A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story

By Qais Akbar Omar

The surprising, stunning book that took the publishing world by storm: a coming-of-age memoir of unimaginable perils and unexpected joys, steeped in the rhythms of folk tales and poetry, that is as unforgettable as it is rare--a treasure for readers.
 
Qais Akbar Omar was born in Kabul in a time of relative peace. Until he was 7, he lived with his father, a high school physics teacher, and mother, a bank manager, in the spacious, garden-filled compound his grandfather had built. Noisy with the laughter of his cousins (with whom they lived in the typical Afghan style), fragrant with the scent of roses and apple blossoms, and rich in shady, tucked-away spots where Qais and his grandfather sat and read, home was the idyllic centre of their quiet, comfortable life.
 
But in the wake of the Russian withdrawal and the bloody civil conflict that erupted, his family was forced to flee and take refuge in the legendary Fort of Nine Towers, a centuries-old palace in the hills on the far side of Kabul. On a perilous trip home, Omar and his father were kidnapped, narrowly escaping, and the family fled again, his parents leading their 6 children on a remarkable, sometimes wondrous journey. Hiding inside the famous giant Bamiyan Buddhas sculpture, and among Kurchi herders, Omar cobbles together an education, learning the beautiful art of carpet-weaving from a deaf mute girl, which will become the family's means of support. Against a backdrop of uncertainty, violence and absurdity, young Qais Omar weaves together a story--and a self--that is complex, colourful, and profound.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9780307362704

Qais Akbar Omar

Qais Akbar Omar (whose first name is pronounced “Kice”) manages his family’s carpet business in Kabul and writes books. In 2007, he was a visiting scholar at the University of Colorado. He has studied business at Brandeis University and is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at Boston University. Omar has lectured on Afghan carpets in Afghanistan, Europe, and the United States. He is the coauthor, with Stephen Landrigan, of Shakespeare in Kabul.

Reviews for A Fort of Nine Towers

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would put this on my shelf right next to Malala's book. It's another true and even more incredible story of a boy's blissful life in Afghanistan before and under the Mujahadeen and the Taliban. Qais is a son of a very large Afghan family living all together in a splendid Kabul home, with special love for his grandfather and older cousin Wakeel. His father is a well-to-do carpet seller who thrived during the Russian occupation until the war of the warlords begins. In heartbreaking passages, neither Grandfather nor Wakeel live to tell their own tales.After an incredible refugee life all over Afghanistan fleeing the death and violence, including living in the head of a carved Buddha in the mountains and joining their goatherd cousins for a season, the book ends with Qais back in Kabul, now selling carpets of his own making, and training women and girls to do the same because the Taliban does not allow women out of the house.The book reads like a novel and it is just as remarkable a survivor's tale as Malala's. Five stars for writing and for courage.

[dubaireader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A powerful read.This book certainly packed a punch!An autobiographical story of a young boy's life in Afghanistan, from the final days of Communism, through civil war and the Mujahideen war lords, to the rise of the Taliban. His is a wealthy, well educated family, who must leave behind their home and wealth to escape the rocket attacks between neighbouring factions of the Mujahideen.They pile sixteen family members into the car and drive the five miles to a friend's house, known as the Fort of Nine Towers. This becomes their new home and the starting point for the many adventures they experience in their ultimate quest to escape from Afghanistan into a new life.This is a very close knit family and the love really shines through, in spite of the extreme situations they find themselves in. They are surrounded by a lot of cruelty and sadistic behaviour from the ruling powers, which at times can be harrowing to read about, let alone imagine living through.The Taliban the author describes are illiterate, unwashed and violent.Although I have read several books about Afghanistan at this time, most concentrate on the restrictions placed on women, so this was particularly interesting, coming from a male author and covering the problems from a male perspective.We discussed Fort of Nine Towers at our multicultural book group and it was an excellent discussion. One point that was raised however, that did make me think, was the question as to whether all this really happened to one man or if he may have included a few experiences from other friends or relatives. I'm on the fence with this question, but I can see why one might wonder....In spite of this, a truly powerful read, absolutely fascinating, this gripped me right to the end.Highly recommended.

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Qais Akbar Omar's tale of growing up in Afghanistan isn't the best written memoir I've read, but it had me engrossed throughout. Omar grew up in Kabul under the Soviet occupation. His father was a physics teacher at a high school and a partner in an Afghan carpet company. His mother worked in the bank. He lived with his family in his grandfather's compound; a large courtyard encompassing an apple orchard surrounded by the houses of the members of his extended family. His companions were his twenty-five cousins. Their comfortable life was blown apart when the Soviets withdrew, leaving the Mujahedin who had defeated them to splinter into factions and begin fighting each other. Their home is in a neighborhood regularly hit by missiles and bullets, and they live pinned in place until a temporary cease-fire allows them to escape across town, to the home of his father's business partner, once known as The Fort of Nine Towers, although only one tower now remains. But when the fighting targets their new refuge, Omar and his family flee to Mazar-e-Sharif, and when the war follows, they travel around Afghanistan, modern nomads looking for shelter. They spend a winter in the caves carved into the cliffs behind the Buddha statues of Bamyan, another season with the nomadic Kuchis, another with strangers who generously take them in, before they return to Kabul, only for the Taliban to arrive, ending the constant street battles, but bringing a new and insidious danger. This is a story of hope and resilience. Despite the horrific things that happened around them, and to them, Omar's family kept going, living as though there would be a future, even when there was no sign that anything would get better. Because of their travels around Afghanistan, this book also takes a look at some of the different cultures living in Afghanistan. The book ends when the Americans begin their bombing raids, when Omar is seventeen.

[madcurrin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’m not entirely sure what to do with myself after reading Qais Akbar Omar’s memoir, A Fort Of Nine Towers. He's not too much younger than me, I think, but has lived a completely different life, growing up in Afghanistan and seeing things no child should see. I want to go and find him, put my hand on his shoulder and say, “Brother, you have experienced the best and the worst of humanity, all while I thought my biggest problem was not having a larger screen television. You suffered outrageous physical and emotional pain while I was busy eating rich food and wringing my hands over how disappointing I thought the Star Wars prequels were. Thank you for telling your story - your people's story - and for reminding me how vital and strong the human spirit is.”This book is a window into the heartbeat of Afghanistan that will stay with me for a long, long time.