In 1979, Soviet tanks rolled across the borders of Afghanistan, beginning a period of barbaric aggression that marked a turning point in modern history. Convinced that a resistance movement is imperative, and that he is the one to lead it, the Afghan-born, American-schooled Adam Durany quickly returns to his homeland to lead an uprising against the Soviet invasion.
Durany’s rebellion, however, faces insurmountable odds. Not only must he and his band of ill-equipped freedom fighters and agents repulse an occupying superpower from Afghanistan’s cities and valleys, but they must also protect and keep secret from the Russian invaders a hoard of legendary lost gold that was located after centuries, and which the Communists are also desperately seeking.
Based upon Idries Shah’s travels in wartime Afghanistan, and on real-life characters, Kara Kush is a riveting and fast-paced novel about one of the greatest freedom struggles of all times.
‘The best war novel I have read…as exciting as Shogun.’
Doris Lessing
‘…a tour de force of the snow-covered mountains, parched deserts, fecund orchards, dense woods and dirt tracks of a country at war with a superpower.’
Dawn
‘What sets this novel apart are the Afghans themselves. The reader is brought into contact with a people, a history and traditions peculiarly remote from the conventions of popular fiction.’
Washington Times
‘[Idries Shah] has brought all his skills to bear, blending considerable scholarship with raw experience, and passion with a Sufi's love of paradox. The result is a book as remarkable as the country it portrays.’
Los Angeles Times
Book One: Nikolai is Here
Tiger’s Fort, South of the Soviet Border, in Afghan Turkestan
SUMMER
Book Two: The Gold of Ahmad Shah
1. Ura Pobeyda – Hail Victory!
Kalantut Village, North-West of Kabul, Afghanistan
APRIL 23
2. ‘I thank the court for its clemency…’
Guerrilla Headquarters, The Eagle’s Nest, Paghman Mountains, North of Kabul
APRIL 29
3. Karima: ‘If you push me too far…’
Kabul City and Jalalabad, Afghanistan
JUNE 7-8
4. Business on the Frontier
Manchester, England and Istanbul, Turkey
MAY 25-26
5. A Caravan for David Callil
Inside Afghanistan, on the road west of Chitral, Pakistan
MAY 31–JUNE 8
6. Bright Wolf
The Eagle’s Nest, Paghman Mountains, North of Kabul
JUNE 8
7. Noor Sharifi, Hostage
Pul-i-Charkhi Prison, Kabul
MAY 2
8. A Formal Case has been Initiated
The Great Castle at the mouth of the Paghman valley
MAY 4
9. Captain Azambai, Soviet Red Army
South of Khaja Rawash Airbase, Kabul Road
MAY 2
10. The Treasure
Kajakai, Kandahar Province, South-West Afghanistan
APRIL 30–MAY 10
Book Three: Halzun, the Snail
1. Nurhan Aliyev, Uzbek Librarian
Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Central Asia
MAY 24
2. The Artefacts Department
Moscow, Union Capital, USSR
MAY 26–30
3. A Passport for Tezbin, Carpenter
Moscow/Kabul
JUNE 2–11
Book Four: Hail Jamal, Son of Zaid!
1. ‘This is your mission, Jamal…’
The Airport, Hadiqa City, Narabia, Arabian Gulf
JUNE 12
2. ‘Highness, I am Samir, servant of Akbar’
Peshawar, North-West Frontier, Pakistan
JUNE 13–17
3. Send for Yunanian, the Chemist
The Palace/The British Embassy, Hadiqa City, Narabia
JUNE 18
4. Thank you, Dr Anddrews
Oxford, England
JUNE 20
Book Five: A Mirza in a Mulberry Tree
1. Hang the Bandit Scum!
Kabul and Panjsher Valley, Afghanistan
JUNE 9
2. Compassionate leave for Mr Khan
New Delhi, India
JUNE 8–14
3. Account Paid
Kabul, Afghanistan
JULY 14–16
Book Six: Daughter of Daniyel
1. Prem Lal, KGB Rezident
Kabul, Afghanistan
JUNE 8
2. Fazli Rabbi, Innkeeper
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
JUNE 8
3. To the Castle of the Yusuf-Born
The Path of Flight, Smugglers’ Route,
Jalalabad to Pakistan
JUNE 9–19
Book Seven: Ataka! Ataka! Ataka!
