“Many history books lay forgotten on our library shelves, abandoned for fear of dying of boredom due to their academic narrative style, which appeals only to those who have a passion for it. Despite the inherent excitement and enjoyment in uncovering the past and analyzing its events, whether concerning specific individuals or entire societies, the manner in which the information is presented often extinguishes any interest in exploring these books. As a result, they are left untouched until they wither away.

I deliberately avoided this approach in narrating the events of this book. The historical events mentioned within its pages are woven into a different fabric than usual, unfolding within a literary framework resembling a novel. The story begins with “Youssef”, an engineer who left the field of engineering to pursue his passion for what is known as the Fixer Upper profession. This involves buying old houses and apartments, renovating them, and adding modern touches to their infrastructure or furnishings. Youssef enjoys doing this with the help of his dedicated team. One day, he gets an opportunity to inspect an old villa for sale through a real estate agent in the Zamalek area.

There, he discovers a forgotten archive room beneath the office floor, filled with old paintings, artifacts, and belongings of the villa’s previous owner. Among the room’s contents, he finds an old gramophone and a box containing several records labeled “”Top Secret.”” Curiosity grips Youssef, and he tries one of the records, only to find a voice narrating how they had a mysterious means that allowed them to witness historical events firsthand. This is what the person recounts in the stories recorded on those records.”