Essad Bey was born in 1905, his birth was registered in Kiev. He grew up in Baku. His father gained his wealth in the oil business. When the Russian Revolution broke out, both fled their home country and arrived 1921 in Berlin. Lev converted to Islam in 1922 and assumed the name Essad Bey. Before he died in Italy in 1942 at the age of 36 years, he'd written 16 books, among with are two novels under the pseudonym of Kurban Said, "Ali and Nino" and "The Girl from the Golden Horn". He also wrote countless articles for newspapers and many adventure stories for magazines.