Lofti Ibrahim Alshamakh [better]

"Why do you carve the inside of the stone, Master?" a young apprentice asked one day, watching Lofti smooth a section of the lattice that no one would ever see once the wall was complete. "The mortar will cover it."

Yusuf, the governor, stood silent for a long time. He watched a young girl reach out to touch a beam of light on the floor. He watched an old man lean back against the cool, porous stone, sighing in relief as the air circulated. lofti ibrahim alshamakh