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 familys move from the gray skies of london to the sundrenched city of casablanca where islamic tradition and african folklore convergeand nothing is as easy as it seemsinspired by the moroccan vacations of his childhood tahir shah dreamed of making a home in that astonishing country at age thirtysix 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 citys caliph or spiritual leaderwith its lush grounds cool secluded courtyards and relaxed pace life at dar khalifa seems sure to fulfill tahirs fantasyuntil 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 caliphs 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 homefrom the hardcover editionsee for an interview