Adel S (Said) Bishtawi was born in Nazareth, Palestine, in 1945. He read English Literature at Damascus University and attended a course in Linguistics at the Central London Polytechnic.

A journalist since the late 1960s, he became Front Page Editor of Al Arab Newspaper (London), the first pan Arab Newspaper launched in Europe. In 1978, he joined Jihad Al Khazin in launching Asharq Al Awsat Newspaper (London) as Business and Supplements Editor. In 1980, he was appointed Central Managing Editor of the Emirates News Agency in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In 1988, he joined Jamil Mrowa (who later re-launched the Daily Star in Beirut in 1996) in London for the re-launch of Al Hayat Newspaper and continued under the editorship of Jihad Al Khazin until he left in April 2001 to dedicate his time to historical and fictional writing.

The author co-produced a number of TV documentaries, and later produced, directed and wrote “Muslims along the Silk Road”, a five part-60-minutes-each documentary tracing Muslim culture and heritage and the legacy of Muslim pioneers and merchants along the Silk Road. He hosted for TV and interviewed for the press many world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Afghanistan President Hafizullah Amin (shortly before his execution with members of his family at the start of the Russian invasion of his country), Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, Malaysian Prime Minister Mhatir Muhammad, Pakistan President Mohammad Zial-ul-Haq, Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo, Austrian Chancellor Fred Sinowatz, Sheikh Issa Bin Salman Al Khalifa the Emir of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Thani the Emir of Qatar, Saad Al-Abdulla Al-Sabah the Prime Minister of Kuwait and many others.
 

As an author, his first works included several anthologies of short stories and a novella. The Andalusian Moriscoes: History of the Moriscoes after the Fall of Granada was published in Cairo in 1982. His first novel Traces of a Tattoo was published in 1998, his second (Times of Death and Roses) in 1999 and the third (Gardens of Despair) in 2000. Martyrdom of the Andalusian Nation (Part I) was released in 2001. In 2001-2002, he co-authored A Thousand Miles in One Step with HRH Prince Abdulla Bin Mosaad Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, a grandson of the founder of Saudi Arabia. History of Injustice in the Arab World was launched at Sharjah World Book Fair in December 2005. His most recent book, Manifest Destiny of Imperial Decline, came out in 2006.

    

    The writer has published hundreds of articles and interviews in Arabic and English. He appears regularly on TV shows, and he participates in conferences and seminars on history, literature, religion, economy and current affairs.

Origin of the Arabic Numerals

was completed with the participation of
Sammy Bishtawi, Daniel Bishtawi

Websites: Arabic http://www.creativityinwriting.com

English:  http://www.bishtawi.com