Product Description

Shortly after the 2005 London bombings, Tahir Shah was thrown into a Pakistani prison on suspicion of spying for Al-Qaeda. What sustained him during his terrifying, weeks-long ordeal were the stories his father told him as a child in Morocco. Inspired by this, on his return to his adopted homeland he embarked on an adventure worthy of the mythical Arabian Nights, going in search of the stories and storytellers that have nourished this most alluring of countries for centuries.Wandering through the medinas of Fez and Marrakech, criss-crossing the Saharan sands and tasting the hospitality of ordinary Moroccans, he collected a treasury of traditional stories recounted by a vivid and eccentric cast of characters: from master masons who work only at night to Sufi wise men who write for soap operas and Tuareg guides addicted to reality TV. Himself a link in the chain of scholars and teachers who have passed such tales down from father to son, mother to daughter, Shah reveals a world and a way of thinking that most visitors to Morocco barely know exist.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #116915 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'A refreshingly innocent and exuberant travel narrative about his quest to understand how stories work, where they come from and if they still matter.'
--SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 22 March 09

From the Inside Flap
Examine what is said, not him who speaks. Moroccan proverb

Tahir Shah’s acclaimed The Caliph’s House recounted his first year of living in Morocco. Now – in an adventure worthy of the mythical Arabian Nights – he ventures deeper into the heart of this exotic, magical land in search of mysteries hidden from Western eyes for centuries . . .

As he makes his way through the medinas of Fez and Marrakech, traverses the Sahara sands and tastes the hospitality of ordinary Moroccans, he collects a dazzling treasury of traditional stories, gleaned from the heritage of The Thousand and One Nights. Recounted by a vivid cast of characters, these tales reveal fragments of wisdom and an oriental way of thinking that are both enthralling and fresh. A link in the chain of scholars and teachers who have passed these stories down for centuries from father to son, mother to daughter, Tahir Shah reveals a culture that most visitors hardly realize exists, and eventually discovers the story living in his own heart.

From master masons who labour only at night to Sufi wise men who write for soap operas and Tuareg guides addicted to reality TV, In Arabian Nights takes us on an unforgettable, offbeat and enchanted journey through this ancient, vibrant part of the world.

From the Back Cover
An offbeat journey to the heart and soul of an alluring but elusive land.

Shortly after the 2005 London bombings, travel writer and film-maker Tahir Shah was thrown into a Pakistani prison on suspicion of spying for Al-Qaeda. What sustained him during his terrifying, weeks-long ordeal were the stories his father told him as a child in Morocco…

Inspired by this, on his return to his adopted homeland, he embarked on an adventure worthy of the mythical Arabian Nights and went in search of the stories and storytellers that have nourished this ancient, vibrant country for centuries.

Wandering through the medinas of Fez and Marrakech, criss-crossing the Sahara sands and tasting the hospitality of ordinary Moroccans, he collects a treasury of traditional stories recounted by a vivid and eccentric cast of characters: from master masons who work only at night to Sufi wise men who write for soap operas and Tuareg guides addicted to reality TV.

Himself a link in the chain of scholars and teachers who have passed such tales down from father to son, mother to daughter, Tahir Shah reveals a world and a way of thinking that most visitors to Morocco barely know exist.

Customer Reviews

A thousand and one nights: a story book for grown-ups
This tremendously well written book tells the story of the author's life in Morocco, which is used as the frame for the retelling of several great Arabian stories from Arabian Nights and other legend. Not only impossible to put down, this book also feels like a magical story book which sweeps you back in time through oriental history and fantasy.

As multi layered as the stories he describes
Tahir Shah continues his sequence of high calibre books. This book is clearly underwritten by a genuine love of Morocco and is very much written from the heart. It has depths which repay frequent re-reading and certainly reinspired my own interest in teaching stories and their functions as well as evoking a desire to visit Morocco(I hasten to add not as a tourist). A tremendous book from a man who is perhaps trying to help bridge at least two worlds.

Bridging West and East Elegantly
This delightful book explores the ancient living tradition of storytelling that bridges East and West. Somehow this ancient oral skill seems to survive within contemporary Moroccan society at many more liberal levels of profoundity than we of the West can usually imagine. It is the contrast between the known and the unknown that Shah, like his father and grandfather, also both writers, so eloquently delivers to our minds. This is the work of a rare multi-culturalist, speaking to our hearts.