Ghaylan decides to build the people a dam, to give them a reliable source of water and cure them of their superstitions, with disastrous results.[4][5] This novel is recognized for "the extreme elegance of its language,"[4] which is classical yet clear, as displayed in this work: "The high literary quality of Al-Sudd resides in its pristine clarity of expression, its stylistic echos of the Koran, and its skillful recuperation of Tunisian literary heritage."[5]