The Centennial Collection

This Centennial Collection celebrates the life and writings of Emily Ruete, born Sayyida Salme, one hundred years after her death in 1924. As the third book in the series, it includes accurate and easy-to-read translations of two of her later writings, along with several thoughtful essays from the translator and more than 50 photos and other images, some appearing in public for the first time. For those who have come to appreciate Sayyida Salme, this book enables a more complete study of her life and writings.

Sayyida Salme was born in 1844 as a princess on the island of Zanzibar, daughter of the great Omani Sayyid Said bin Sultan and his Circassian harem slave Djilfidan. Sayyida Salme is the first Arab woman to have published a book, after having secretly taught herself to write as a child. Her Memoirs of an Arabian Princess (book 1 in the series) tells the fascinating tale of her life in Zanzibar as an Omani princess, until she fell in love with a German merchant and fled the island. Her later Letters to the Homeland (book 2 in the series) continues the story of her very challenging life in Germany.

Hers was an unusual life. In choosing to follow her love, Sayyida Salme breached boundaries across color and culture lines, religions, countries, and hemispheres. In her journey from East to West, from Islam to Christianity, from royalty to poverty, she gained exceptional insights that remain relevant today. We are fortunate to have her own words from a time when few Arab women publicly shared their voice. Coming from her great-great-granddaughter, this Centennial Collection adds a personal touch to a life that continues to fascinate readers and scholars around the world today.

Let history surprise you; let her story inspire you - let her authentic voice speak to you.