Wadesdah


Wadesdah is a fictional city in The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Wadesdah is the capital of the fictional country Khemed in the Arabian peninsula, home of the Emir Mohammed Ben Kalish Ezab. The city is situated between the real cities of Jeddah and Aqaba. Wadesdah is depicted in Land of Black Gold and The Red Sea Sharks.

History

Little is known about Wadesdah's early history, but it was said to have been an ancient Islamic town between the cities of Jeddah and Aqaba. Wadesdah was said to have been a very important city during World War II, and it served as a major British colonial town. This was revealed in The Land of the Black Gold. When Khemed gained independence, Wadesdah became the capital city where the Emir lived.

Civil War

During the Khemedian civil war, Bab El Ehr's insurgents who are trying to overthrow the Emir, attack a group of soldiers who take Tintin captive, incapacitating two with a smoke bomb, and capturing Tintin in the process. In The Red Sea Sharks, Bab El Ehr ousts the Emir in a coup d'état against the government, his army and he are seen in Wadesdah. After Mohammed ben Kalish Ezab retakes power, Bab El Ehr is presumably executed.

Geography

Wadesdah is first seen in Land of Black Gold as a town on the Red Sea completely surrounded by desert.

Etymology

Tintin's creator, Hergé, is well known for the use of the dialect of the Marolles district in Bruxelles, especially for the Syldavian language. Wadesdah is Marols for the Dutch Wat is dat, meaning "what is that?"