Ibrahim Nasrallah’s Time of White Horses is a sweeping historical epic that captures the resilience, suffering, and unyielding spirit of the Palestinian people across generations. Set against the backdrop of Ottoman rule, British colonialism, and the devastating events of the Nakba,
The sun rose over the rolling hills of Palestine, bathing the land in golden light. Hajj Mahmud stood at the edge of his village, his gaze sweeping over the olive groves and wheat fields that had nourished his people for generations. He was a man of quiet strength, known for his wisdom and courage. But on this day, his heart burned with anger. The Ottoman tax collectors were coming, and they would demand what the villagers could not afford to give.
The soldiers arrived with an air of entitlement, their heavy boots kicking up the dust of a land that was not theirs. They demanded grain, olives, and livestock—levies so crushing that they left families starving. Mahmud, flanked by his fellow villagers, stepped forward.
“We have given enough,” he said firmly. “We will not be robbed any longer.”
The lead officer sneered. “Then you will pay with your freedom.”
But Mahmud had anticipated this. At his signal, the villagers stood their ground, brandishing farming tools turned into weapons. Faced with such defiance, the Ottomans hesitated. They were used to submission, not resistance. Though the soldiers eventually retreated, Mahmud knew their defiance had marked him as a man to be watched—a man to be crushed.
Not long after, a more personal threat arrived. A group of Ottoman soldiers, emboldened by their masters, came for Mahmud’s most prized possession: his white horse, a creature as strong and untamed as the spirit of the land itself. It was more than just an animal—it was a symbol of dignity, freedom, and the legacy of his ancestors. When they reached for the reins, Mahmud did not hesitate. A fight erupted, fists and blades clashing under the burning sun. Blood stained the ground before the soldiers finally retreated, humiliated. But Mahmud knew this victory came at a cost. The empire would not forget.
The British Betrayal
Years passed, and the world shifted. The Ottoman Empire crumbled, and with its fall came the British, promising order and fairness. The villagers dared to hope, but their hope was short-lived. The British, it turned out, were no different from the Ottomans. Their laws favored foreign settlers, their promises empty words masking a growing betrayal.
It was Mahmud’s son, Khaled, who first discovered the treachery. One evening, he returned to the village with fire in his eyes. “They’ve sold our land,” he announced, his voice tight with fury. “The British and their agents—traitors among our own—they’ve sold it to the Zionists.”
The village erupted in anger. The land was their lifeblood, their history. Without it, they were nothing. Led by Khaled, the men rode out to confront those who had stolen from them. They burned supply depots, sabotaged British convoys, and fought to reclaim what was theirs. But the British had guns, laws, and an army at their backs. When the villagers resisted, they were met with bullets and prison cells.
Khaled, now a young warrior like his father before him, became the face of the resistance. With every battle, his legend grew. The villagers whispered his name like a prayer, a symbol of defiance against the foreign hand that sought to erase them. But war is not kind to the righteous. For every victory, there was a loss. For every fire they set, there was a home burned in retaliation. Still, Khaled fought on, unwilling to bow.
The Nakba: The Day Everything Changed
By 1948, the land trembled under the weight of war. The Zionist militias had grown ruthless, their mission clear—to take Palestine by force. The British, once rulers, now watched from afar, their betrayal complete. And then, the unthinkable happened. The militias came for the village.
They arrived in the dead of night, armed with weapons far superior to anything Khaled and his men possessed. The first explosions tore through homes, sending stone and fire into the sky. Mothers clutched their children, their screams swallowed by the roar of gunfire. Khaled, astride one of the last remaining white horses, led a desperate charge. He and his men fought like lions, but they were outnumbered, outgunned. One by one, his comrades fell.
The white horses, those symbols of strength and freedom, were slaughtered, their bodies left to rot as a warning. Khaled, wounded but unyielding, refused to leave his people behind. But when his mother pressed a trembling hand to his face, whispering through tears, “Save yourself, my son,” he knew what he had to do.
He turned his horse toward the enemy one last time, galloping into the fire and smoke, his heart pounding like a war drum. And then, silence. When the sun rose, the village was no more. The survivors, Khaled’s mother among them, fled toward the refugee camps, carrying with them the ashes of their past and the weight of their loss.
Yet, even in their exile, the legend of Khaled and his white horse endured. The story of their defiance spread beyond the hills, beyond the ruins, whispered in refugee tents and across generations. It was a reminder that though their land had been stolen, their spirit never would be.
And so, the time of white horses did not end—it lived on, galloping through the hearts of those who refused to forget.
Themes and Analysis
The novel addresses several central themes:
- Connection to the Land: The characters’ profound bond with their land symbolizes the intrinsic relationship between identity and territory in Palestinian culture.
- Resilience and Resistance: The story showcases the endurance of Palestinians in the face of adversity, reflecting their continuous struggle for survival and dignity.
- Colonial Impact: By depicting the effects of Ottoman and British rule, the novel examines the broader implications of colonialism on indigenous populations.
- Generational Legacy: The intergenerational narrative emphasizes the transmission of cultural values, memories, and the enduring spirit of resistance.
