Destination Mecca is an early book by the writer Idries Shah, who went on to produce an extensive corpus of material on Sufism that is both accessible and relevant to contemporary western readers. It was first published by Rider in 1957 (with photographs by the author), and subsequently by Octagon Press in 1969 (minus the photos). Shah had already made a name for himself as the author of two well-researched and in many ways ground-breaking books about magic. However, these scholarly works, and the vastly more influential work, The Sufis, which was to follow in 1964, by their nature entailed keeping his own personality in the background. His intention in this present book appears to be to counterbalance this tendency through his skilful use of the familiar travel book format, and he steps o