In Arabian Nights A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams

Tahir Shah'sThe Caliph's House,describing his first year in Casablanca, was hailed by critics and compared to such travel classics asA Year in ProvenceandUnder the Tuscan Sun. Now Shah takes us deeper into the heart of this exotic and magical land to uncover mysteries that have been hidden from Western eyes for centuries.... In this entertaining and penetrating book, Tahir sets out on a bold new journey across Morocco that becomes an adventure worthy of the mythicalArabian Nights. As he wends his way through the labyrinthine medinas of Fez and Marrakesh, traverses the Sahara sands, and tastes the hospitality of ordinary Moroccans, Tahir collects a dazzling treasury of traditional stories, gleaned from the heritage ofA Thousand andOne Nights. The tales, recounted by a vivid cast of characters, reveal fragments of wisdom and an oriental way of thinking that is both enthralling and fresh. A link in the chain of scholars and teachers who have passed these stories down for centuries like a baton in a relay race, Shah reaches layers of culture that most visitors hardly realize exist, and eventually discovers the story living in his own heart. Along the way he describes the colors, characters, and the passion of Morocco, and comes to understand why it is such an enchanting land. From master masons who labor only at night to Sufi wise men who write for soap operas, and Tuareg guides afflicted by reality TV,In Arabian Nightstakes us on an unforgettable journey, shining a light on facets of a society that are normally left in darkness. From the Hardcover edition.

Tahir Shah was born into an Anglo-Afghan family with roots in the mountain stronghold of the Hindu Kush. His eleven books have chronicled a series of fabulous journeys. He lives with his wife and two children in Casablanca.


From the Hardcover edition.