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In Arabian Nights Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 446 ratings

Tahir Shah’s The Caliph’s House, describing his first year in Casablanca, was hailed by critics and compared to such travel classics as A Year in Provence and Under 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 mythical Arabian 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 of
A Thousand and One 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 Nights takes us on an unforgettable journey, shining a light on facets of a society that are normally left in darkness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Shah continues the story he began in his acclaimed memoir The Caliph's House, the tale of his family's move to Morocco, this time focusing on the traditional wisdom stories of Arabia, best known in the West through A Thousand and One Nights. Inspired by his family's long tradition of storytelling ("We have this gift," says his father, "Protect it and it will protect you"), Shah frames his search for identity with traditional Arabian tales, but also with the stories of the men who tell them. As such, he creates a bright patchwork quilt of stories old and new, including his own childhood memories, held together by an engaging cross-country travelogue. Shah's habit of frequently and abruptly switching between plotlines, though it keeps the story moving, can be aggravating, and his picaresque style makes it hard to tell where the real adventures end and the tall tales begin. In addition, women are conspicuously underrepresented, especially for audiences recalling Scheherazade. Still, his characters often prove charming, and his stories are steeped in feeling and a palpable sense of tradition. Illustrations.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review


“Intensely felt…. Teeming with sorcerers, enchanted animals, jinns, and dervishes….Shah’s Moroccans and the shards of their tales create a brilliant literary mosaic.”—Booklist

"Creates moments of wonderment.... And worthy of note, especially in these times, is its illumination of a part of Arabic culture that is gracious, gentle and wise."—
Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A spellbinding journey from Casablanca to Fez and Marrakech…unforgettable… Highly recommended for larger armchair travel collections and for collections on the Arab world.” —
Library Journal

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000W93CR2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam; 1st edition (December 26, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 26, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1899 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 403 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0553384430
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 446 ratings

About the author

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Tahir Shah
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Tahir Shah was born in London, and raised primarily at the family’s home, Langton House, in the English countryside – where founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powell, was also brought up.

Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.

Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.

After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, BEYOND THE DEVIL'S TEETH. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.

In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, THE CALIPH'S HOUSE.

In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.

www.tahirshah.com

www.twitter.com/humanstew

www.facebook.com/TahirShahAuthor

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
446 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They describe it as an excellent read before a trip to Morocco. The travelogue opens up a fascinating view of Morocco and its people. Readers appreciate the vivid descriptions and writing style that captures the authentic pace of the Moroccan people.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

45 customers mention "Storytelling ability"42 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the author's storytelling ability. They appreciate the book's focus on story-telling culture in the Arab and Muslim world. Readers find it engaging and an open love letter to storytelling. The book is a reminder that what we read has origins in spoken words.

"...It is a book to remind readers that what we read had origins in spoken words heard, enjoyed and valued. Does he find his story?..." Read more

"...Morocco (there are some), this book better serves as a form of cultural immersion into Morocco, namely the importance of storytelling and the..." Read more

"...The streams of his story flow merrily only to disappear beneath the sands of some trauma (or jinn); but they bubble up again and again if you wait..." Read more

"...This is also an open love letter to storytelling and a plea to not let this ancientest of ancient arts wither out...." Read more

31 customers mention "Readability"31 positive0 negative

Customers like the book's readability. They say it's an enjoyable and deep read that reads more like a daily journal with a plot that is more complex. It's one of their all-time favorite books.

"...is a glossary and list of recommended readings. It is a book for a journeyer who wishes to understand that there is more to travel than moving..." Read more

"This is an excellent book, which I devoured in less than a week and will read again and again and again...." Read more

"...A wonderful book, full of surprises, opening the beautiful world of Morrocco and its people and at the same time giving us the beauty and depth of..." Read more

"...The cast of characters he meets along the way are terrific...." Read more

9 customers mention "Travelogue"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and a good read. It opens their eyes to a beautiful world of Morocco and its people. The descriptions come to life, making them want to travel there. Readers describe it as a different kind of travelogue.

"...I was pleasantly surprised to realize that this is a different kind of travelogue (if it can even be called that)...." Read more

"...That said, In Arabian Nights is in a league all its own. Its the best travelogue I've ever read because he travels as many miles inward as he does..." Read more

"...truths that form the roots and become these perceptive and very special, many- layered stories... I can't begin to describe it...." Read more

"...A wonderful book, full of surprises, opening the beautiful world of Morrocco and its people and at the same time giving us the beauty and depth of..." Read more

7 customers mention "Visual quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's visual quality. They find the stories vivid and imaginative, painting an amazing picture of Morocco and Afghan culture. The book has many small illustrations to tease the imagination and become perceptive.

