Destination Mecca

by Idries Shah

'What was I? 'A writer, a traveller - and an outlaw in a sense.' Idries Shah wrote this book before he became Idries Shah. It's an adventure within an adventure. On one level it's an immensely engaging collection of traveller's tales. Whether stowing away on a smugglers' ship or having an audience with a king, it's a pleasure to spend time with Shah. On another level, you'll see a young man seeking out the experiences he needs to work towards his own spiritual development. So travel along with Idries Shah on his own personal quest to develop the intuition that would underpin his philosophical ideas.

254 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2019

About the author

Idries Shah (Persian: ادریس شاه), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي), was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

Born in India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. In 1960 he established a publishing house, Octagon Press, producing translations of Sufi classics as well as titles of his own. His most seminal work was The Sufis, which appeared in 1964 and was well received internationally. In 1965, Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research, a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture. A similar organisation, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), exists in the United States, under the directorship of Stanford University psychology professor Robert Ornstein, whom Shah appointed as his deputy in the U.S.

In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasising that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables, texts that contained multiple layers of meaning designed to trigger insight and self-reflection in the reader. He is perhaps best known for his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.

Shah was at times criticised by orientalists who questioned his credentials and background. His role in the controversy surrounding a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by his friend Robert Graves and his older brother Omar Ali-Shah, came in for particular scrutiny. However, he also had many notable defenders, chief among them the novelist Doris Lessing. Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. His works have played a significant part in presenting Sufism as a secular, individualistic form of spiritual wisdom.

Idries Shah's books on Sufism achieved considerable critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes") in 1969, and two of his works (The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes, said that it was "beautifully translated".
The reception of Shah's movement was also marked by much controversy. Some orientalists were hostile, in part because Shah presented classical Sufi writings as tools for self-development to be used by contemporary people, rather than as objects of historical study. L. P. Elwell-Sutton from Edinburgh University, Shah's fiercest critic, described his books as "trivial", replete with errors of fact, slovenly and inaccurate translations and even misspellings of Oriental names and words – "a muddle of platitudes, irrelevancies and plain mumbo-jumbo", adding for good measure that Shah had "a remarkable opinion of his own importance". Expressing amusement and amazement at the "sycophantic manner" of Shah's interlocutors in a BBC radio interview, Elwell-Sutton concluded that some Western intellectuals were "so desperate to find answers to the questions that baffle them, that, confronted with wisdom from 'the mysterious East,' they abandon their critical faculties and submit to brainwashing of the crudest kind". To Elwell-Sutton, Shah's Sufism belonged to the realm of "Pseudo-Sufism", "centred not on God but on man."

Doris Lessing, one of Shah's greatest defenders,stated in a 1981 interview: "I found Sufism as taught by Idries Shah, which claim

Reviews

[Aubrey Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1950 Idries Shah began a quest to observe and record some of the East’s most unusual people and places. His aristocratic Afghan family and openness to experience helped him access extraordinary people and places throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. Shah met with the Kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the secret Imam of the “New Arabian Knights” and the son of the Mahdi of the Sudan. He served as a sorcerer’s apprentice and travelled with cigarette smugglers and locust hunters. He visited King Solomon’s lost mines, the Rock of Paradise and a hidden city carved from living rock. More than an armchair travel book or record of the East in the 1950’s, Destination Mecca provides an atmosphere and a feel and background information that can help us better understand the Middle East of today. It may even awaken an impulse to follow your heart, enrich your life and learn from it. Highly recommended.

[Sam Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A swashbuckling adventure worthy of the greatest of 20th century travelers, Destination Mecca reads like a cross between a book of cultural research and a lost Indiana Jones screenplay. Balancing action with observation, unique experiences with rare insight- a young man in quest of knowledge- the reader follows Shah on a two year wandering through Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Jerusalem, Cyprus, Syria and Afghanistan. Errant scholar, both insider and outsider, a mercurial shape-shifter at ease in the company of Kings and shepherds, fakirs and contraband smugglers, at home in both East and West, Shah’s inimitable gifts make him the ideal traveling companion- a 20th century Ibn Battuta- and for the non Muslim reader gives a unique insight into the Hajj pilgrimage. More than just cultural observation- written with poise, wit and gusto, the sort of precise, grandiose prose that harks back to the impeccable language of a victorian explorer- you feel you’re sitting crossed legged in an oak panelled library listening to a once-upon-a-time story, or riding side saddle through a mountain pass in the rarefied air of the One Thousand and One Nights; Destination Mecca romps along at the pace of a Frontier Man's galloping horse, silver daggers glinting in the light of a crescent moon.

