Completely absorbing - Rated 
We've all been through the stress of moving house, but most of the time we don't have to deal with cursed, locked rooms, a plethora of djinns and some very suspect building works.
Shah is desperate to renovate his house in keeping with the local architecture, but the workmen push his - and his young family's - patience to the extreme. Along with car salesmen who rip him off at every opportunity and other characters who seem to be doing their best to force him to sell his house, Shah manages to keep his cool and recount his tale in an amusing fashion. And when the local Mafia gets involved...
A fantastic story, and - as someone else mentioned - great for getting through the winter months.
Lucky Old Caliph - Rated 
Somewhat self-regarding and self-congratulatory. Lots of 'how awful life must be in Britain and how wise I am to get away from it all'. Some very odd ideas of life in London - 'thick fog and black ice in winter'? Not been a thick fog in London for 3 decades, and relatively few black ice patches.
The story keeps the interest going, though no cliche is left unturned. Luckily, the author seems to have a bottomless well of dollars to pay for sixty workers at any one time, even at Moroccan rates. Slightly easier to get away from that terrible ordinary existence in London if you have such loot. Most Moroccans I know can't afford a car, let alone a Caliph's House and their daily existence rather lacks the freedom to choose 800 feet of cedar wood for their library.
Lucky, too, to have such a compliant wife and children who seem to be always in the background, rarely in the foreground.
Incidentally, don't be put off driving in Morocco. It isn't lethal, it's perfectly ordinary and far less fast than in the UK or France.
So, reasonably engaging but keep the critical eye for the author's opinion of himself and his judgements.
Facinating, well written and throughly enjoyable. - Rated 
Often in life the journey is more enjoyable than arrival at the final destination, and this is true to the Caliph's House. The story is a journey through every day Morrocan life and culture, and high lights the differences with western ways and culture.
The Caliph's House is a ramshackle assortment of buildings, and its restoration, despite the jinns evil intent, is Tahir Shahh's dream.
Difficult to put down, amusing and informative.
Every page a joyous adventure - Rated
When I picked up this book I found it very hard to put down. Entering the sixth year of renovations on my own period house on the coast, I had to admire Tahir for just simply taking it all on. Yes I know he had the money and did little physical work himself, but the amount of effort required to just get someone else to do even the simplest of jobs in the way he wanted them done, brought back many horrendous memories. Workmen (especially builders) throughout the world must have all inherited the same genes somewhere along the line. A different culture, language, work ethic and a way of life steeped with superstition and weird and wonderful customs, made the renovation of the Caliph's House a once in a lifetime project. If this man moves on with his family, he surely has a backbone of steel. Don't consider that this book will be an encyclopedia of DIY hints and tips, it's more a guide on how to maintain an open mind and how to be be a project manager. Who knows, if more widely read, it could be the sole cause of a slump in the Moroccan real estate market ! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this convoluted tale of overcoming adversity and can highly recommend it to everyone.
Home renovation at its best. - Rated
Moving house can be traumatic at the best of times. Moving to a different country can be even more so, there's the language to contend with, the clash of cultures and if you're unlucky a whole host of Jinn to excise. Tahir Shah, an Afghan by blood but an Englishman by nature writes the most exquisite upper class prose of his move to Casablanca. He turns the normally dull subject if house renovation into the most fantastic series of adventures that deal with the mundane issues of bribing various officials to the adventures bordering on the supernatural where he deals with the various Jinn's that plague his stay. Expect to learn a lot about the culture and customs of Morocco, but this is not the sort of travel writing to profoundly move you or inspire you. This more the sort that makes you chuckle gently as you read away a blissful Sunday afternoon.
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