11 openly declaring his destination might bar him from entering Turkey, as the difficulties faced by Jean-Baptiste Fabre(*) and other envoys on Turkish soil lingered in memory. There is no need to recount Mohammad Reza Bey’s adventures in Turkey in great detail. Suffice it to say that, despite his utmost caution, the Turks grew suspicious of him time and again. Eventually, they arrested and imprisoned him. He secured his release by claiming to be a mere pilgrim en route to Mecca. The Turkish authorities, accepting his story, placed him aboard a ship bound for the pilgrimage. Mohammad Reza Bey managed to escape (*) See al-Qasimi, Sultan bin Muhammad. (2022). The Audicious. Sharjah, al-Qasimi Publications.
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