley (1995)Film · from Midaq Alley
- Chased by the Dogs (1962)Film · from The Thief and the Dogs
- Chitchat on the Nile (1971)Film · from Adrift on the Nile
- Karnak (1975)Film · from Karnak Café
About Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described him as a writer "who, through works rich in nuance – now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous – has formed an Egyptian narrative art that applies to all mankind".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Naguib Mahfouz FAQ
- How many books has Naguib Mahfouz written?
- Naguib Mahfouz published 30 novels, 8 novellas, 6 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Naguib Mahfouz's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Cairo Trilogy with Palace Walk. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Naguib Mahfouz's last book?
- Morning and Evening Talk (2007).
- What is Naguib Mahfouz's most famous book?
- Children of Gebelawi (1967) is Naguib Mahfouz's most widely read book.
- Are Naguib Mahfouz's books connected?
- 3 books belong to 1 series (Cairo Trilogy); the other 44 books stand alone.
- Which Naguib Mahfouz books have been adapted?
- 4 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Midaq Alley (film, 1995), The Thief and the Dogs (as Chased by the Dogs, film, 1962), Adrift on the Nile (as Chitchat on the Nile, film, 1971) and Karnak Café (as Karnak, film, 1975).
Authors like Naguib Mahfouz
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.