The Caliph's House

Loved the book. It's about culture, identity, a sense of belonging. Beautifully described, both amusing and serious.

Tahir Shah, author of The Caliph's House, lives in Casablanca with his wife and two children, plus the staff he obligatorily adopted with the property and a few others as well. To many, completing on a house purchase while suicide bombers wreaked havoc in the city around them would be enough to send anyone packing. But Shah, despite being caught up in the 2003 bomb blast at the Farah Hotel, seems to successfully shrug this off (or at least not dwell on it) and continue with his goal of integrating into Moroccan life, like his Grandfather before him, aiming to create the ideal home in which to bring up his two small children.His Afghan heritage and travel experience throughout the Arab world and beyond may have helped him to accept and be accepted but he still appears at time quintessentially British and enlists the help of the locals around him to explain, educate and assist him in his endeavours. No doubt their contribution was invaluable particularly in the house renovation project but at times their superstitions, concerns and preoccupations seemed to amusingly (for the reader at least) stifle rather than expedite progress. The jinns, an "army of invisible spirits" were of particular concern and consumed much time and energy!More of a page turner than most books of this genre, The Caliph's House will have you crossing your fingers for the family, holding your head in exasperation and gaffawing into your G&T. It's certainly not just another story of house renovation abroad. Shah's anecdotal explanations of Morocco, its culture and its people teach you much while entertaining you in such a way that you inwardly digest more information than you could imagine.For us, reading The Caliph's House while travelling in Morocco was more educational than swotting up with a guidebook. The author's storytelling father would be proud of the way his son's descriptions are capable of "diverting the mind while passing on a kind of inner knowledge" like A Thousand and One Nights. It made me take a sharp intake of breath as we passed the glass fronted bomb stricken hotel which, I confess, I would not have looked at twice without Shah's book under my belt. His descriptions of Ramadan made us much more tolerant of the shouts and gestures we witnessed in the shambolic traffic jam from the airport to our hotel. And Tahir, I would like you to know that we drank our bottled water in toilet cubicles as we had no kitchen table to hide under at the airport during Ramadan!We have now swapped the hectic city of Casablanca for the remoteness of the oceanside desert of Western Sahara. You can't help but focus on the extreme contrasts of life in Morocco when you sit on the edge of nothingness while happily downloading Shah's sequel In Arabian Nights on wifi. Living in Spain, France, Switzerland or Portugal is nothing. Read The Caliph's House if you want to know what living in a FOREIGN country is really all about.

I've read this book several times, it disappeared from my bookshelves and I wanted to read it again, so bought a used copy. I think it is the most hilarious account of renovating a house ever. The author lived in Casablanca as a child, but moved to London and was settled there with his wife. But he remembered his childhood and wanted his own children to experience the same childhood in a different culture as he had done, so he bought a once magnificent house standing on a promontory with wide sea views, but by now surrounded by a slum area in Casablanca. His experiences of rebuilding the house to its former glory when it was owned by a rich Caliph are some of the funniest I've read, with a long list of brilliantly described characters and situations that keep you reading and laughing. For me it brought back memories of buying a half completed house in the Caribbean and the crazy problems that arise when you realise that living in the UK is so totally different to living somewhere not quite so advanced in terms of service industry. The author's wife has to be the most placid and understanding woman ever, I almost cried for her at some points in the narrative. A must read, especially if you fancy yourself as being good at DIY, or think you can invade somebody else's country and renovate a house just like you would at home.

Tahir Shah (an Anglo-afghani) bought a property in Casablanca having felt drawn away to morocco from London. He, his wife and two small children moved into the rundown house with which he has inherited three guardians (a bit like intense caretakers) and various spirits (referred to as jinns).The power of this book is its ability to take the reader to a far away place...... And that happens here. Seeing Casablanca and the Caliph's House through the author's eyes brings his world into full technicolor.Morocco is full of superstition, rituals, bargaining and many other aspects of life unfamiliar to the western reader. It's genuinely fascinating to see how TS comes to terms with his surroundings. Of course, there is drama, violence and anger but the secret to the family's happiness seems to be compromise and mutual acceptance and the overriding feelings that come across are warmth and calm.TS changes gradually from dismissing the belief systems of the society to grudgingly beginning to accept them, if not going far enough to believe himself.The only aspect I struggled with for sometime was that I wondered how the author was making enough money to fund this project..... But then I realised that I was reading it!!I loved reading this book. I've never heard of this author previously and am looking forward to getting another of his books.

Following a trip to Morocco for my husband's birthday, we thought this intriguing book would make interesting post journey reading. Oh dear! The last page is turned and now we can only think about plans for a return voyage, to soak in more of the extraordinary sights and scenes that are so abundantly present in this bewitching country. The only difficulty with this book is arriving at the end. The author's sufferings are laced with such high comedy that we are sped along, torn between concern and amusement. I do hope Monsieur Shah will continue with his contes marocains. Of course we also wanted to see pictures and the lovely drawings are a great addition to the story telling. A virtual tour - before and after - would have been totally enchanting, but the book is so colourful that it is better left vivid in the imagination.Encore!