In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams

The late Idries Shah, a masterful storyteller and Tahir Shah's father, left us a most impressive corpus of literature on the subject of sufism: dozens of collections of teaching stories, commentaries, expositions of sufism, histories, traditional question and answer passages, Nasrudin tales and travel literature. All of this was carefully designed as a comprehensive introduction to sufism. I greatly enjoyed Tahir Shah's 'the Caliph's House' for it's fastinating details and delightfully interwoven storylines, but with 'In Arabian Nights' there is even more. I can really feel that the torch has been passed from father to son - and most successfully at that. 'In Arabian Nights' is one of those books you will want to keep by your bedside...

Upon finishing the book two nights ago, and closing it with satisfaction, I was not quite sure what happened to me. All I knew is that the very next morning, I opened the book again. I am reading it over, because I want to make sure I did NOT MISS A SINGLE WORD! If such a thing is possible, Tahir Shah has written a book even better than his previous ones (all of which are spectacular). 'In Arabian Nights' bursts with incidents, observations, and stories that will make you weep or laugh out loud. It is an account of his ongoing adventures in Morocco, complete with jinns, cobblers, "number one fans", blind storytellers, and much more, all written from the point of view of a very humble yet powerfully perceptive observer. The writer's style of writing makes one feel the book is alive, reaching out to you. When I was done with this book, I didn't feel I had read a book at all, but had been connected to something breathing, living, and changing, and drawing me in. This book is more than a book. It is never explicitly stated in so many words, but this book is an invitation. An invitation to what, you ask? That question can be answered only if you read it for yourself.

Tahir Shah has done it again -- only better! Without sacrificing any of his usual madcap humor, he seeks out and illustrates for readers the qualities he finds most valuable in his adopted Moroccan homeland. He draws crucial distinctions between Islam and the counterfeit version fabricated by terrorists. Anyone interested in Morocco, Islam, Sufi teaching stories, or just some good laughs needs to read this riveting book.

K.F. Zuzulo is the author of A Genie in the House of Saud: Zubis Rises I thoroughly enjoyed Tahir Shah's previous book The Caliph's House and had anxiously awaited In Arabian Nights. I was not disappointed. Shah captures the Middle Eastern psyche and landscape and conveys both in lush and lyrical narrative. The starting point of his own harrowing captivity in a Pakistani torture cell layers another journey of contrasts on experiences that include such mystical figures as the djinn. In this case, who is worse? Shah's jailers or unseen cultural icons? This is a book that succeeds and enraptures on many levels. Captivating and enlightening!

This book is wonderful. It's a reminder of what can be shared among friends, family, and strangers through the power of story telling. I especially enjoyed sharing in Tahir's journey toward listening to his heart, and what it might really mean to give someone the shirt off your back. There's no cheaply earned laughs in this book-- it inspires one to find stories that are truly worthy of our children. It's an awesome book.