Henri de Monfried is inextricably linked to the Red Sea and the raffish ports between Suez and Aden in the early years of the twentieth century. This book is an account of how de Monfried becomes a collector and merchant of the fabled Gulf pearls, and is drawn into the shadowy world of arms trading, slavery, smuggling and drugs.



Nobleman, writer, adventurer and inspiration for the swashbuckling gun runner in the Adventures of Tintin, Henri de Monfried lived by his own account ‘a rich, restless, magnificent life’ as one of the great travellers of his or any age. Infamous as well as famous, his name is inextricably linked to the Red Sea and the raffish ports between Suez and Aden in the early years of the twentieth century. This is a compelling account of how de Monfried seeks his fortune by becoming a collector and merchant of the fabled Gulf pearls, then is drawn into the shadowy world of arms trading, slavery, smuggling and drugs. Hashish was the drug of choice, and de Monfried writes of sailing to Suez with illegal cargos, dodging blockades and pirates.