Islamic Culture

The Waystation's playlist on the subject of Islamic and Middle Eastern Culture is inspired by the work of several individuals and groups over the last hundred years who have attempted to build bridges between Western culture and the Islamic world.

Below are some recommended books written and published by these individuals and groups, as well as some additional videos and talks on the subject.

"In the light of recent world events, the necessity to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern traditions and to provide an accurate exposure and understanding of one tradition to the other has become vital." -- the ISHK


Islam and the Divine Comedy - Miguel Asin y Palacios (1926)
Legacy of Islam - Arnold & Guillaume, ed. (1931)
Muhammed: The Prophet - Ikbal Ali Shah (1932)
Selections from the Koran - Ikbal Ali Shah (1932)
Alone in Arabian Nights - Ikbal Ali Shah (1933)
My Khyber Marriage - Morag Murray Abdullah (1934)
History of the Arabs - Philip K. Hitti (1937; 2002)
The Controlling Minds of Asia - Ikbal Ali Shah (1937)
Destination Mecca - Idries Shah (1957)
Arabian Sands - William Thesiger (1959)
Afghanistan: Cockpit in High Asia - Peter King (1966)
Life of Muhammed - Sir John Glubb (1970)
Escape from Central Asia - Ikbal Ali Shah (1980)
Islamic Philosophy - M. Saeed Sheikh (1982)
The Golden Caravan - Ikbal Ali Shah (1983)
Kara Kush - Idries Shah (1986)
Adventures in Afghanistan - Louis Palmer(1990)
My Life from Brigand To King - Amir Habibullah (1990)
The Middle East Bedside Book - Tahir Shah, ed. (1991)
Travels in the Unknown East - John Grant (1992)
Valley of the Giant Buddhas - Morag Murray Abdullah (1993)
Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines - Seyyed Hossein Nasr (1993)
An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan - Jason Elliot (2001)
Islam - Karen Armstrong (2001)
The Battle for God - Karen Armstrong (2001)
Muslim Neo-Platonists - Ian Netton (2002)
The Storyteller's Daughter - Saira Shah (2003)
The Muslim Jesus - Tarif Khalidi (2003)
The Ornament of the World - Maria Rosa Menocal (2003)
Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years - Royal Academy of Arts (2005)

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A documentary by Saira Shah about Afghanistan under the Taliban:




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Click here to listen to a talk by Tahir Shah given at the ICR about the importance of Islamic science in the Middle Ages.

Saira and Tahir Shah are part of a family that "for three generations... have worked to explain the East to the West."

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Professor Jim al-Khalili explores the innovations in science which took place within Islam from the 9th to 13th centuries A.D. and their legacy in the modern West.