"...The book has numerous small illustrations to tease the imagination in understanding the stories...." Read more

"...unearth philosophical truths that form the roots and become these perceptive and very special, many- layered stories... I can't begin to describe..." Read more

"...and its people and at the same time giving us the beauty and depth of the Afghan culture, that of hospitality, and honor through the authors..." Read more

"...is my favorite, so far, and I think it will remain so because of the subtlety and depth of the topic: storytelling...." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing style"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's writing style. They find it easy to read and enjoyable. The author writes with honesty, expressing his questions regarding the book.

"...He writes with complete honesty, showing in his prose his many questions regarding the acts of life...." Read more

"Nicely penned, a follow up to Caliph's house - Tahir had to write something to justify his costly home, his shift from UK, and to pass his time in..." Read more

"...The stories told in this book were also much easier to read than the original Arabian Nights and I appreciated that fact very much." Read more

"...Tahir Shah writes beautiful prose and is a consummate storyteller. This book is a gem...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pace"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing. They find the story engaging and authentic, capturing the pace of Moroccan life.

"...That is quite expensive. The book is slow paced with special empasis on story telling culture of Arab and Muslim world - a mention of his..." Read more

"...settle into, but when I did, I realized how it truly captured the pace of the Moroccan people and how authentic it felt." Read more

"...And I wasn't disappointed. I read it slowly, savoring his exquisite writing like a delicious tajine..." Read more

"I read The Caliph's House and enjoyed it thouroughly. The pace of the story, the characters and the action kept me riveted; however, to say that In..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2022
    The author of this book presents himself as a person raised in a world of stories, finding himself in a place of stories but seeking his own story. The reader is taken along as he travels through Morocco seeking stories, storytellers and the places they live and perform.
    Along the way, this journey provides the frame in which several stories are told and lessons provided. Just when you feel it might be a travelogue, he finds a setting for a story which you happily stop and enjoy. The book has numerous small illustrations to tease the imagination in understanding the stories. There is a glossary and list of recommended readings.
    It is a book for a journeyer who wishes to understand that there is more to travel than moving along a route. It is a book to remind readers that what we read had origins in spoken words heard, enjoyed and valued.
    Does he find his story? Well, telling you that now would betray the art the author teaches, and what’s the fun in that?
    I have already returned to this book and enjoyed parts of it again as I have told friends about it. The book is a sequel to a prior work by the author in the same location. I have not read that book but it did not seem to reduce the feeling of “completeness” of this book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2018
    I picked up 'In Arabian Nights' to prepare for a trip to Morocco. I expected a typical travelogue narrative with the author traveling about the country and sharing their journeys throughout. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that this is a different kind of travelogue (if it can even be called that). Though you won't follow Shah on an assortment of trips throughout Morocco (there are some), this book better serves as a form of cultural immersion into Morocco, namely the importance of storytelling and the various (what Westerners would perceive as) superstitions embedded into the culture. Highly recommended for anyone interested in or heading to Morocco themselves.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2013
    In Arabian Nights is a wide-open window into another world, but only because Tahir Shah draws us into himself. He writes with complete honesty, showing in his prose his many questions regarding the acts of life. He is a storyteller, but that does not reflect in his book as a simple story, for the book is much more complicated--and simple--than that. The streams of his story flow merrily only to disappear beneath the sands of some trauma (or jinn); but they bubble up again and again if you wait for them.

    He is a storyteller in search of the story in his heart. In the process of looking for that story, he sifts through the stories around him as well as the one he is living, and looks at each...weighing it...trying to know it. It is his awareness that he is participating in a story that makes the book so precious.

    As a storyteller myself, I admire Tahir Shah's metacognitive frankness, his knowledge of story, and his awareness of the stories pressing against him from both within and without. As someone who has been to Marrakesh, he brought back to me the taste of the tepid water from goatskin bags...and it makes me smile. Like the stories of Joha (Nasrudin), you can read this book on a number of different levels. But if you choose to dive deep, there is much for the soul and the intellect to revel in.
    8 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2009
    First, if you haven't read The Caliph's House, do read that first. In Arabian Nights is the sequel and definitely should be read in the right order to fully appreciate his evolution of learning to live in Morocco. That said, In Arabian Nights is in a league all its own. Its the best travelogue I've ever read because he travels as many miles inward as he does across the country following an old Berber tradition of aiming to discover the story in his heart. The Moroccans he meets whereever he travels- the blind man who says "I have never had eyesight to hold me back" to the shoe cobbler whom he befriends to many, many more- challenge his way of thinking and being, and his curiosity, immense respect, and awe for the land, the Morrocan people, and their heritage in which he and his family now live is extraordinarily moving. This is also an open love letter to storytelling and a plea to not let this ancientest of ancient arts wither out. There are very few books where I get to the end and I want to go right back to the beginning and read it all over again but this was one of those rare ones.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2018
    This was a lovely way to be introduced to Moroccan culture. The author's aim was to convey to the reader the power of stories, as organic components that take root in the mind and heart, and ultimately blossom, illuminating truth to those who pay attention. Not what I expected as an introduction to Morocco, but edifying and entertaining.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2010
    This is an excellent book, which I devoured in less than a week and will read again and again and again.

