Langdon asked, staring at Teabing in the back seat of the limousine. Is there a symbolic clue in Fleet Street? Until now, Teabing had been disturbingly secretive about the place where he believed they might find the "Knight's Tomb," where they would find the secret word to unlock the small cryptex according to the poem's lines. Teabing smiled, then turned to Sophie. "Miss Neveu, give this Harvard boy a second chance and let him examine the poem's lines once more, would you?" Sophie reached into her pocket, pulling out the black cryptex wrapped in goatskin parchment, as they all decided to leave the rosewood box and larger cryptex in the airplane's vault, carrying only the black cryptex, easier to handle and less conspicuous. Sophie unfolded the script and handed it to Langdon. Although Langdon had read the poem several times on the plane, he hadn't been able to deduce the exact location of the tomb. Now, as he began reading the words again, he absorbed them more carefully and slowly than before, hoping the pentameter would reveal a clearer meaning now that he was on land. "In London lies a knight whose burial the Pope regretted. His deeds brought upon him divine punishment. You seek the royal orb upon his tomb. Tell the story of a rosy body and a womb that carried a spirit in its heart." The words were quite simple. There is a knight buried in London. A knight who did something to anger the church. A knight whose tomb lacked an orb that should have been there. The final reference in the poem—the rosy body and womb carrying a spirit in its heart—was to mean Mary Magdalene the rose who bore Christ's seed. Despite the poem's clarity, Langdon still had no clue about the knight's identity or place of burial. Even if they managed to find the tomb, they were still searching for something missing. The orb that should be atop the grave? In a mysterious atmosphere, Professor Langdon, a Harvard expert on religious symbols, searches for the secret of the message Sophie's grandfather left behind Leonardo Da Vinci's painting "Madonna of the Rocks," which was another link in a series of connected symbols, as Sophie's grandfather Saunière was deeply enamored with the enigmatic and absurd side of Leonardo Da Vinci. At the same time, Professor Langdon had a keen interest in religious symbols, and deciphering them, his books on religious drawings and symbology had made him a well-known figure in the art world, garnering significant presence and reputation, especially after being involved in an incident in the Vatican, which took on such publicity that it piqued the interest of the art community greatly. Langdon and Sophie embark on a research journey through the streets of Rome, stopping at its cathedrals, then passing through Paris, pausing at the Louvre Museum in an exciting quest to uncover the mystery of Sophie's grandfather's message, which opened doors to discovering the secret of the immortal knight in a poem within that message, all within a thrilling police style distinguished by Dan Brown's writing style in his detective stories. It can be said that "The Da Vinci Code" transcends the thrilling detective novel in many stages, as it is wrapped in intriguing mysteries based on riddles. It captivates the reader tremendously, following the details of that novel with more enjoyment and fascination. Finally, it is worth noting that this novel has been translated into more than 50 languages and over 8 million copies printed, confirming Nelson DeMille's statement "Dan Brown is one of the best, smartest, and most brilliant writers in the country. The Da Vinci Code surpasses the thrilling detective novel in many stages, truly a pure genius."

• Publishing house: الدار العربية للعلوم/لبنان
• Number of Pages : 494
• Year of publication : 2004