author
bey Omar al-Raschid
d. 1910
A German architect, scholar, and writer who later took the name Omar al Raschid Bey, he lived a remarkably unconventional life between St. Petersburg, Weimar, Istanbul, and Munich. His story blends philosophy, travel, reinvention, and a search for spiritual meaning.
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About the author
Born Friedrich Helwig Arnd in St. Petersburg in 1839, he trained as an architect and later studied philosophy. He went on to direct geographical institutes in Berlin and Weimar, building a career that joined practical learning with wide intellectual interests.
In 1886, after traveling to Istanbul with the novelist Helene Böhlau, he converted to Islam and took the name Omar al Raschid Bey. The two later settled in Munich, and his unusual life and relationships became part of the cultural world around Böhlau and their literary circle.
He also wrote under the name Arnd-Kürenberg and is associated with the philosophical work Das hohe Ziel der Erkenntnis; Arananda-Upanishad, which was published after his death. Although some library records give 1910, the biographical sources consulted for this overview state that he died in Munich on January 26, 1911.