WRITER
Idries Shah
1924 - 1996

Idries Shah
Idries Shah (; Hindi: इदरीस शाह, Urdu: ادریس شاه; 16 June 1924 – 23 November 1996), also known as Idris Shah, Indries Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي) and by the pen name Arkon Daraul, was an Afghan author, thinker and teacher in the Sufi tradition. Shah wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies. Born in British India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles on his father's side and a Scottish mother, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Idries Shah is the 2,841st most popular writer (up from 3,290th in 2019), the 385th most popular biography from India (up from 414th in 2019) and the 44th most popular Indian Writer.
Memorability Metrics
Page views of Idries Shah by language
Among WRITERS
Among writers, Idries Shah ranks 2,841 out of 7,302. Before him are Guiraut Riquier, John Evelyn, Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Lucia Berlin, Carlo Emilio Gadda, and Harold Robbins. After him are Charles Berlitz, Adrienne Rich, Ricarda Huch, Kader Abdolah, Uladzimir Karatkievich, and Roy Medvedev.
Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsGuiraut Riquier
1230 - 1292
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 2,835
John Evelyn
1620 - 1706
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 2,836
Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav
1849 - 1921
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 2,837
Lucia Berlin
1936 - 2004
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 2,838
Carlo Emilio Gadda
1893 - 1973
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 2,839
Harold Robbins
1916 - 1997
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 2,840
Idries Shah
1924 - 1996
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 2,841
Charles Berlitz
1913 - 2003
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 2,842
Adrienne Rich
1929 - 2012
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 2,843
Ricarda Huch
1864 - 1947
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 2,844
Kader Abdolah
1954 - Present
HPI: 60.74
Rank: 2,845
Uladzimir Karatkievich
1930 - 1984
HPI: 60.74
Rank: 2,846
Roy Medvedev
1925 - Present
HPI: 60.74
Rank: 2,847
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1924, Idries Shah ranks 193. Before him are Guillermo Rodríguez, Aloísio Lorscheider, Ken Tyrrell, Olivier Gendebien, Alain Bombard, and Abderrahmane Youssoufi. After him are Edward Cassidy, Josef Škvorecký, Johannes Mario Simmel, Alexandre José Maria dos Santos, George Mikan, and Nek Chand. Among people deceased in 1996, Idries Shah ranks 119. Before him are Karl Rappan, Pierre Grimal, Don Simpson, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Hernán Siles Zuazo, and José Donoso. After him are Jo Van Fleet, Edison Denisov, Tamara Toumanova, Tito Okello, Jerry Siegel, and Hussein Kamel al-Majid.
Others Born in 1924
Go to all RankingsGuillermo Rodríguez
POLITICIAN
1924 - Present
HPI: 60.80
Rank: 187
Aloísio Lorscheider
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1924 - 2007
HPI: 60.80
Rank: 188
Ken Tyrrell
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2001
HPI: 60.79
Rank: 189
Olivier Gendebien
RACING DRIVER
1924 - 1998
HPI: 60.78
Rank: 190
Alain Bombard
BIOLOGIST
1924 - 2005
HPI: 60.77
Rank: 191
Abderrahmane Youssoufi
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2020
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 192
Idries Shah
WRITER
1924 - 1996
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 193
Edward Cassidy
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1924 - 2021
HPI: 60.74
Rank: 194
Josef Škvorecký
WRITER
1924 - 2012
HPI: 60.68
