Souvenirs de Roustam, mamelouck de Napoléon Ier Introduction et notes de Paul Cottin

A young boy torn from his family amid war in Armenia finds himself sold repeatedly across the Middle East, eventually taken to Cairo and drafted into the elite Mamluk corps. Under the patronage of a powerful sheikh, he travels to Mecca and, upon the French invasion of Egypt, encounters the rising general who offers him a place in his own service. The memoir opens with vivid scenes of desert forts, bustling bazaars, and the chaotic moment when the French fleet arrives, setting the stage for a remarkable cultural crossing.

From there, the narrator follows Napoleon from the siege of Acre to the bustling streets of Paris, becoming an intimate witness to the leader’s private life and early campaigns. He describes the bewildering blend of Eastern customs and French courtly intrigue, the generosity of the Consul‑General, and the challenges of adapting a warrior’s honor to a new world. Listeners get a rare, personal glimpse of the epoch‑shaping figure through the eyes of his loyal Mamluk guard.