This is a really interesting book about a journey through six Balkan countries on the trail of the Muslim heritage. This creates a wonderful balance for the reader; nothing feels forced; it’s almost like the vast wealth of information and history in the book comes to us through osmosis.

His family accompany him on his journey, and this imbues the prose with a sense of warmth and humour. Immerse yourself in this beautiful selection of powerful words to help you feel inspired and encouraged throughout the holy month of Ramadan - a time of hope and renewal.Normal assumptions of Muslims identity - long beard and hijab, but what made the Muslims of the Balkan so important is because they are as European as they are Muslims, as they were not resulted from immigration or converts. Why for example is he eating pide on his first night in Sarajevo, and getting disappointed that it’s not as good as the one he had in Turkey? There are plenty of humorous cultural references as well: Pokemon Go, The Gilmore Girls, Game of Thrones … but my personal favourite was the hat tip to Castle Greyskull (really showing his age there).

There were a few good stories that were different and not focused on architecture as well as a few random acts of kindness. I’ve always been a keen traveller, though, so it immediately piqued my interest and I found myself completely absorbed by it.The book is dripping with not only history but also stunning vistas, architectural richness, exotic food, weird coffee rituals and all the diversity of humanity you could wish for. like Bosnia’s capital city, Novi Pazar is very much a Muslim town with over eighty per cent of the urban population professing the faith, making the Serbian town more Muslim than some ‘Muslim’ countries. But is it not possible that such an obsession over a book is going to drive excessive adherence to it?

Whilst some will say it's because they were communists, I believe that's only the tip of the iceberg and that it was built on Islamophobia, because long before it was communist, for almost six centuries much of it was Muslim. Thanks to the rise of the political right-wing, Muslim Europe is being pushed as a threat to our way of life in Europe and the UK.

Encountering blonde-haired, blue-eyed Muslims, visiting mystical Islamic lodges clinging to the side of mountains, and praying in mosques older than the Sistine Chapel, he paints a picture of a hidden Muslim Europe, a vibrant place with a breathtaking history, spellbinding culture and unique identity. The most interesting parts were about the present-day and the people the author met, so it's a pity that this aspect wasn't as prominent as the long discourses on history and architecture (thank goodness for internet photographs, I say). I think the eastern European hatred and Islamophobia were all wrapped into one and there’s no surprise that the two were interchangeable during the Brexit rhetoric,” he says. We use Google Analytics to see what pages are most visited, and where in the world visitors are visiting from.

Even if the West does not accept Muslims anytime soon, Tharik believes it is important for Muslims to at least know their own history.He cites a Victorian archaeologist here, but later quite rightly notes that the Victorian English were prone to superiority complexes over pretty much anyone).