One of the most important means of preserving collective memory is the historical documentation of events, conflicts, facts, crises, and other issues related to the past. Since history and the events of which it consists is generally documented by those who possess the initiative, power, opportunity, and presence on the ground, a novel benefit from history being embedded in its literary project. Writers and literati have taken advantage of historical material in so far as it describes a variety of events, situations, and facts, all of which contribute to building a novel’s artistic dimension. The novel is a type of literature that possesses technical and aesthetic components that can be expandable, temporal, and phased, without affecting the structure through dislocation and sagging.

Many writers have adopted historical material in composing their artwork, and there are precise reasons why it can drive the creative path of the novelist, such as the following: Documenting the historical moment, reviving dead memories, preserving memory in all its forms, preserving individuals and groups, preventing generations from forgetting and falling over time, and revitalizing the emotion associated with an event. These works can revive the flow of emotions, making them an effective tool for dealing with and interacting with past and present issues and events, for preserving the cultural and national complexity of nations, and even for staying alive. History confirms life and existence, just as it confirms its own continuity and effectiveness, without which the human being is robbed of existence and effect, as if it were not mentioned at all. As well as reconstructing the collective historical memory and invigorating the present by repeating exploits, achievement, science, and knowledge, the benefit of history is that it is an uplifting thrill.

Literary skill is necessary to deal with the contrast between the scientific documentation of history and the fictional artistry of the novel. Literature in general, and fictional narration in particular, demonstrates its artistic presence through imagination and a stylistic dimension that is subject to plurality and interpretation, features that only weaken history and its reliance on documentation. Scientific discipline, statistics, and historical facts, are dismantled by the artistic imagination in the process of producing a literary text that draws upon history and science. Ibrahim Nasrallah's “Time of White Horses” is the novel of fictional historical memory par excellence. From its first pages, a number of witnesses who have been uprooted from their homeland and live in exile give vivid testimony of the details of their lives in Palestine. With a mastery of narration, Nasrallah succeeds in using history to preserve the collective memory and identity of the Palestinian Arab man. A handful of different historical relationships can be identified:

(A) History is identified in the title (Time of White Horses) by the word time, which inherently implies history, as well as by the period of time that the novelist seeks to evoke. This is specifically the time of the white horses, when the horses were a title, a freedom, and a firmness for their riders.

(B) History identifies with itself through the pure presence of real history.

(C) History is intertwined with events, which is what the novel achieves with its artistic breadth. It can include extended periods of time, which require many events appropriate to the time span.

(D) History is intertwined with space and time; we find that the author tries to combine place and history through his presentation of social customs and traditions associated with Palestinian villages, their places and times.

(E) History is intertwined with characters and events, which gives the historical documentation a deep credibility consistent with the writer's goal of making the text a historical document.