[John Zada · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a travel writer I’m instantly drawn to stories about adventurous journeys that are also packed with astute cultural observations. I particularly love some of the older school travelogues written at a time when far fewer people ventured abroad.

Idries Shah’s Destination Mecca is definitely one of those books. It’s a great tale of intrigue that takes place in the mid-20th century Middle East. Although Shah, hailing originally from Afghanistan, has the fresh eye of a foreigner he is still familiar enough with the culture to also be a kind of insider at the same time. His family connections give him access, which in some countries, even the nationals wouldn’t get.

You’ll find stuff in here you won’t in other books about the region: meetings with Moroccan contraband smugglers, a discussion with the King of Saudi Arabia, a penetrating journey to and through the holy sites at Mecca, a look at Petra before the tourists, and the search for King Solomon’s Mines.

It’s a unique little gem in the travel literature collection.

[Ronald Tailor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting, fun, illuminating and also sadly nostalgic. I'll start with the nostalgia. "Where have these times gone to?" was the question in my mind as I read this fascinating book about how a big part of the world used to be. This book describes the adventures of a young man traveling in Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East in the (I'm guessing, based on the healthy descriptions of the lands he passed through) mid-late 1950s. The many things he describes: the types of people, the optimism of their governments, the prosperity of their lands is now long gone, the cities in rubble, the mind gone insane with hating. It's chilling to read the chapter on his visit to Beruit: it was once (for a short time, as there had also been much trouble before) a peaceful, prosperous, beautiful city living in a time of great hope. Contrast it with the Beruit we know now, even before the 2020 port explosion, and you will be amazed. The lesson? Thus goes the world. Everything changes. Even us.

Likewise, his descriptions of the people he met, now seem like shining relics of a better time, fading fast, like the golden lining of a cloud at sunset: the relatively innocent and merry pirates and cigarette smugglers doing the Morocco/Spain run; the incredible nobility and generosity of the Saudi King at the time (I know, it shocks me too, to write these words, so much has changed with that ruling house in a few generations), the sweetness, trust, and good will of the general populations, the unusual, mysterious, and fascinating characters that seemed lurking everywhere--at least around this author, lol. All these types seem long gone. What we are left with... well, look at a typical Western world individual: obese or heading fast in that direction due to an obsession with rich food, focused selfishly on their own pleasure at all costs, easily bored, needing constant entertainment, constant ego strokes online, unwilling to work or put effort into anything, but demanding she or he be given all sorts of rights and privileges, addicted to their phones/devices and the false realities these provide while icy cold to people in person, unable and entirely unwilling to sacrifice for a greater good (such as wearing a light cloth over one's face to prevent oneself from spreading or contracting a terrible disease), childish and demanding in the extreme despite 20, 30, 4o or more years of living... I look at the people around me and at the people described in this book and wonder where and how we went wrong. Sometimes I think it's just the times: something larger than humanity that is very hard for most to fight against or stave off is shaping us into grotesquely ugly forms.

That isn't all that's in this book. The writer, Idries Shah, went out of his way to meet and talk to unusual people. While this travel tale was one result of his journey, I suspect it was a byproduct of an assignment he was given, based on the material he produced later in his life. I think this book was the result of a task and possibly the primary point of the journey was elsewhere... or lightly glossed over. But in the meantime, he certainly saw some interesting things and had great adventures. His strong, semi-suicidal intent to snap shots of "Things That Are Not Supposed To Be Photographed" reminded me a little of a man trying to lead a camel up a vertical wall. ;-)

But whatever reasons this journey had, the result is a fascinating read about places, people, and times that are now lost to modern humanity and that will probably never return. One thing, however, is still there. Shah shows us that the middle east is not composed one uniform stereotypical type, but that people in the Mideast region vary immensely from each other, depending on the varying lands and cultures they grew up with. The minority in the middle east who make the headlines due to their extreme, vicious behavior or their mad acts of power, are not typical. There is no typical. In the United States, we run across this, too. Travelers from abroad think there is only one kind of American, and do not grasp the concept of slow, hospitable, stubborn Southerners; rushing, fast-paced, alert Northeasterners; relaxed, druggy, hippie, nature-loving Westerners, solid, down-to-earth Midwesterners, and many other types. And each of these regional personality types comes in all skin colors. To outsiders, however, we're all the same stereotype: greedy, stupid, unobservant, crass Americans. And yes, we're mostly that, on the surface at least, but there's sometimes a little bit more under this scribbled crayoned depiction. ;-)