    However, a correction is in order here. One of the past reviewers (who did not like the book) wrote - and I quote: "The book is a journey about a story - every person has a story that is close to his or her heart. Finding that story is the hard part. Mr. Shah does indeed find the story, but guess what? The reader has no idea what it was!" Were we both reading the same book? Reader, do not be put off by such a remark. This book is not about a wild goose chase. Mr Shah does indeed find the story close to his heart and even has physical reactions and symptoms that indicate this story is the right one. Please read the book carefully -- it's there in black and white!

    I must admit I did find the characters' names a bit daunting and confusing. Without knowledge of Arabic, it was difficult to tell the characters apart by name only... A future edition of this wonderful book would benefit greatly by the addition of a Character List at the front, designed especially for Western readers, as is often found in Russian novels such as War and Peace or Dr. Zhivago. Publishers, please take note!
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Yadav
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read
    Reviewed in India on March 16, 2021
    Every once in a while, one comes across a book in which every word is to be savoured, stories and anecdotes which are to be played and replayed on our 'inward eye', the lilting cadence of the poetry to be harmonised with the self and when such a book comes, one feels great pride and satisfaction in having read it. The author's quest of story in one's heart through the labyrinthine travels across Morocco and an excellent and detailed observation about the beauty of orient, celebrating its differences with the occident makes this book truly a treat to read. If time is short or you are too distracted or simply you find oral wisdom nothing but mumbo jumbo, u may skip it, but for a deeper appreciation of an ancient culture that mirrors our own, and a better understanding of self, read it slow.... soaking in the underground streams of wisdom that crisscross not only this kingdom but also the book.
    Customer image
    Yadav
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read
    Reviewed in India on March 16, 2021
    Every once in a while, one comes across a book in which every word is to be savoured, stories and anecdotes which are to be played and replayed on our 'inward eye', the lilting cadence of the poetry to be harmonised with the self and when such a book comes, one feels great pride and satisfaction in having read it. The author's quest of story in one's heart through the labyrinthine travels across Morocco and an excellent and detailed observation about the beauty of orient, celebrating its differences with the occident makes this book truly a treat to read. If time is short or you are too distracted or simply you find oral wisdom nothing but mumbo jumbo, u may skip it, but for a deeper appreciation of an ancient culture that mirrors our own, and a better understanding of self, read it slow.... soaking in the underground streams of wisdom that crisscross not only this kingdom but also the book.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
  • Gabriola Crow
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable read!
    Reviewed in Canada on March 29, 2019
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have visited Morocco several times, including Casablanca, and it brought back many happy memories.
  • Sally Goodchild
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
    Reviewed in Australia on January 1, 2020
    I loved this book, with its stories of Morocco and the characters there
  • wasserwerk
    5.0 out of 5 stars Großartig!!!
    Reviewed in Germany on May 30, 2013
    Ein wahrhaft reichhaltiges Buch.
    Tahir Shah hat einen lustigen und einfühlsamen Stil. Er bringt einem arabische Denkart auf eine äusserst unterhaltsame und intelligente Art und Weise nahe.
    Ich lese diese Buch extra langsam, denn es ist ein Genuß.
    Wie so oft bei Tahir Shah weiss man manchmal nicht was Fiktion, was Realität ist.
    Ich empfehle jedem dieses Buch, der/die ein stetiges Gefühl von innerem Lächeln in sich spüren mag.
  • UKTraveller143
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great read whilst in Marrakech......
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2012
    Read this whilst in Marrakech and it was an illuminating and highly entertaining experience. This is tale about story telling - and Tahir Shah is an expert himself in that regard. Wonderful tales of the family, the staff and friends, plus a real insight into Moroccan way of life, customs and traditions. It was fun to read this book and then head out into the souks of the medina and recognise all that I had read. However, it would be equally entertaining wherever you are. Highly recommended.

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