It's the early part of the nineteenth century and the Arabian Peninsula and the waters surrounding it are ablaze. Piracy in the Gulf threatens global maritime trade routes while the Wahabbi strain of Islam is conquering followers town by town across the region. Britain, eager to reinforce its presence in the Middle East and protect the East India Company's ships, has a plan: send a man-of-war from England to quash the pirates while persuading Egypt to join an international alliance with Oman and Persia to fight the Wahabbis. At the center of it all lies a priceless Indian sword, a gift from the British monarch to the Egyptian Pasha. But Erhama bin Jaber, a historical figure and one of the most notorious pirates in the Gulf, has his own agenda and his own vendettas. When the Arabian corsair and his gang attack a ship carrying the sword, Britain's complex strategy goes terribly awry. As the pirates and British officials shuttle between ports throughout the region, plans and alliances are made and unmade as quickly as a rainstorm in the desert. In a grueling trudge across Arabia, an unlikely friendship is forged between Erhama's rebellious son and a British army major. This story of high-seas piracy and political intrigue, of unexpected kinship and personal betrayal, portrays the conflicting interests and human drama of these historic events in the Arabian Peninsula.

The debut novel by Qatari writer Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud, this work of historical fiction brings to life nineteenth-century corsair Erhama bin Jaber, and depicts the conflicting interests and human drama of Britain's fight against piracy and Wahabbism in the Gulf

About the Author
Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud is a Qatari engineer and journalist. He has a BA in engineering from Clarkson University in New York and an aviation and engineering diploma from the UK. He worked as editor-in-chief of Alsharq and The Peninsula newspapers as well as www.aljazeera.net. This is his first novel.

Reviews
A fine talent in the world of novel writing... Al Qursan succeeds in taking us back to the past... and herein lies the value and importance of the novel. -- Ibrahim Darwish Al Qods Al Arabi Engaging and entertaining Al Dostoor This is a remarkable debut novel and one that captures the spirit of an age with delicate mastery and great skills QF Telegraph Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud's Al Qursan reminded me of Yousef Zedan's Azazeel, which won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2009... I believe that Al Qursan should be awarded the same prize Al Arab Qatari writer Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud exquisitely relates an era of Gulf history in an outstanding and creative historical novel -- Yasser Al Zaater Al Arab (Al Qursan is a) formal and systematic analysis of the past by means of a narrative arc that is rich in characters and events as well as documents... all composed in a dramatic formula with rich vocabulary, an abundance of images and a wealth of meaning Al Nahaar What is remarkable about Al Qursan is that the author has brilliantly established a dramatic structure with great political awareness and an excellent historical mind without being spoiled by the intrusion of the narrator Aljazeera .net Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud's Al Qursan takes us to worlds bustling with action and excitement; amongst peninsulas, deserts and harbours where you can inhale the scents of people, spices from the eastern India company and the wine of the officers of the British navy. Al Arab '...the author has brilliantly established a dramatic structure with great political awareness and an excellent historical mind without being spoiled by the intrusion of the narrator' Aljazeera.net Aljazeera.net '...the author has brilliantly established a dramatic structure with great political awareness and an excellent historical mind without being spoiled by the intrusion of the narrator' Aljazeera.net Aljazeera.net the author has brilliantly established a dramatic structure with great political awareness and an excellent historical mind without being spoiled by the intrusion of the narrator Aljazeera.net



Book Information
ISBN 9789992194720
Author Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud
Format Paperback
Page Count 318
Imprint Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press
Publisher Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press
Weight(grams) 260g