Shah's book goes a long way toward showing that the territories of the Middle East are the same way, incapable of being stereotyped with one broad, sloppy pseudo-psychological brush, while it entertains us with this unusual author's wild adventures. And oh yes, they are wild...hut you don't have to take my word for it. Other reviewers have handled that subject quite well. I just appreciated learning about things I'll probably never encounter in real life, but that give me a glimpse of just how complex and fascinating this world and the people who inhabit it are. Some of the things described riveted me. I loved the idea of the temples and houses built carved into the sides of red cliffs in Northern Africa, accessible only through a narrow passage though the mountains. I would love to live in a place like that! I also got a bit obsessed with the slab of Jasper, formerly the cover of Solomon's tomb, that they say had 19 nails driven into it by Mohammed. When they are all gone, the end of the world will come. At the time Shah wrote about seeing this, there were three nails left. I wonder how many there are now? Of course, as Shah and other articles about this object hint at, pranksters could be pulling them out.

There are so many different lands and peoples discussed in this book. I'll describe one more. The contentment of Greek peasant communities is discussed at some length when Shah describes a Greek wedding in the country. When he wrote this, there were still lots of peasant communities without any of the devices and trappings and attitudes of the modern world, no media to hypnotize them, who were extremely, one could say extraordinarily, happy with their peaceful, isolated lives. I don't know if such people exist anywhere in the world these days, which is another sad thing. Multiple communities of deeply happy or at least very content people have disappeared to be replaced with one of several modern types: sullen, narcissistic and arrogant, entitled, spoiled, dissatisfied with everything, constantly wanting more, gluttonous for food, craving ego-stroking the way some crave heroin, restlessly seeking out the next new thing, new trend, new meme to save him- or herself from terrifying boredom. Or the raving military political fanatic screaming for justice as he or she bloodies the land but secretly only in it for the hot rush extreme cruelty provides. Or the unfortunate one who is completely impoverished, helpless, out of one's wits with starvation, disease-ridden, lowest in society, constantly butchered by barbaric soldiers or unofficial militia, and spat upon by "better people, those with nothing and no hope.

This author went on to write many other books, books about psychological and philosophical techniques that help one cope better with the world. I am deeply indebted to those works, but I also think this often-neglected true-life adventure tale deserves a careful read for the lessons it teaches about how people once were and how quickly things can change.

[John Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A travelogue like few others, Shah strews his sharp perceptions about humanity and culture as he weaves through the East. This early book also hints at the author's power and capacities, and his ability to survey our condition no matter where or when he is.

[Stuart Bathgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in the 1950s, this early work by Idries Shah appears in part to be a fairly conventional travel book, an easy, entertaining read in which the author visits several Middle Eastern countries and comments on their customs and traditions. But, while the book is in that respect designed for a general western audience, Shah also has access way beyond what your average European tourist would have - he is invited to meet the king of Saudi Arabia, for example.
A lot has changed politically since the book was written, and it is interesting to note how, even then, Wahabism was an increasingly influential force. For those readers of Shah's later works on Sufism, the penultimate chapter, in which he visits a Sufi school in Syria, may be of particular interest.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 1957 Tour of The Middle-east

This very enjoyable read is the account of an Afghani’s two-year journey that took him from Morocco to Mecca to Afghanistan in 1957. This is for readers who love travel books but also for anyone who wants an inside view of the region. Much has changed since then, of course, but not all that much in many ways.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful new edition of a book, first published some 60 years ago, of the author's travels in the middle east and north Africa. He was the ideal traveller, being accepted by a huge range of characters, from kings to cigarette smugglers and fighters for Pashtun independence. Perhaps the most extraordinary incident was when he was seemingly interviewed by some mysterious and influential people for the role of Caliph in a restored Caliphate. So though written some time ago, there is much illumination on issues that have become increasingly important today, as well as being a thrilling read.

