A Story of Love, Legacy, and a Nation in the Making

Set along the Red Sea coast in early twentieth-century Arabia, Two Kingdoms and a Republic is a sweeping historical novel that brings the city of Jeddah to vivid life as it stands at the crossroads of empire, tradition, and transformation.

Told through the eyes of Mustaham, a boy born into a world of shifting borders and rising hopes, the novel traces his journey from orphaned child to thoughtful young man. Raised by his grandparents in a city alive with scholars, merchants, diplomats, and fishermen, Mustaham comes of age as Saudi Arabia begins to take shape. Along the way, he forms a powerful bond with Amanda, a French teacher whose friendship defies convention and crosses cultural boundaries.

From coral-stone homes and narrow souqs to diplomatic salons and wartime radio broadcasts, this novel spans continents and decades of political and emotional change. With lyrical prose and richly textured detail, Naif Farouk Bahri brings to life a bygone world where the rhythm of the sea, the strength of kinship, and the longing for nationhood intertwine to shape a timeless story of resilience, self-discovery, and belonging.