I was born to a lovely Slovak mother and a passionate Iraqi father in 1971 and this was from a true love. I studied Arabic and Islamic studies together with English translation and interpretation at the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, where I completed my PhD.
my diplomatic career
I was the first woman in Slovak diplomacy for the Middle East, I worked there for ten years. I worked as a diplomat in Egypt (1997-2000), where I covered bilateral Slovak-Egyptian, Sudanese and Yemeni relations and at the same time multilateral relations within the League of Arab States. The result of my activities in the field of education opened up the way to Slovak language teaching at Ayn Shams University in Cairo.
For three years I seasonally opened Consulates of the Slovak Republic in Kuwait where I was the Head of Mission. Based on my working results in political, commercial and cultural-educational fields the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kuwait was opened. Among other assumed duties were expeditions of archeological teams – Slovaks on the Kuwaiti island of Failaka and Kuwaitis in the Slovak archeological location in Liptovská Mara.
After the US invasion of Iraq the Slovak Foreign Ministry entrusted me – while sojouring in Kuwait – with special tasks in Iraq. With the help of the Czech and Slovak (anti)chemical military unit based in Kuwait I entered the post-war Iraq in May 2003 as the first Slovak diplomat. I entered and reported on the ransacked Slovak Embassy in Bagdad and played a major role in its reopening. I prepared the ground for the Slovak Engineering Unit in Al Hilla deployed for deactivating field mines and helped them logistically during my whole stay in Kuwait. I organized the hand-over of Slovak humanitarian aid to Iraq and prepared projects for Slovak-Iraqi cooperation with the Center of Humanitarian Operations in Kuwait.
world of business
After I withdrew from the diplomacy I entered into the world of business. I worked as Director of GCWare Middle East in Dubai Internet City. Our subsidiary conducted business not only in the United Arab Emirates, but also in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Syria in IT projects like Road Information System, Fleet Management System, Security Pipeline Solutions. After coming back to Slovakia I worked in telecommunications and currently I still partly work in the IT business.
my literary life
I have written some scientific and popular articles. That which I regard as very important is written in cooperation with Edgar Yarunek „Transcription of the Arab names and terms in Slovak“ which is essential for the Ľudovít Štúr Language Institute of the Slovak Academy of Science.
I have translated stories and essays of Egyptian authors Nawal El Saadawi and Salama Musa from Arabic to Slovak.
In recent years my writings have begun to echo my own experience and feeling from the time I spent living in the Arab World of which many are firmly embedded between the lines in the pages of my books The Arab World – Another Planet?, Life the Arab Way and Tales from Sumhuram. All published in the finest Slovak publishing house Marenčin PT.
I call my “The Arab World – Another Planet?“ and “Life the Arab Way“ the Bible of the Arabs today. My books mirror current Arab minds and their societies. One of my readers named them as obligatory reading for anyone who came into contact with the Arab world.
In November 2011 came to world my first foreign translation in Czech of The Arab World – Another Planet? published by a reputable Czech publisher Mlada fronta. Not only Slovaks, Czechs, but also Poles want to know more about the most important insights into Arab souls and that what is happening in their minds. That was the reason for a large Warsaw publisher Prószyński i S-ka to let it translate into Polish. So, my dears, from September 13, 2012 my “The Arab World – Another Planet?“ is already on sale under the title Arabski świat.
My book The Arab World – Another Planet? is still on demand and at the same time a lot of happened in this region during last 3 years. This was a reason why I updated this book. The result is the 2nd enlarged edition, published in November 2012 in the best Slovak publisher Marencin PT.
My first book in English is Tales from Sumhuram. They were published as an e-book and they are available on US & European amazons since November 22, 2012. It is also on iTunes, here.
Since November 29, 2012 there is on the Czech market Life the Arab Way superbly translated by Dr. Emil Charous. He is an example of abilities and vitality, he is 85 years old! The book is marvellous, Mlada fronta publisher did its job perfectly. News from Poland: From February 7, 2013 translation of Life the Arab Way in Polish is already available, published by Prószyński i S-ka.
radio series
I wrote three radio series: The first was a 3-months "A Journey through the Arab World" broadcast in 13 sequels in 2005 on Radio Twist-Viva. Then 5 parts series "The Arab Way" devoted to Yemen, Oman, Sudan, Morocco and Religious Festivals Make us Closer, they were first broadcast in September 2012 on the Slovak Radio. These series repeated more times on different channels under the Slovak Radio. Last one was the radio adaptation of my "Tales from Sumhuram" as bed-time stories firstly broadcast in October 2012 on the Slovak Radio. Repeated later on.
me as an orientalist
I am the author of projects for public education on the Arab World via serial broadcasting, i. e. on Twist Radio, Slovak Radio Devin, lectures, various talks and meetings or other programs in life or press media.
I am active in the NGO – Slovak orientalists Pro Oriente, with whom I created an orientalistic blog which was running in 2010 and 2011.
Currently I have my own column ORIENT WITH EMIRE on the website of KARTAGO tours, one of the biggest Slovak travel agencies.
