An extraordinary novel about the making of modern Iran, already a bestseller in Europe
It is the 19th century and the kingdom of Persia is at a turning point. When a young King, Shah Naser, takes to the throne he inherits a medieval, enchanted world. But beyond the court, the greater forces of colonization and industrialisation close in. The Shah’s grand vizier sees only one solution–to open up to the outside world, and to bring Persia into modernity. But the Shah’s mother fiercely opposes the vizier’s…
