Tintin Forums

Yep, that's right, and if so that's the way Tintin is taken by Bab El Ehr, from Khemikal down to the desert via Hasch Abaibabi (hush-a-bye-baby!) and finally to Wadesdah. I think it makes perfect sense!


To the north I would say. Probably via the "panhandle" (which is an expression used in describing similar geography in parts of some American states, like Texas) and Khemikal. Judging from all the things both Abdallah brought to Europe - Belgium if you ask me :-) - and the Emir to the hideout, they seem to have a lot of time to leave the country. And according to Red sea Sharks (like the glimpse of the newspaper on page 14), Bab El Ehr actually doesn't control all of Khemed, initially concentrating on Wadesdah.


I don't think Hergé left any clues on this issue.


Since The Red Sea Sharks was serialized in the Tintin magazine from late 1956 to early 1958, the inspiration - if any - must have been the other way 'round :-)



...page 19...


I would rather say between Khemikal and the oil fields, since the Thompsons also started their trip in Khemikal (and finally crashed into the mosque in Hasch Abaibabi

Mikael Uhlin

I'd forgotten that Red Sea Sharks was as early as the 1950's period of the Tintin books, i'd wrongly decided that it was early-mid 60's, so of course as you say the North Yemen Civil War could never have been an inspiration for Khemed's coup d'etat in Red Sea Sharks.

I also think the town of "Tel Al Oued" makes much more sense as you say being between Khemikal and the oil fields in the north of Khemed, as this does fit the comical desert journey of the Thompson's from Khemikal in to the desert in Land Black Gold.
Assuming of course that Khemikal Port is set in the north and on the Mediterranean.

Like you, i also always think of Moulinsart Chateau as in Belgium, even though i was brought up on the English books and Marlinspike, these English translations changing locations and geography has always really annoyed me, especially references in the English books that completely confuse the story, or contradict the series books order!

Regarding the "panhandle" through the oil fields of Khemed on Herge's map, i agree with your suggestion that this should lead up north to Khemikal Port on the Mediterranean.
This all more neatly fits the British Mandate Palestine of the early 1940's-50's Land Black Gold, but is less obvious in the newly defined Khemed Emirate of the 1970's Land Black Gold.
I only hope that inbetween these two editions, Herge hadn't changed Khemikal Port to the Suez Gulf coast of western Khemed, and so close to Wadesdah, although i think this is still possible, especially as although Wadesdah is coastal (on Herge's Khemed map) that doesn't have to make it a main port.
The map leaves this question open, doesn't it?
But for me, Khemikal Port works in all the stories so much better as a Mediterranean port.

I'm not actually sure as i write this (without referencing the books at length) if Khemikal Port is even mentioned in Red Sea Sharks?

No, Khemikal isn't mentioned in Red Sea Sharks. It first appeared in the 1970's version of Land of Black Gold. So, when that map was drawn, it's almost certain that the panhandle led up to the Mediterranean (where Haïfa is situated). And as for the names on the map, there is in fact one descriptive name of the port close to Wadesdah (port pétrolier) and six or seven suggestions for its name: Zahaalab, Ihnnacash, Ikemkah, Hashe Elem/Ash Elem, Heïnakah and Port Phertoum. I think all or most of these names are word puns in Marol, even though I can't decipher them. Some were never used again, while Hergé returned to others when creating the final version of Land of Black Gold in the 1970s, naming the port Khemkâh (Khemikal in the English version) and the resident town of the Emir (which is nameless in the version from 1950) Hasch el Hemm (Hasch Abaibabi). This last place can't be regarded a port nor even situated on a coast, even if two similar names are found on the map.

If Khemkâh/Khemikal is situated close to Wadesdah on the western coast, it means that Speedol Star in the Land of Black Gold somehow entered the Red Sea. It also means that Tintin's route in Land of Black Gold starts and stops in the same region via a trip to the oil fields and back. And if so, why did Hergé bother to invent Khemkâh/Khemikal at all? Then it would have been easier just to transfer the whole story (except for the trip to the oil fields and back) to Wadesdah, which already in the version from 1950 was said to lay on the coast.

Sorry to come in late, but to go back to the original question of who may have provided the inspiration for the emir (I believe nobody has answered this properly yet)...

May I offer up Michael Farr's opinion in The Complete Companion (I think he's also mentioned this in talks he's given) that the model for the emir was likely Ibn Saud, the first monarch of Saudi Arabia (also known as King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia). In Companion, Farr says that a biography of Saud published 1934 - Roi de l'Arabie" ("Ibn Saud, King of Arabia") - gave Hergé a number of ideas and a direct model for Ben Kalish Ezab.

King Saud began with the reconquest of his family's ancestral home city of Riyadh in 1902 and following a number of conflicts with other rivals had conquered most of central Arabia by 1925, uniting his dominions into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. And like the emir, King Saud presided over the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938 and the beginning of oil exploitation in the country.

Interestingly, Farr mentions that Saud made an agreement with Britain's Standard Oil for the exploitation rights to oil in the region (mirroring the emir's Arabex contract). Actually, Standard Oil was an American Company and the entry on King Saud in Wikipedia mentions that this agreement was made much to Britain's dismay, since Britain had helped fund Saud's rise to power and they were hoping for rights to the oilfields in return.

