The Caliph's House

I've been enjoying The Caliph's House by Tahir Shah. It tells the story of his and his family's relocation from England to a huge, old mansion in Casablanca, its renovation, and the characters living in it, both human and supernatural (jinns, that is).


(This picture is from an article in the New York Times)

I'm one of those who enjoys looking at pictures of pretty houses, though I feel a little guilty about it: Our house is pretty enough, but my eye still tends to roam. Anyway, Shah's website includes a section of photographs of the Caliph's House, taken after the dust had settled, and jinns and eccentric local characters had been appeased.

Here's the India tie-in: Shah, whose wife is Indian, ordered a container-load of furniture for the house on the Internet, from a company in Bombay: The Raj Company. The photograph below is from their website:


So that's it - something to look at on an idle Sunday.