# Saba — The Tour character guide

> Saba in The Tour by Louis Couperus.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Caleb of Mariaba

**First appearance:** 0003-ii

## Snapshot

Caleb of Mariaba, joint proprietor of the Hermes House at Alexandria, whose letter to Lucius closes the tour with news of the quadrireme's sale.

## Who they are

Saba is Caleb's fuller identity — the Sabaean merchant who sets free a woman he calls his wife at Mariaba, fearing his brother Ghizla's prior claim, and hopes one day to enjoy a life of bliss after making his fortune. His formal, ceremonious letter to Lucius, hand on heart and hand on lips, reports the sale of the Aphrodite and offers humble friendship. He embodies the tour's far-flung commercial world, where loyalty, profit, and longing travel together.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tour_se/characters/saba
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tour_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_tour_se/characters