Abdul Alhazred (Art by Beata Kurkul)
Abdul Alhazred, also known as the Mad Arab, was a sorcerer from 8th century Damascus who wrote the Necronomicon, a grimoire which included information about Ogdru Hem and Ogdru Jahad.
Overview[]
Alhazred was a poet in the court of a minor nobleman in the city of Sanaá. For reasons unknown he left the city and spent ten years wandering in the deserts. During this time he visited places such as Iram, the City of the Pillars, the catacombs of Egypt and the temple of Nug and Yeb in the Crimson Desert.
The man was known to worship Yog-Sothoth and Cthulhu, with the former presumably instructing him on all the cosmic knowledge and lore for the Necronomicon. His exposure to the Old Ones and their dark but hidden history enlightened him to become a scholar for these abominations. Around 738 A.D. Alhazred was obliterated by a Destroying Angel, though his work would live on for centuries to come.
The Necronomicon would be translated and passed around the world, ending up in the hands of the likes of Miskatonic University and Grigori Rasputin. Rasputin in particular would use the knowledge of the Necronomicon to open a gateway for the Ogdru Jahad, allowing these Outer Gods to cross over into our plane of existence.