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About this book

In a ruined jungle city, a voice commands a kingdom—and Conan comes hunting the treasure it guards.

In Robert E. Howard’s Jewels of Gwahlur, Conan the Cimmerian enters Keshan in search of a hidden hoard. His hunt leads toward Alkmeenon, an old city deep in the jungle. He brings strength, a sword and a quick mind, but knows little of the dangers around the prize. Rival treasure seekers have plans of their own.

The people of Keshan believe their dead queen, Yelaya, still speaks through an oracle. Gorulga serves the temple and protects its power, while Thutmekri pursues the jewels through bargains and deceit. Muriela, a young woman caught in the plot, depends on others’ choices for her safety. Conan must find his way through schemes in a land where belief commands obedience.

What you’ll discover

  • A hunter who thinks Follow a thief and fighter who trusts his own eyes over any priest.
  • A city in the jungle Enter Alkmeenon, where a hidden hoard draws rivals into ruins full of traps.
  • The voice of Yelaya Discover an oracle whose hold over Keshan makes belief a source of power.
  • Rivals with hidden aims Watch Thutmekri work through bargains and deceit while Conan pursues the same glittering prize.
  • Danger that keeps moving Feel Howard’s short, strong scenes pull you onward with fresh dangers and questions.

Who will love it

This is for readers who love swashbuckling adventure, lost cities and buried treasure, and a quick-witted hero facing a villain with a scheme.

What’s inside

The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary

  1. Conan climbs ahead of his rival
  2. The oracle becomes a prize
  3. The palace hides tricks and traps
  4. A living girl plays the goddess
  5. Conan turns the deception around
  6. A borrowed voice directs the priests
  7. The hidden danger changes the game
  8. Greed does not erase every loyalty
  9. Strength works alongside a quick mind

Who’s who

  • ConanA Cimmerian adventurer and former pirate chief who comes to Keshan to steal the legendary Teeth of Gwahlur.
  • MurielaA frightened Corinthian dancing girl, forced to play the goddess, who clings to Conan for protection.
  • ThutmekriA scheming Stygian envoy from Zembabwei who wants the Teeth for his masters or for himself.
  • ZarghebaThutmekri's Shemitish partner, who owns Muriela and plans the false oracle.
  • GorulgaThe honest high priest of Keshan, who journeys to Alkmeenon to ask the oracle for the will of the gods.
  • GwarungaA wicked priest who knows the secret ways into the valley and is tied to Thutmekri's plots.
  • YelayaThe last ruler of Alkmeenon, whose perfect body is worshipped as an oracle by the priests of Keshan.

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Science Fiction

Jewels of Gwahlur

by Robert E. Howard · 1935

Conan climbs a sheer cliff into a dead city, where a dancer impersonates a goddess and a jewel hoard waits.

Medium levelUnder 2 hours to read2 languages

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In short

What do you do when the goddess you came to rob sits up and speaks? Jewels of Gwahlur is a novella by Robert E. Howard.

Jewels of Gwahlur by Robert E. Howard, the cover

Jewels of Gwahlur at a glance

Reading time
About 1 h 10 min55 min fast, 1 h 20 min slow
Length
16,300 words4 chapters
Pages
48 pages72 in large print
Library level
Medium longer sentences, everyday words
First published
1935by Robert E. Howard

Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated

From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1

A Cimmerian climbs the cliffs of Alkmeenon

The story opens with a man on a rock wall. Cliffs rise sheer from the jungle, glinting blue and crimson in the dawn, and a half-naked climber is already halfway up.

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15-minute summary
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Details
First published
1935
Language
English
Reading time
1 h 15 min
Level
Medium level

Cite this edition

Howard, Robert E. Jewels of Gwahlur. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/jewels-of-gwahlur.

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What is Jewels of Gwahlur about?

Conan the Cimmerian goes to the kingdom of Keshan to steal a treasure called the Teeth of Gwahlur. He finds a haunted palace, a false oracle, a rival schemer and a deadly secret hidden in the lost city of Alkmeenon.

Who is Yelaya in Jewels of Gwahlur?

Yelaya is the last ruler of Alkmeenon. Legend says she died young and her body never decayed, so the priests of Keshan treat her as an oracle who speaks the will of the gods.

What are the Teeth of Gwahlur?

They are strangely cut gems hidden long ago in the valley of Alkmeenon. Priests call them sacred, and legend says the gods took them from Gwahlur, king of darkness, so men from many lands want them.

The author

Robert E. Howard

1906–1936 · American fantasy writer

Robert E. Howard was an American author born in Peaster, Texas, in 1906. He lived much of his life in Cross Plains, Texas, where he died in 1936. He wrote fantasy, horror, adventure stories, and poetry. His stories featuring Conan appeared in the magazine Weird Tales during the 1930s.

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