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Afghan Caravan
How did this fragmented third-world country come to win three wars against the British Empire and precipitate the break-up of Russia, the super-power? "Afghan Caravan" is a collection of writings that takes the reader on a spell-binding journey through Afghanistan, The Unconquerable. It contains a narrative from a Pathan princess; heroic war stories; tips on savvy carpet-buying; Mulla Nasrudin jokes from the front lines of the Mujahidin; even the Great Pilau Recipe of Khalifa Ashpaz, Master Chef of the Hindu Kush, which was reportedly once served to 4,000 guests. More than entertaining, "Afghan Caravan" presents an unprecedented view of a great people, their dauntless fighting spirit and near maniacal hospitality. It is the telling of a history rich in adventure, tradition and wisdom. Revealed is a magnificent culture, hidden from our history books, contributing to the human story in ways most Westerners are never aware of.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1990
58 people want to read
About the author
Safia Shah
7 books15 followersSafia Shah is a British writer, editor and television news producer, following in the footsteps of her distinguished Anglo-Afghan Indian family. She is the daughter of the well-known author and teacher in the Sufi mystical tradition, Idries Shah; the twin sister of writer, journalist and documentary maker, Tahir Shah, and the younger sister of the writer, reporter and documentary filmmaker, Saira Shah.
Educated at Bryanston School in Dorset, England, Shah went on to study at the Sorbonne and University of Grenoble in France. She has worked for the London-based Institute for Cultural Research as a research assistant and editor and worked with Afghan refugees in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, as well as reporting on social issues there. She is also a freelance writer and has edited for the Institute of Health Sciences.
Safia Shah's most notable work is Afghan Caravan, a miscellany which was collected by Idries Shah and edited by her. Afghan Caravan was chosen by Nobel prize-winning writer Doris Lessing as the Daily Telegraph "Book of the Year" where it was described as "a cornucopia a mix of magical tales, nuggets from history... an Aladdin's cave of a book" and in Literary Review as "a great deal of fascinating material... It is a book to be dipped into, excellent bedside reading."
‘Brown Bag’ is a short story included in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology 4, and has been regarded as "A short and sharp and very English story from Casablanca-based Safia Shah, that captures something of the zeitgeist of our modern, Internet-focused age. The storytelling is adequate throughout, but the real triumph comes right at the end, where it’s sudden and completely unexpected." It describes the main character's reflections on her mother’s passing, as well as on incidental memories from the past. The 20 stories collected in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology 4 were selected from more than 2,000 entries for the 2011 Bristol Short Story Prize.
Shah is about to release "Carnaby Street’s Great Uninvited: Around the World in 80 Years".
Around The World in 80 Years is the first in a series of Carnaby books and study notes, which are designed to help kids take a break from texting and tweets and have fun with the spoken word. The campaign to Bring Words Back To Life is backed by a website aimed at children, parents and teachers (www.carnabysuninvited.com). Through reading the book and accessing the website children, their parents and teachers can join in the fun, trade favourite words and might possibly even learn to knit with pencils. Fear not, the link between knitting and words becomes apparent inside the pages of Carnaby’s wacky world.
Educated at Bryanston School in Dorset, England, Shah went on to study at the Sorbonne and University of Grenoble in France. She has worked for the London-based Institute for Cultural Research as a research assistant and editor and worked with Afghan refugees in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, as well as reporting on social issues there. She is also a freelance writer and has edited for the Institute of Health Sciences.
Safia Shah's most notable work is Afghan Caravan, a miscellany which was collected by Idries Shah and edited by her. Afghan Caravan was chosen by Nobel prize-winning writer Doris Lessing as the Daily Telegraph "Book of the Year" where it was described as "a cornucopia a mix of magical tales, nuggets from history... an Aladdin's cave of a book" and in Literary Review as "a great deal of fascinating material... It is a book to be dipped into, excellent bedside reading."
‘Brown Bag’ is a short story included in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology 4, and has been regarded as "A short and sharp and very English story from Casablanca-based Safia Shah, that captures something of the zeitgeist of our modern, Internet-focused age. The storytelling is adequate throughout, but the real triumph comes right at the end, where it’s sudden and completely unexpected." It describes the main character's reflections on her mother’s passing, as well as on incidental memories from the past. The 20 stories collected in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology 4 were selected from more than 2,000 entries for the 2011 Bristol Short Story Prize.
Shah is about to release "Carnaby Street’s Great Uninvited: Around the World in 80 Years".
Around The World in 80 Years is the first in a series of Carnaby books and study notes, which are designed to help kids take a break from texting and tweets and have fun with the spoken word. The campaign to Bring Words Back To Life is backed by a website aimed at children, parents and teachers (www.carnabysuninvited.com). Through reading the book and accessing the website children, their parents and teachers can join in the fun, trade favourite words and might possibly even learn to knit with pencils. Fear not, the link between knitting and words becomes apparent inside the pages of Carnaby’s wacky world.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 19, 2015
Afghan Caravan is a collection of excerpts, all about (obviously) Afghanistan. They are arranged into various themed chapters - Looking at each other; Wanderings; Hows, Whys, Whats; Heard in the teahouse; People; Humour; Wisdom; History, whens and wheres; The red bear from the North.
The excerpts come from an array of sources - some historical, some quotations from obscure books; some are legends and traditional tales, some from the author's well published family (she is the daughter of Idries Shah, the twin of Tahir Shah (one of my favourite authors, and the reason I bought this book), and the sister of Saira Shah).
It was pretty hit an miss for me. Some sections were good, some I struggled through. The ones I enjoyed most included the traditional stories and legends, and some the biographical stories about peoples experiences in Afghanistan.
The copy I have appears to be a photostat copy of the UK publication. I bought it second hand, and it has an inscription of 'Islamabad 2004' from the previous owner. It is just the kind of book I too, would have picked up in an obscure location where options are limited.
Worth a read for the good bits. 3 stars overall.
The excerpts come from an array of sources - some historical, some quotations from obscure books; some are legends and traditional tales, some from the author's well published family (she is the daughter of Idries Shah, the twin of Tahir Shah (one of my favourite authors, and the reason I bought this book), and the sister of Saira Shah).
It was pretty hit an miss for me. Some sections were good, some I struggled through. The ones I enjoyed most included the traditional stories and legends, and some the biographical stories about peoples experiences in Afghanistan.
The copy I have appears to be a photostat copy of the UK publication. I bought it second hand, and it has an inscription of 'Islamabad 2004' from the previous owner. It is just the kind of book I too, would have picked up in an obscure location where options are limited.
Worth a read for the good bits. 3 stars overall.
February 1, 2025
Repays reading in wonderfully unexpected ways. Page 34: 'Perhaps they had not heard of the Pashtun curse: 'May you live to become a tax payer!'' Page 111: A Master Chef's Palao, even Lazy Man's Palao. Page 120: Herbal Law of the Hindu Kush. For rhumatism, garlic steeped overnight in water to which powdered ginger root has been added, one teaspoon morning and night, and much much more. Names: Page 128: Mr Sir KCMG: very funny. Page 249: A GOLDEN DAGGER. Pashtun sayings, proverbs and similes. Here are five. A pure gold dagger cannot stab. It's your donkey but you still have to push it out of the ditch. Heed the troubadour, burn the dinner. He saved his ears but lost his head. He is sinking in too little water. When an ant says 'ocean' he's talking about a puddle. People, humour history, heard in the tea house, hows whys whats, wanderings, wisdom et al.
The Red Bear From The North.
The Red Bear From The North.
June 29, 2019
An enjoyable and informative collection of sayings, tales, poems, recipes.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews