‘A beacon of sanity in our age of polarity’*

The Idries Shah Foundation is a charity dedicated to publishing and disseminating the works and ideas of the writer and thinker Idries Shah — and to connecting ideas across disciplines, cultures and history to help bring about a deeper insight into human thought and behaviour. Besides publishing, we are also engaged in a wide range of charitable projects, from supporting education in deprived societies to collaborating with UNESCO to promote stories as the essence of culture.

*John Zada, Los Angeles Review of Books.

Watch ISF’s UNESCO webinar on the Power of Stories hosted by Saira Shah Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate for Peace 2014How do stories affect the mind? A diverse group of educators, scientists, therapists and writers address how stories can help us better understand how we think Our Latest Book: The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin in Turkish Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate for Peace 2014Our Turkish translation programme is going full steam ahead — part of our effort to reseed the material Idries Shah drew from the East in the Islamic world. Watch a new animated version of The Onion read by Safia Shah Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate for Peace 2014We’ve started creating animated versions of our popular children’s books and we’re proud to present the first in the series. Watch The Onion and peel away its layers of wisdom! 'Donate to provide books to Afghan women and girls' - Saira Shah Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate for Peace 2014You can support ISF’s work in giving Idries Shah’s books and stories to Afghans. We will continue to find ways and means to distribute them to Afghans whatever the situation. Meet the Winners of the ISF-UNESCO World Tales Short Story Competition Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate for Peace 2014Children from around the world joined us for a live awards ceremony, read their winning stories and spoke about what inspired them to enter our global competition.

Wisdom of the Idiots by Idries ShahWisdom of the Idiots by Idries Shah insert_link Thinkers of the East by Idries ShahThinkers of the East by Idries Shah insert_link Sufi Thought and Action by Idries ShahSufi Thought and Action by Idries Shah insert_link Tales of the Dervishes by Idries ShahTales of the Dervishes by Idries Shah insert_link The Way of the Sufi by Idries ShahThe Way of the Sufi by Idries Shah insert_link The Sufis by Idries ShahThe Sufis by Idries Shah insert_link Caravan of Dreams by Idries ShahCaravan of Dreams by Idries Shah insert_link
Omar and the Wine-drinker



 

Omar and the Wine-drinker from Caravan of Dreams

Caravan of Dreams distils the essence of Eastern thought in a feast of stories, sayings, poems and allegories, collected by one of the world’s leading experts in Oriental philosophy.

Idries Shah builds up a complete picture of a single consciousness, relating mythology to reality, illuminating historical patterns, and presenting philosophical legends in this unique anthology.

Latest from The Idries Shah Foundation

Find out about our latest projects and exciting publishing initiatives, read our blog – and listen to our popular podcast

Our Impact

Books for Afghanistan

Books for Afghans

We are distributing copies of our Dari translations to Afghans who have fled Afghanistan. 1,000 copies of our children’s books are being printed in the UK for immediate distribution. And 500 copies of our Nasrudin Dari editions are going to local councils, charities and military bases in the UK and USA.

UNESCO Collaboration

UNESCO Collaboration

Thousands of children between the ages of 12 and 18 participated in the ISF-UNESCO’s short story competition. The theme ‘Once Upon a Time in My Future…’ drew entries from as far afield as Chile, Iran and Mongolia. The winners won bespoke medals, ipads and copies of our children’s books for their school libraries.

Taking Sufi Literature ‘Home’

Taking Sufi Literature ‘Home’

The Idries Shah Foundation is making Idries Shah’s books available to readers in Asia and the Middle East, thereby ‘returning’ them to the societies that birthed much of the material he drew from. They are reaching refugees from Afghanistan and Iran – and now Turkish readers.

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Collaborations

Some of the organisations with which we collaborate and whose work is important in the fields of Literacy, Imagination and the Humanities