Palace Walk

The brothers gather on the roof and study the English soldiers. The family seems trapped in their home. Yasin is particularly annoyed by this, as he wants to go out and get drunk. He is appalled that he has been forced to spend the night in the company of his wife. When he goes up to the roof, he notices his wife’s servant, Nur, and feels overcome by sexual desire. He makes sexual advances toward Nur, who tells him to feel ashamed but eventually agrees to go with him to her bedroom. They have sex, then Yasin hears his wife’s voice. Zaynab catches Yasin naked in Nur’s room and shouts at her servant and husband. Yasin is horrified by the consequences of his actions.

The next day, al-Sayyid Ahmad is told that the English soldiers will only take action against the protestors. Al-Sayyid Ahmad is more concerned about events inside his house, for Zaynab’s loud complaints about her husband’s affair have caused chaos. Al-Sayyid Ahmad accepts that Yasin should not have had sex with a servant like Nur, but he privately wishes that Zaynab would stop complaining. The rest of the family tries not to get involved, and Zaynab leaves the house to return to her father’s home.