Caliph Vathek the ruler in fabulous Baghdad, and its extended Empire, the Middle East and Africa...Grandson of the illu…Caliph Vathek the ruler in fabulous Baghdad, and its extended Empire, the Middle East and Africa...Grandson of the illustrious Harun al -Rashid, but not his equal to say the least, from the Arabian Nights fame (this is fiction, folks , with only a very vague resemblance to a real man, so don't bother to look him up on Wikipedia). Being the 9th century, the Caliph has absolute power, also an evil eye, deadly when angered as a lot of his poor victims discovered much too late. Nobody looks at Vathek's fearsome eye, when the Caliph is in a very bad mood, for long... and lives. Five magnificent palaces he has built for his many amusements, full of exotic, expensive toys. A colossal tower to reach the heavens is erected, just for Vathek , so he can study the distant, perplexing stars... he needs amusement, the tallest in the world, at great cost to his impoverished and oppressed subjects. Most nights looking up at the mysterious dark sky and becomes a capable astronomer, the royal man, while the people below suffer because of the very high taxes. Still the Caliph spends money at a tremendous rate, his subjects hate him but keep their tongues quiet, too many have been silenced, butchered not to do otherwise. The easily bored, plainly wicked Vathek has a new bright city, Samarah, on the arid desert, established, who would refuse the command. Nevertheless his numerous wives fail to make him happy, still things change when a stranger arrives, the man though... maybe the ugliest on Earth... However he has unknown, enormous, demonic powers. The Caliph is given a stupendous saber, with carved words on it which are different every day, by the sinister stranger from India, Giaour (infidel). Yet they can't be read by the tyrant, the languages are unintelligible , Vathek cruel mother, …