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Destination Mecca Paperback – June 3, 2019

by Idries Shah (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 35 ratings
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AMERICAN ENGLISH EDITION

First published in 1957, Destination Mecca was both an ambitious Middle East travel memoir and a work of ethnographic and cultural research, taking the reader from Morocco to Saudi Arabia.

Destination Mecca is the Sufi writer Idries Shah’s sweeping classic travelogue through North Africa and the Middle East in the mid-20th century. As an Afghan from a Muslim background, and the son of a roving international diplomat, the author married familiarity with the region with the fresh eye of a traveller, making his account unique among books about the area.

Shah documents a wide range of fascinating journeys: from his quest for King Solomon’s Gold Mines on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, to encounters with Moroccan contraband smugglers, to his time as a personal guest of the elderly King of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud. The author’s family connections granted him access that was unavailable to other writers at the time.

Destination Mecca is both an invaluable snapshot of the Arab World, and a rare look at some of the seldom-seen cultural undercurrents running through it.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    252 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 3, 2019
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.63 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1784790575
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1784790578
  7. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'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.'
—The Times Literary Supplement

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ISF Publishing (June 3, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 252 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1784790575
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1784790578
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.63 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

About the author

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Idries Shah

Idries Shah

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Idries Shah was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition and is considered one of the leading thinkers of the 20th century. He devoted his life to collecting, translating and adapting key works of Sufi classical literature for the needs of the contemporary West. These works represent centuries of thought – some call it “practical philosophy” – aimed at developing human potential. Shah’s literary output – more than three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and cultural studies – includes uniquely instrumental teaching stories, some of which he retold for children. His work is regarded as forming an important bridge between the cultures of East and West. It has been translated into dozens of languages and has sold millions of copies around the world. In his writings for adults, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predates Islam. Emphasizing that Sufism is not static but always adapts to the current time, place and people, he often framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. For more than 40 years, Shah sifted through oriental literature and oral Sufi tradition to bring his contemporary audience narratives, poetry, aphorisms and an enormous range of teaching stories that are appropriate for our time and culture. He pointed out that this work “connects with a part of the individual which cannot be reached by any other convention, and ... establishes in him or in her a means of communication with a non-verbalized truth beyond the customary limitations of our familiar dimensions.”

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
35 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

D. Wood
5.0 out of 5 stars West Meets East
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
Idries Shah: Gentleman at Large

At the time Idries Shah published “Destination Mecca” he was just 33. Just seven years later he would publish “The Sufis,” a watershed that firmly established Shah as a Sufi authority. But here, in Destination Mecca, we see Shah as a Gentleman at Large. We find him in search of himself; trying to come to terms with the world. It is like we have a front row seat to seeing how Shah became Shah.

The book feels like a cross between a personal journal and a newspaper investigative report. The book begins with Shah at his club in London. One of those old time clubs with panel walls, leather chairs and old men smoking cigars or pipes. Shah realizes that his home was not here.

Shah began his search for himself in Tangier, Morocco smuggling cigarettes from Tangier to Spain.

"Several one-night dashes on the “bread-and-butter” run across the Straits from North Africa to Spain had taught me a good deal about such things as security, engine repairs, even navigation. I certainly knew now just how good and how bad my nerves were."

It appears that, to cut his chops as it were, Shah made these smuggling runs as a journalistic exercise. Or did he? Why risk capture by the police and prison just to write an article about smuggling cigarettes? Interestingly, Shah avoids sharing a backstory that could explain his choice. At Shah’s birth, his parents brought in a divine who foretold that he would die of drowning. As a result, his parents kept him out of water and never taught him how to swim. So on those night runs between Tangier and Spain, Shah tempted a loss greater than prison; he faced down his own death.

And thus Shah begins a deep dive into the Middle East, zigging and zagging from Egypt to Baghdad to Arabia to Sudan to ….. Along the way, he restores a depth and richness to the our understanding of the mysterious east. We also get a peek at our own biases. Shah shares a wonderful vignette about himself that reveals how we from the west view the people of the east.

"As a party of English-speaking tourists stopped to watch the self-inflating bluey jellyfish washed up on the shore, I raised my camera – forgetting my Arabian robes, sandals, rosary and curly black beard. “Could I have a picture, please?”

They seemed frozen to the spot. Then they all burst out laughing. They were apparently Australians: mother, father and three teenage daughters. The father grinned at me. “Who do you think you are, Cobber – Lawrence of Arabia?” I suppose something was incongruous. It must have been my English. But I couldn’t help it if I went to school in England. I did not quite know whether to be annoyed or not. But I made my way back to the hotel, shaved my beard, and put on a white suit."
Shah, Idries. Destination Mecca . ISF Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Overall this book, gives us a look behind the veil. Despite the 60 plus years since its publication, the book is fresh and gives no hint at its age. Highly recommended.
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Jake Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey to Mecca through the Eyes of a Master
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2020
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Not only was Idries Shah a Sufi Teacher, he was also a sayed or descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, which makes the journey or pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca that he documents in this amazing book even more special. Shah has a special gift for storytelling and Destination Mecca is no exception - he takes the reader on an inside out trip through Mecca, giving us a glimpse into the Saudi Arabia only the locals know. Highly recommend this read!
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benjamin guile
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting vivid description of the Arab world in 1950'sthe 50s
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2021
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Fun read, different perspective, interesting description of a meeting with one of the Arab leaders. Definitely 1950s description. Seems pretty factual, descriptive, more like a travel log than a novel.
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Philip J. Bentley
4.0 out of 5 stars A 1957 Tour of The Middle-east
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2021
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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.
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Dan Sperling
5.0 out of 5 stars Travel writing at its best
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2024
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.
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A film and literary fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great travel book.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016
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Shah was a great writer and sage of the human condition and journey. Destination Mecca offers insight to some of his thoughts and also insights into cultures that Americans need to learn about.
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J. Zada
5.0 out of 5 stars Destination Adventure
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2019
As a travel writer I’m instantly drawn to stories about adventurous journeys 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.
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Dissatisfied customer
5.0 out of 5 stars May awaken an impulse to follow your heart
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2016
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.
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Top reviews from other countries

J. Zada
5.0 out of 5 stars Destination Adventure
Reviewed in Canada on March 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
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.
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leeho
5.0 out of 5 stars leeho
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Destination Mecca is far more than a travel book. It recounts the remarkable encounters and journeying of a gifted young man on one massive Middle Eastern walkabout. Walkabout that is, in the aboriginal sense where the individual must complete a truly daunting and distant trial under their own volition and resources, to return again differently mettled in their skills, strength, understanding and insight. The author, Idries Shah, does this in spades. From page one, the fortunate reader is assured of a first class ride.
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Mark Byrne
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of travel literature
Reviewed in Spain on May 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
Like all great travel books, Destination Mecca is both entertaining and informative. One of those books you just can't put down.
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John Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening travelogue
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
In 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.
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Dissatisfied customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Awakening an impulse to follow your heart.
Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
Destination Mecca
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.
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