He was the creation and frequent pen name of Brazilian author Júlio César de Mello e Souza.
According to the dedication and introductory chapters of The Man Who Counted (ostensibly written in the month of Ramadan in the year of the Hijra 1321, corresponding to November 1943 AD), Malba Tahan was a native and well-connected resident of Baghdad, a sharif (a descendant of Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib), and a hajj (a Muslim who made the pilgrimage to Mecca).
In other works by Julio César, however,[1] Malba Tahan was born on May 6, 1885, in the apparently fictitious village of “Muzalit”, near Mecca (possibly modern Al-Muzahmiyya).
He was still a young man when his friend emir Abd el-Azziz ben Ibrahim appointed him mayor of Medina, a post which he filled with distinction for several years.
In 1912, at the age of 27, he received a large inheritance from his father, which allowed him to travel widely around the world, including China, Japan, Russia, India, and Europe.