In the exotic labyrinth of Cairo, a highly sought-after secret is guarded by a lethal ancient tradition.
Sax Rohmer, the creator of the sinister Fu Manchu, transports the reader to the sun-drenched, shadowy backstreets of the Near East in The Breath of Allah.
The story centers on a narrator, a Westerner in disguise, who is commissioned by a powerful London consortium to unravel the secret formula of a legendary Oriental perfume known as the "Breath of Allah." This rare and priceless fragrance is the exclusive, hereditary property of an ancient and aristocratic Egyptian family, and its manufacture is a closely guarded secret, surrounded by myth and tradition.
The quest for the formula leads the narrator to a hidden Cairo perfumer and eventually to an old man who reveals the truth behind the scent: its creation is not merely chemistry, but a magical ritual involving a ceremonial distillation that must begin precisely at midnight on the eve of the Prophet's birthday, with each essence blessed by an Imam. The perfume is not just a commercial product; it is tied to an ancient, powerful family secret stretching back to the time of the Khalif.
The story is a tense exploration of occult secrets, Eastern mysticism, and the danger faced by a Westerner attempting to steal a sacred secret, transforming a simple commercial espionage mission into a perilous confrontation with Arabic magic and tradition.