Although unconfirmed, the Wiki entry also states that King Saud had 22 wives and 37 sons. Now, can you imagine the emir having 37 sons all like Abdullah? It doesn't bear thinking about!

37 Abdullahs ?????? By the end of "Red Sea Sharks", Marlinspike would have been more of a ruined building than after Calculus' experiments by the end of "Black Gold".

Harrock n roll

Yes, i've read that Ibn Saud (King Abdul Aziz) could well have been the inspiration for Emir Mohammed Ben Kalish Ezab too, and the physical likeness is certainly there, he really does fit the look, before even considering all the other clues.

There are many other comparisons and similarities too between 1940's-60's Khemedite Arabia and 1930's-50's Saudi Arabia too.
Khemed's rivalry and civil war between the "Al-Khemed" Emir and Sheikh Bab El Ehr almost parallels the rivalry and civil wars between the Al-Saud Emir's of Najd and the Al-Rashid (Rasheed) Emir's of Ha'il in the 1800's-1900's.
The British involvement in Arabia in the 1920's, and the oil discovery and exports of the 1930's-50's is also very applicable.
Khemedite Arabia really does parallel Saudi Arabia in so many ways the more you look at it.

Interestingly the former titles of the Al-Saud Kings were Emirs (and Sultan) of Najd, before the defeat of the Sharif's of Mecca (King of Hijaz) in 1920's, and the unification of Najd and Hijaz in 1926, and then the creation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
I believe the title of Emir of Najd later changed to Sultan of Najd on the defeat of the Al-Rashid's (1902 or 1921 war?) and the elevation of the Al-Saud's as both Emir's of Najd and Ha'il, or maybe it was from 1926-32 between conquering Hijaz and creating the internationally recognised Kingdom?

I agree that Ibn Saud is the most likely and fitting inspiration for Khemed's Emir, and makes as much sense as the young King Faisal II of Iraq being the inspiration for Khemed's Prince Abdullah.

I too have read the same or similar regarding Ibn Saud's many wives and sons, as well as countless daughters too.
Given the social and cultural marriage norms of the region and the times, and with the addition of Khemed's Emir's "Harem" reference in Alph-Art, it would be most probable that he would have more children than just his Heir Prince Abdullah.
But other than this speculation, unfortunately Herge did not confirm this interesting detail, or to our knowledge leave any other clues.

Another interesting curiosity that occurred to me is the normal practice of Arabic family names, and sons being named "Bin" (or "Ben" in Khemed!) between their own first name, and then followed by their fathers name.
Taking this norm, and looking at the names of Emir Mohammed Ben Kalish Ezab (Al-Khemed), it would be usual in this example for "Kalish" to have been his father's name.
Following this tradition and regional norm, it would follow that Prince Abdullah would be named "Abdullah Ben Mohammed".
Taken literally, i would also assume that "Ezab" could either be a grandfathers name or more fittingly part of the same name as "Kalish Ezab" (as with "Ibn Saud" or "Abdul Aziz").

Yes, it all makes sense! And like I wrote before, the French names - Arabie Khemedite and Arabie Saoudite - are practically the final clues.

Mikael Uhlin

Referring back to the locations of the town of "Tel Al Oued" and the oasis of "Bir El Ambik" you mention from Land of Black Gold.

I've followed up this reference in my English Land Black Gold, and on page.19, panel.7, i found the town renamed for the English edition as "Tel El Esdi".
I'm assuming the "Tel Al Oued" reference is in the original French (or is it also in your Swedish) edition?

Interestingly, regarding the "Oasis of Bir El Ambik" mentioned too in an earlier post, i just can not find this in my English edition.
Although the oasis scene is obviously there, and referred to as "the oasis", and i think is unnamed (unless i'm missing it somewhere)?

Did you mean the oasis of pages 23-24, or the "well" referred to on page.21, in panel.2?
As in my English edition this "well" is referred to in conversation between Sheikh Bab El Ehr and his tribesman/servant as "The Well of Bir Kegg"!?
As there appears some similarity in names between "Bir El Ambik" and "Bir Kegg", i wonder if we are both meaning the same thing with this "well" and "oasis" confusion?
Do the pages and panels i mention correspond in your books?

Yes, that's the one. It's Tel Al Oued in French and Swedish - but it's Tel Al Manakh in the Dutch version (which I own). I'm not sure but I think there's a hidden wordplay in the French original, as in Tel El Esdi (LSD) and Tel Al Manakh (almanach).


I was referring to the well on page 21. "Oasis" was merely a bad translation by me. Sorry. In this case, the names of the well actually refers to beer since Bir El Ambik is a variation of "bière lambic", a Belgian beer, while Bir Kegg is a beer keg.

In the Petit Vingtieme-version from the late 1930s, the town was called Tel Oued while the well was Bir Nouak.

My guess is that it’s a play on “allouette”, the French for “lark” in English. It’s the name of a popular children’s game-song, so my guess is that’s what Hergé was using as inspiration.