Free Books Online The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

Point Epithetical Books The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

Title	:	The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca
Author	:	Tahir Shah
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Special Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 368 pages
Published	:	December 26th 2006 by Bantam (first published January 1st 2006)
Categories	:	Travel. Nonfiction. Northern Africa. Morocco. Autobiography. Memoir. Cultural. Africa

The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

Tahir Shah

Paperback | Pages: 368 pages

Rating: 3.97 | 5873 Users | 687 Reviews

Chronicle In Favor Of Books The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

In the tradition of A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun, acclaimed English travel writer Tahir Shah shares a highly entertaining account of making an exotic dream come true. By turns hilarious and harrowing, here is the story of his family’s move from the gray skies of London to the sun-drenched city of Casablanca, where Islamic tradition and African folklore converge–and nothing is as easy as it seems….

Inspired by the Moroccan vacations of his childhood, Tahir Shah dreamed of making a home in that astonishing country. At age thirty-six he got his chance. Investing what money he and his wife, Rachana, had, Tahir packed up his growing family and bought Dar Khalifa, a crumbling ruin of a mansion by the sea in Casablanca that once belonged to the city’s caliph, or spiritual leader.

With its lush grounds, cool, secluded courtyards, and relaxed pace, life at Dar Khalifa seems sure to fulfill Tahir’s fantasy–until he discovers that in many ways he is farther from home than he imagined. For in Morocco an empty house is thought to attract jinns, invisible spirits unique to the Islamic world. The ardent belief in their presence greatly hampers sleep and renovation plans, but that is just the beginning. From elaborate exorcism rituals involving sacrificial goats to dealing with gangster neighbors intent on stealing their property, the Shahs must cope with a new culture and all that comes with it.

Endlessly enthralling, The Caliph’s House charts a year in the life of one family who takes a tremendous gamble. As we follow Tahir on his travels throughout the kingdom, from Tangier to Marrakech to the Sahara, we discover a world of fierce contrasts that any true adventurer would be thrilled to call home.


From the Hardcover edition.

See for an interview: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/vide...

Details Books Toward The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

Original Title:	The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca
ISBN:	0553383108 (ISBN13: 9780553383102)
Edition Language:	English

Rating Epithetical Books The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

Ratings: 3.97 From 5873 Users | 687 Reviews

Judge Epithetical Books The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca

The title sounded good and maybe that is how I ended up with this book in my bookcase. Good thing it did, because it was a very fun read, and so I couldn't put it down.Tahir Shah had been to Morocco when he was a kid and never forgot the place. I had been to Morocco at the Epcot Center in Florida's Disneyworld and never forgot my meal there. Mix dried fruits in meats or any food, and yum. I have a meatloaf recipe with groundup dried apricots in the center that I used to make for myself when I

It is delightful tale of life in Casablanca with its neighbours and cohabitants including the jinns, not to forget the cafes (inhabited by henpecked husbands) and the merchants.

The author moves to Casablanca with his wife and two young children. They move into an old villa that is in disrepair. The book is the story of their first year, trying to adapt to Moroccan culture and to renovate the old villa. It is written in the style that is supposed to be humorous but that I can generally not stand - ha ha ha, I am totally unprepared and isn't that funny. I would have stopped reading but Shah also writes just enough about his insights into Moroccan culture and just enough

This is how I reviewed this book in The Washington Post:From The Washington Posts Book WorldIts been 20 years since Peter Mayle wrote his bestseller A Year in Provence, and theres no sign yet of the Year In franchise flagging. After all, what two-week vacationer could fail to dream of a year in Provence, Marrakesh or Tuscany? These are modern Mediterranean fairy tales, and theyre put together with the simplest ingredients: magical neighbors, hellish builders and much more olive oil than you

A fascinating and often hysterically funny look at life in Morocco, through the eyes of an Afghan who was primarily raised in England, but has traveled widely. I loved the sayings which headed every chapter, such as: "Never give advice in a crowd" and "Every beetle is a gazelle in the eye of its mother." Shah was very lucky to be able to connect with his grandfather's life as well, because his grandfather had spent his last years in Morocco. Meeting those people who had known him and been

Tahir Shah came across as ethnocentric and self-involved. He barreled through his adventure (read: early mid-life crisis) thinking only of himself and his money; often times mentioning an author's paltry salary, then making an ostentatious building decision for his mansion. I was also perturbed by the way in which his wife was merely a sounding board for his frustrations. Read this book if you're looking for a way to flip mansion's in Morocco while swindling the local people and dismissing their