[Ita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of ‘Destination Mecca’ is dated, but it is never dull. Shah’s travels take him to places that today are riven by conflict. It is startling to discover that, six decades ago, the seeds of these conflicts were visible to someone perceptive during his encounters with people I can only describe as megalomaniacs. I have no doubt his experiences during these travels influenced his subsequent work, which his family is now having translated into several oriental languages.

Central to ‘Destination Mecca’ is the idea of pilgrimage, which, Shah tells us, makes a good person better, and can make a bad person better, or worse. Two wonderful chapters describe the pilgrimage he made to Mecca. These have been reprinted in ‘Caravan of Dreams’. As you read them, you feel that Shah is writing through a higher self. He tells you about his voyage from Suez to Jeddah, the journey by road to Mecca, and the rituals performed in that city. We see arrogance disappearing, as people from diverse backgrounds mingle, and harmonise with one another. The everyday world recedes into the background, while they concentrate on their life’s dream now becoming a reality. We know that, while Shah may be writing about a pilgrimage to a specific place, he is also telling us about our inner journey towards completeness.

From Saudi Arabia he flies to Port Sudan. One of his objectives while in the Sudan is to search for the gold mines associated with Solomon, son of David. This quest was continued by his son, in a journey through Ethiopia. Tahir Shah narrates his experiences in his fascinating book, ‘In Search of King Solomon’s Mines’.

I read another of Tahir’s books, ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, more than once without realising that, as a student of the magician, Hakim Feroze, he was following in his father’s footsteps. While he was in Syria, Idries Shah had gone to see Musa, who was a Jew, lived not far from the Great Bazaar in Damascus, and was a master of ‘unusual sciences’. Musa agreed to show him things, which he said would surprise him, but on condition that he would not teach any of the arts to anyone who was not fit to know them. ‘You must also promise’, the magician added, ‘that you will not exercise the art except when you are convinced that in so doing you will be in harmony with the destiny of people and of the world.’

Ceremonially cleansed, both men entered the double circle of iron.

[Dan Sperling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this multifaceted book to be absolutely fascinating. It recounts the author’s adventures as he travels through a series of exotic Eastern countries – from Egypt, to Ethiopia, to Jordan, to Sudan, to Afghanistan – as a young man. The fact that these journeys took place decades ago adds immeasurably to the appeal, as we’re treated to tantalizing glimpses of what these cultures were like before the homogenizing ravages of Disney, McDonalds and mass media – and we learn a great deal about a lot of other things in the process. Idries Shah’s piquant observations, his sharp eye for detail, and his access to an array of astonishing characters – from Tangier smugglers to the infamous Fakir of Ipi – make for one heck of a read, as he searches for King Solomon’s mines in Sudan, rides a crowded Red Sea pilgrim ship, visits a remote Sufi settlement in Syria, and much more. DESTINATION MECCA is travel writing at its best.

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this travelogue and the characters, Shah, encountered en route. Very colourful and exotic to a resident of South Wales. Although Shah stresses his dislike of the term, Orientalism, and I am inclined to agree with this capturing of people under one badge, there is something Other about the people and lands he visits. Some language is a little antiquated but it was written in the 1950s and for this reason it is a superb historical ethnography. You won't read many books about a Jewish mystic, the Mahdi's son , a Fakir warrior, Ibn Saud and the like in one book. Shah gives great access and description to a different time re the Haj, the one pillar of Islam that non Muslims cannot partake in, Richard Burton aside. Pick it up and have a read. Some great photos to boot.

[WJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most interesting of all Shah’s books because it comes before the overtly Sufi publications but has material on a Sufi ritual or halqa and is written almost tongue in cheek as if Shah knew very little of the Sufis. In fact I’ve seen naïve comments that use this book as evidence that Shah is, and was, ignorant of Sufism. After the halqa, the Sheikh sends Shah off to Damascus to become an apprentice to a sorcerer. All pretty normal stuff!

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful new edition of a book, first published some 60 years ago, of the author's travels in the middle east and north Africa. He was the ideal traveller, being accepted by a huge range of characters, from kings to cigarette smugglers and fighters for Pashtun independence. Perhaps the most extraordinary incident was when he was interviewed for the role of Caliph in a restored Caliphate. Which emphasises that his visits and concerns have become increasingly important today.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bowled over by it when I first read it circa 1980. I was in Algeria - briefly. Have read some of it on line... see ISF publishing. Pointers to the future. Should have ordered the new edition ages ago.