Fictionalization of History and Interpretation of the Image of Women in Amin Maalouf’s Novel Samarkand

This study examines the interaction between history and fiction in Amin Maalouf’s Samarkand, positioning the novel within the framework of historical fiction. It argues that Maalouf draws extensively on documented historical events and figures, particularly wars and political conflicts, while reshaping them through narrative techniques to construct a meaningful literary discourse. At the same time, the study emphasizes the inherent subjectivity of historical writing, which is inevitably influenced by ideological, cultural, and social perspectives. The paper demonstrates that Samarkand does not merely fictionalize historical reality but actively reworks it, transforming historical facts into symbolic representations. Through this process, Maalouf constructs myths of encounter and reconciliation, illustrating the author’s intellectual engagement with history and confirming the novel’s significance as a sophisticated fusion of historiography and literary imagination.