Rank: 195
Johannes Mario Simmel
WRITER
1924 - 2009
HPI: 60.63
Rank: 196
Alexandre José Maria dos Santos
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1924 - 2021
HPI: 60.58
Rank: 197
George Mikan
BASKETBALL PLAYER
1924 - 2005
HPI: 60.56
Rank: 198
Nek Chand
SCULPTOR
1924 - 2015
HPI: 60.53
Rank: 199
Others Deceased in 1996
Go to all RankingsKarl Rappan
SOCCER PLAYER
1905 - 1996
HPI: 61.37
Rank: 113
Pierre Grimal
WRITER
1912 - 1996
HPI: 61.15
Rank: 114
Don Simpson
PRODUCER
1943 - 1996
HPI: 61.08
Rank: 115
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
POLITICIAN
1913 - 1996
HPI: 61.02
Rank: 116
Hernán Siles Zuazo
POLITICIAN
1914 - 1996
HPI: 61.02
Rank: 117
José Donoso
WRITER
1924 - 1996
HPI: 60.87
Rank: 118
Idries Shah
WRITER
1924 - 1996
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 119
Jo Van Fleet
ACTOR
1915 - 1996
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 120
Edison Denisov
COMPOSER
1929 - 1996
HPI: 60.74
Rank: 121
Tamara Toumanova
ACTOR
1919 - 1996
HPI: 60.74
Rank: 122
Tito Okello
POLITICIAN
1914 - 1996
HPI: 60.73
Rank: 123
Jerry Siegel
COMIC ARTIST
1914 - 1996
HPI: 60.62
Rank: 124
Hussein Kamel al-Majid
POLITICIAN
1954 - 1996
HPI: 60.45
Rank: 125
In India
Among people born in India, Idries Shah ranks 385 out of 1,861. Before him are Shakuntala Devi (1929), Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918), Madan Mohan Malaviya (1861), Guru Hargobind (1595), Ibn Warraq (1946), and Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1930). After him are Rash Behari Bose (1886), Salim Ali (1896), Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (1908), Mahbub ul Haq (1934), Rishi Kapoor (1952), and Jayant Narlikar (1938).
Others born in India
Go to all RankingsShakuntala Devi
WRITER
1929 - 2013
HPI: 60.93
Rank: 379
Shankar Dayal Sharma
POLITICIAN
1918 - 1999
HPI: 60.91
Rank: 380
Madan Mohan Malaviya
POLITICIAN
1861 - 1946
HPI: 60.91
Rank: 381
Guru Hargobind
POLITICIAN
1595 - 1644
HPI: 60.89
Rank: 382
Ibn Warraq
WRITER
1946 - Present
HPI: 60.82
Rank: 383
Hussain Muhammad Ershad
POLITICIAN
1930 - 2019
HPI: 60.81
Rank: 384
Idries Shah
WRITER
1924 - 1996
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 385
Rash Behari Bose
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1886 - 1945
HPI: 60.72
Rank: 386
Salim Ali
BIOLOGIST
1896 - 1987
HPI: 60.70
Rank: 387
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
WRITER
1908 - 1974
HPI: 60.64
Rank: 388
Mahbub ul Haq
ECONOMIST
1934 - 1998
HPI: 60.62
Rank: 389
Rishi Kapoor
ACTOR
1952 - 2020
HPI: 60.61
Rank: 390
Jayant Narlikar
PHYSICIST
1938 - 2025
HPI: 60.59
Rank: 391
Among WRITERS In India
Among writers born in India, Idries Shah ranks 44. Before him are Kuvempu (1904), Dnyaneshwar (1275), Mir Taqi Mir (1723), Harivansh Rai Bachchan (1907), Shakuntala Devi (1929), and Ibn Warraq (1946). After him are Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (1908), T. H. White (1906), Subramania Bharati (1882), Abdul-Qādir Bedil (1642), Hansa Jivraj Mehta (1897), and M. Karunanidhi (1924).
Kuvempu
1904 - 1994
HPI: 62.64
Rank: 38
Dnyaneshwar
1275 - 1296
HPI: 61.57
Rank: 39
Mir Taqi Mir
1723 - 1810
HPI: 61.43
Rank: 40
Harivansh Rai Bachchan
1907 - 2003
HPI: 61.28
Rank: 41
Shakuntala Devi
1929 - 2013
HPI: 60.93
Rank: 42
Ibn Warraq
1946 - Present
HPI: 60.82
Rank: 43
Idries Shah
1924 - 1996
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 44
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
1908 - 1974
HPI: 60.64
Rank: 45
T. H. White
1906 - 1964
HPI: 60.55
Rank: 46
Subramania Bharati
1882 - 1921
HPI: 60.53
Rank: 47
Abdul-Qādir Bedil
1642 - 1720
HPI: 60.51
Rank: 48
Hansa Jivraj Mehta
1897 - 1995
HPI: 60.29
Rank: 49
M. Karunanidhi
1924 - 2018
HPI: 60.26
Rank: 50