Narratives of simplicity and danger

This essay examines how Tahir Shah’s stories and impression of the Oriental environment he surrounds himself with help to romanticize Morocco. It centers on his depiction of the shantytown, the infamous Dar Calipha, and the attraction of Moroccan superstition that permeated his travelogues, namely The Caliph’s House and In Arabian Nights. Shah compares Morocco’s dangerous environment with the comfort and security in the Western world. By highlighting and romanticizing Morocco’s lack of development, Shah pursues danger, mystery, and simplicity. These offer an antidote to the perceived stagnation and artificiality of Western modernity. This paper analyzes the ubiquitous Western tendency to disconnect from modernity to find authenticity. Shah’s works reflect a common Western fascination with Morocco because it offers a retreat or a haven from the complexities of modern life and an opportunity to confront danger and unpredictability which is often perceived, by many travel writers that will be mentioned in this paper (including Alice Morrison, Jeffrey Tayler, and Paul Bowles), as thrilling and exciting.