Tales from Sumhuram

Every summer the Queen of Sheba used to visit the magically beautiful town of Sumhuram, in the territory of present-day Oman. For ages past it had been inhabited by genies, who were kind to human beings. In their stories, full of the aroma of frankincense and swarming with colour, music and dance, good contends with evil. Magic spells have enormous power, and the knowledge of how to employ them is by means exceptional.  


From there let us move to the shore of the Indian Ocean, where the legendary Sindbad used to sail. Leaving a lost city, let us wander out into the inhospitable desert and immerse ourselves in the tales that the Queen who enchanted King Solomon used to listen to at night.

Emire Khidayer was inspired by the legends, motifs and physical surroundings of Oman. The tales have been splendidly illustrated by David Ursiny. 


Emire Khidayer 

is a Slovak author writing about the REAL Arab world with all pros and cons. As a former Slovak diplomat and businesswoman she looks at it also with the eyes of a woman. With her non-fiction ‘The Arab World – Another Planet?‘ and ‘Life the Arab Way‘ she brings a realistic insight into Arab societies mirroring their thinking and behaving. All this based on her personal experience. Another book of hers is a collection of beautiful mystic stories ‘Tales from Sumhuram’ based on Omani inspirations. More on www.khidayer.com 


Dávid Ursiny

(born in 1978, Bratislava) studied illustration and book production. He illustrated the Indian epic ‘Bhagavadgita‘, selected works from ‘Dobsinsky fairy-tales‘, the fifth volume of the collection of ‘One Thousand and One Nights‘ and a part of the Bible. More on www.davidursiny.sk