Justin Marozzi

Tall tales of the Golden East: the fabulous fabrications of two 20th-century con artists

Capitalising on his Afghan-Indian heritage, Ikbal Shah claimed to have crucial inside knowledge of Central Asia, while his son Idries later purveyed a rebranded Sufism for the West

Idries Shah. [Shutterstock]
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  • Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan: The Fantastical Lives of Ikbal and Idries Shah

    Nile Green

    Norton, pp. 368, £22

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