1. Nanpaz the Baker 369
The Castle, Paghman Valley
JUNE 5
2. The Whirlwind to see Colonel Slavsky
Below the Castle, Paghman
JUNE 19
Book Eight: Nest of the Eagle
1. One hundred and fifty-eight – and volunteering
Eagle’s Nest, The Buddhist Monastery,
Paghman Mountains
JUNE 19
2. ‘Silahdar Haidar, Weapon-Bearer, reporting, Komondon’
Eagle’s Nest
JUNE 20
3. Time to move on, Big One…
Eagle’s Nest/Kalan’s Farm, Near Kabul
JUNE 20
4. The Fourth Battle
Valley Entrance, Paghman
JUNE 24
Book Nine: Across the Hindu Kush
1. An Izba in Nuristan
The Koh-i-Daman Foothills
JULY 3
2. The Wild Ones of Murad Shah
The Lower Paghman Range
JULY 5
3. Land of the Living Prince
Beyond High Serai
JULY 11
4. We must cross Black Mountain…
Qala Kavi, Central Mountains
JULY 12
5. Kara Dagh is Icebound
The Great Pass
JULY 14
Book Ten: The Wolves of Turkestan
1. Like lice on a dinner plate…
The North Slope of Kara Dagh Mountain, Afghan Turkestan
JULY 16
2. Guerrilla City
Kurt Burj, ‘Wolf Redoubt’, Reed Forest, Afghan Turkestan
JULY 17
3. The Gunboat Jihun
Qizil Qala, Oxus River Port, Afghan–Soviet Border
JULY 21
4. Leninised
On the Oxus River
JULY 21
5. March South…
Wolf Redoubt
JULY 21
Book Eleven: Southwards to Kandahar
1. Ride and Die!
High Hazara Land, Central Afghanistan
LATE AUGUST
2. The Mulla and the Water of Life
Baghran Town, Descending towards Kandahar, South-Central Afghanistan
LATE AUGUST
Book Twelve: Ekranoplan, the Sea Monsters
1. Wild Horses
Southern Hazarajat
AUGUST–SEPTEMBER
2. Kandahar in Disguise
The Oasis of Panjtan, Kandahar Province
MID-SEPTEMBER
3. Council of War
The Oasis
MID-SEPTEMBER
Book Thirteen: Into the Abode of War
1. Target: Kandahar Airport
Pendergood’s Army, In the Free Land, Pakistan–Afghan Border; and Moscow
SEPTEMBER 15, LATE AFTERNOON
2. The Russians are Coming
The Eagle’s force, North of Kandahar City
2100 hours
3. Pendergood’s Army, approaching the Airport,
18 kms from Kandahar
2140 hours
4. The Eagle’s force, north of Kandahar City
2151 hours
5. Pendergood’s Army, Kandahar Airport
SEPTEMBER 16, 0100 hours
6. The Eagle’s force, Herat Road boundary,
Kandahar City
0230 hours
7. Pendergood’s Army, Kandahar Airport
0800 hours
Book Fourteen: The Secret Weapon
1. Stand to Arms!
North of Kandahar Airport
SEPTEMBER 16, 1000 hours
2. Kandahar Airport
1200–1300 hours
3. The Tanks must not get through
1436 hours
Book Fifteen: Zoo-Bear
The Super-Redeyes
Almas Fort, the heights near Kandahar Airport
1600 hours
From Kara Kush by Idries Shah
Copyright © The Estate of Idries Shah
Idries Shah was born in India in 1924 into an aristocratic Afghan family. He was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition and is considered one of the leading thinkers of the 20th century.
Shah devoted his life to collecting, translating and adapting key works of Sufi classical literature for the needs of the West. Called by some 'practical philosophy' - these works represent centuries of Sufi and Islamic thought aimed at developing human potential. His best-known works include the seminal book The Sufis, several collections of teaching stories featuring the ‘wise fool’ Nasrudin, Reflections and Knowing How to Know.
Shah's corpus - over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and cultural studies - have been translated into two dozen languages and have sold millions of copies around the world. They are regarded as an important bridge between the cultures of East and West.