In a time when Egypt walked a tightrope between hope and danger, this novel recounts the life of Abbas Hilmi II and his long struggle against the British occupation, a journey spanning fifty years of national awakening until 1945.
The novel reveals a human and historical aspect of the Khedive's life; how he attempted to support the national movement, encouraged the formation of political parties, and contributed to Egypt's cultural and scientific renaissance, including the establishment of the Egyptian University, at a time when the country was facing the influence and ongoing challenges of the occupation.
Throughout the narrative, history and symbolism intertwine in two striking dramatic threads:
The first takes place in the village of Kom El Nour, where a legendary hill rises. It is said that a ruler who glimpses sunlight upon it will never lose his rule, transforming the hill into a symbol of hope, legitimacy, and destiny.
The second thread returns to Abbas's childhood when he and his sister witnessed the circus acrobat, "Umm El Sha'our," walking steadily on a tightrope. This image would stay with him throughout his life, as if mirroring his own political journey: a man walking precariously between danger and peril. And survival, caught between homeland and occupier, without losing his balance.
It is a gripping historical novel that blends fact and fiction, reinterpreting a pivotal period in Egyptian history, where personal destiny intersects with the fate of an entire nation.
