Flies

In the ksour, Flies are both a consequence of the desert weather and a recurring feature of the building’s daily routines. Blown indoors by the Chergui, they gather on the windows and buzz around the guests; staff respond with insecticide and brooms, killing and clearing them as the day’s preparations continue.

Driven Indoors by the Chergui

Overnight, the Chergui pushes temperatures to 115 degrees, and hundreds of gray flies collect on the insides of the windows to escape the heat. Their appearance signals the severity of the weather: the flies have come inside for shelter, while the windows are shut and the overhead fans are running. In the dining room, a German journalist swats at those buzzing around his head, making the insects an immediate nuisance even as they gather in greater numbers at the glass.

Extermination and Daily Work

The response is practical and repeated. Staff are ordered to kill the flies with aerosol insecticides. After another generation has been exterminated, the younger boys sweep the dead insects from beneath the windows, using long, solemn strokes before laying out the dinner table. The work links the flies’ recurrence to the ksour’s service routines: clearing them is one more task to complete before the evening meal.

A Recurring Presence in the Ksour

The flies return in the narrative as the boys prepare for dinner, while guests listen to music and talk in the library. Their removal does not make them disappear from the scene; the boys must sweep away another generation. This cycle places an ordinary nuisance alongside the elaborate hospitality of the ksour, where prepared tables, seafood, and service coexist with insects driven inside by the storm.