Francisco Rivas was born in Andalusia twenty-four years ago. A devout Catholic, however he knows the Arab culture and world well, and is Sector Director for Islamic World and Religious Issues at the Geopolitical Association GIN (International Geopolitics).

The decision to write a novel about the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa is due not only to the opportunity of its eighth centenary, but also to try to unravel the keys to what was one of the most important moments of the Middle Ages for Spain, Europe and North African Islam.