- Destination Mecca
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Destination Mecca Author(s) Idries Shah Country United Kingdom Language English Publisher Rider & Octagon Press Ltd Publication date 1957 Media type Print (Hardback) ISBN 0-900860-03-0 OCLC Number 19631 Dewey Decimal 915.6 LC Classification DS49 .S48 1969 Destination Mecca is an early book by the writer Idries Shah, who went on to produce an extensive corpus of material on Sufism that is both accessible and relevant to contemporary western readers. It was first published by Rider in 1957 (with photographs by the author), and subsequently by Octagon Press in 1969 (minus the photos)[1]. Shah had already made a name for himself as the author of two well-researched and in many ways ground-breaking books about magic. However, these scholarly works, and the vastly more influential work, The Sufis, which was to follow in 1964, by their nature entailed keeping his own personality in the background. His intention in this present book appears to be to counterbalance this tendency through his skilful use of the familiar travel book format, and he steps out of the shadows as an approachable young man with a lively mind and a fine sense of humour and adventure – someone who is comfortable in his mid-twentieth century skin and equally at home in Eastern and Western contexts.
Contents
Content
Idries Shah
The book consists of twenty-three short pieces of reportage, distilled from two years of travel and study in the Middle East. The central focus of the book is the pilgrimages he performed, as a dutiful Muslim, to Mecca and other holy places, but this amounts to far more than the mere words might suggest: in every sense it is voyage of discovery, for both author and reader. In the course of describing his impressions and experiences and the many and varied personages he encountered on the way, he allows the reader an insight into how his Afghan origins, family background and connections allowed him to gain access to people and places that few if any westerners could hope to reach on their own initiative. We also learn something of the astonishing breadth of his own interests and aspirations.
Reception
The Times Literary Supplement review commented that “Sayed Idries Shah has done much to explain the world of Islam to Westerners and in particular, to promote the study of Sufi philosophy among English-speaking people... Much of what he writes illuminates factors of permanent importance in the Middle East; and no one can read this book without carrying away a lasting impression of the vigour and vitality of Islamic culture, and of the many surprising manifestations of that culture in the Asian world of today.”[2]
References
External links
Categories:- Sufi literature
- Books by Idries Shah
- 1957 books
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