The Complete Collection of Travel Literature. In Search of King Solomon's Mines, Beyond the Devil's Teeth, House of the Tiger...

1614 Pages·2013·6.35 MB·English

by  Tahir Shah

Tahirshah.com
The Complete Collection of Travel Literature
In Search of King Solomon's Mines, Beyond the Devil's Teeth,
House of the Tiger King, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Travels With
Myself, Trail of Feathers
TAHIR SHAH
*
Secretum Mundi Publishing
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© TAHIR SHAH 2013
eBook ISBN: 978-1-78301-173-5
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accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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Visit the author's website at: http://www.tahirshah.com/
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Table of Contents
IN SEARCH OF KING SOLOMON’S MINES
BEYOND THE DEVIL'S TEETH
HOUSE OF THE TIGER KING
SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
TRAVELS WITH MYSELF
TRAIL OF FEATHERS
IN SEARCH OF KING SOLOMON’S MINES
TAHIR SHAH
SECRETUM MUNDI PUBLISHING
Acknowledgements
Ethiopia is encircled by mountains and shrouded in misinformation.
In the West, our impressions of this African country have been molded by
what we have seen on television: enduring images of drought, famine and
starvation. But there is far more to Ethiopia than that, and I hope that this book
helps lift the veil on a land which has captivated travelers and scholars for
centuries.
In acknowledging the enormous amount of guidance and support that I
received during my search for King Solomon’s mines, I must first thank the
Ethiopian people. In few countries have I been welcomed with such
extraordinary warmth and hospitality, whether in the capital Addis Ababa or in
the remotest villages.
So many people in Ethiopia have helped me that it is impossible to list them
all. I would, however, particularly like to thank Getachew Tessfai and his team
at the Ministry of Mines, the experts at the Geological Survey of Ethiopia, and
the staff of the British Embassy in Addis Ababa. Sincere thanks must also go to
Dr Araga Yirdaw, Petrus Visagie, Wayne Nicoleta and their colleagues at
Midroc Lega Dembi; and to Yasmin Mohammed and her family In addition, I
am indebted to the many Ethiopians who are mentioned by name in the text.
Most of all, I would like to thank Samson Yohannes, who stayed by my side
even during times of considerable hardship.
Many others elsewhere have endured my petitions for information, advice
and help. Sir Wilfred Thesiger was the first person to suggest I go to Ethiopia,
the land of his birth, and he has assisted me at every step. I am also extremely
grateful to Dr Richard Pankhurst and his wife Rita for their support. A large
number of others have likewise given guidance and advice. They include Fisseha
Adugna, Paul Henze, Wak Kani, Alex Maitland, Professor Alan Millard, Dr
Konstantinos Politis, Professor Beno Rothenberg, Claus Schack, Rob Kraitt,
Josh Briggs, Tarquin Hall, Robert Twigger and Gail Warden.
Above all, however, I am indebted to the hundreds of ordinary Ethiopians
who assisted me during my travels. They have probably long since forgotten the
day I stumbled into their lives. But I have not forgotten them, nor their acts of
kindness. It is to them, and to their compatriots, that this book is dedicated.
Contents
Title Page
Acknowledgements
One - Ali Baba’s Map
Two - Seven Stones
Three - The Father of Madness
Four - The Mines
Five - Children of the Devil
Six - Breakfast with Idi Amin
Seven - The Emperor’s Jeep
Eight - Sheba’s Gold
Nine - The Jinn of Suleiman
Ten - The Place of Gold
Eleven - Prester John
Twelve - The Mad Sultan
Thirteen - Used Mules
Fourteen - Tullu Wallel
Fifteen - Return to the Accursed Mountain
Glossary
Bibliography
“He who does not travel does not know the value of men.”
Moorish Proverb “Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year
was six hundred threescore and six talents... And king Solomon made two
hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went
to one shield... Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it
with the best gold... And all of king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of
gold...”
Kings I, x: 14-21
ONE
Ali Baba’s Map
“So geographers, in Afric-maps,
With savage-pictures fill their gaps;
And o”er unhabitable downs
Place elephants for want of towns.”
Jonathan Swift, A Rhapsody
An inky hand-drawn map hung on the back wall of Ali Baba’s Tourist
Emporium. Little more than a sketch, and smudged by a clumsy hand, it was
mounted in a chipped gold frame and showed a river and mountains, a desert, a
cave and what looked like a trail between them. At the end of the trail was an
oversized “X”.
“Is that a treasure map?”
Ali Baba looked up from the back page of the Jerusalem Herald and peered
at me. He was an old dog of a man, whose pot-belly hinted at a diet rich in fat-
tailed sheep. His chin was covered with bristly gray stubble; he was bespectacled
and he spoke through the corner of his mouth. Like all the other merchants in the
bazaar, Ali Baba had gone from rack to ruin, but he didn’t care. He lit a filter-
less Turkish cigarette and let his chest swell with the smoke.
“That is not for sale,” he said.
“But is it a treasure map?” I asked again.
The shopkeeper grunted and returned to his paper. You couldn’t accuse Ali
Baba of hard salesmanship. Times had never been worse for tourism since the
fighting had flared up again, and all the other traders in Jerusalem’s Old City
were falling over themselves to do business. But then none of them had a
treasure map hanging on their walls.
“Where’s the treasure supposed to be?”
“Africa.”
“Diamonds?”
“No, gold.”
“Oh,” I mouthed with mounting interest, “pirate treasure?”