The village of Halila is located on the right bank of the Tigris River, east of the city of Mosul, the center of Nineveh Governorate. Its people are kind, working in raising buffalo and cultivating crops on the riverbank, while others cast their fishing nets in the evening and return the next morning to find what fish, bushes, and debris the wondrous current has brought in.

One morning, those who cast their nets in the river were surprised by the body of a drowned person that had been swept away by the river and got caught in the nets. The villagers were bewildered about what to do. They finally decided to go to the mosque's sheikh and ask for his ruling. The venerable sheikh told them: 'Bury the drowned person in our village cemetery, then spread the news of his drowning among the people so that everyone knows of the incident.'

Many long years passed, and no one came asking about the mysterious victim to this day. His grave became a landmark for anyone looking for a lost place or an unknown corner... And then came my novel, 'River of Emperors'.

• Author: Ibrahim Suleiman Nader
• Publisher: Fadaat Publishing House
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Number of Pages: 110