Mubarak Al-Sabah Mubarak finally died on November 28, 1915 due to an attack of malaria aggravated by his bad heart. After Mubarak's death his son Jaber II Al-Sabah ascended to the throne without any problems and when Jaber died his brother Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah took over. Since then to the present day all of Kuwait's rulers have been direct descendants of Mubarak through his two sons. Mubarak's skillful diplomacy and manipulation of the Ottomans and British strengthened his powerbase ensuring Kuwait's eventual independence. Mubarak's interference in tribal affairs and the example he made of himself destabilized the region in that it eventually
The Years of Rice and Salt "The Age of Great Progress", is set during the 19th century and begins during a war between the Ottoman Empire and the Indian state of Travancore. The Indians have previously defeated the Mughals and the Safavids and have developed more modern forms of warfare, emphasising surprise and mobility, they have also invented steam engines and ironclad warships which they sail straight to the city of Konstantiniyye and capture it with the aid of military balloons. The Ottomans are defeated easily. A Muslim Armenian doctor named Ismail ibn Mani al-Dir, who had served the Ottoman Sultan, is captured and sent to