Author: Tayida Phanich<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor: Lina Gallo<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve all heard of Aladdin, the Disney adaptation making us sing \u201cA Whole New World!\u201d at the top of our lungs whenever the scene comes on, but besides that, what other tales from the Arabian Nights have you heard of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Probably nothing right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Aladdin, along with a thousand other beautifully crafted poems, tales, and legends from the Middle East, South Asia, and even Northern Africa, comprise the book One Thousand and One Nights or as it\u2019s more commonly known, The Arabian Nights. These stories, written in Arabic, were collected in the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the eighth to the thirteenth century, and were highly influenced by the advancements in science, economy, literature, and arts during those times. Although the origins are not clear cut, many speculate that the earliest of these tales originated from India and Persia. In the eighth century, these works were compiled and translated into Arabic, generating the framework for the book, Alf Layla. Later on, in Iraq, Arab stories were then added, followed by some additional independent sagas, and more tales from Syria and Egypt, bringing the tally up to one thousand and one, fulfilling its namesake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first English translation of the book, though, came out much later in 1840 by Edward Lane, but the full unabridged version was published in 1882 by John Payne, finally bringing the tales into the eyes of the rest of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the tales vary greatly throughout the collection, comprised of historical legends, love stories, to comedies, poems, tragedies, and many more, the lessons remain constant throughout all of the stories, immersing the readers in a world rich with Asian culture, from mythical beings, cities, to beliefs, and language. The book and the thousands of stories within it are definitely worth a read, but if you don\u2019t know where to start, don\u2019t worry! We\u2019ve compiled a reading guide to some of the most famous and interesting tales just below, to aid you on your quest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Arabian Nights<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Centuries ago in the kingdom of Persia, which once stretched as far as India and China, lived a powerful ruler, Sultan Shahryar. He was a capable man, and an even greater ruler, gracing their lands with peace and prosperity. And more recently, he was proven a loyal husband, as he married a beautiful woman, and loved her with all of his heart. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But it turned out, his sultana did not. She was unfaithful and was secretly having an affair with someone else. When Sultan Shahryar found out, he was furious, and in absolute rage and sorrow, he sentenced her to be put to death. And when her execution was carried out by his trusted wazir, he mourned in despair for her demise. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n From then on, he could trust no other woman and began to believe all women were not loyal. To avenge himself, he concocted up a plan. Every day, he would marry a new woman and then kill her the next morning before she could cheat on him again. The citizens as well as the guards and trusted advisors to the sultan were distressed and outraged, but a sultan\u2019s order was an order, and this tradition was carried out for many months.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That was until he met Scheherazade. As the daughter of the wazir who was in charge of these death sentences, she had devised a plan to put this horrid game to an end.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFather,\u201d She began one day, \u201cI want to get married to the Sultan.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Her father was absolutely stunned. He did not expect such a request from his level headed daughter and was very sure he was not going to let her. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFather, I have a plan\u201d and so she shared it with him. After much debate, her father gave in, and the next day, her father persuaded the Sultan to marry his daughter. Although this was much of a surprise to him, he was delighted as she was known to be very beautiful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The next day, the country gloomily celebrated their wedding and her coronation, but what they did not know was that Scheherazade had a few tricks up her sleeves. That night, she requested the Sultan that she allow her sister, Dunyazad to sleep with her so she can bid her farewell before the next day. He willingly agreed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you tell me one last bedtime story?\u201d Her sister requested, seeing as it was her sister\u2019s last day. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSure.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And so the two stayed up all night, listening to Scheherazade\u2019s story, and so did the Sultan. He laid awake, absorbed in her tales until dawn rose, and she suddenly stopped.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease finish the story\u201d He requested, but Scheherazade refused, arguing that it was already dawn. Eager to know the end, the Sultan spared her life for one more day, and at night she continued her tale and began a new one\u2026\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The tale of the Hunchback<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the town of Basrah, a tailor and his wife invite a friendly hunchback, whom they had taken a liking to, over to their place for dinner. Their meal laid out, the three happily chat and laugh over dinner. Suddenly, a bone catches in the hunchback\u2019s throat, causing him to begin coughing violently. A few minutes of this pass, and all fall silent. The hunchback laid on the table, quiet and still. In a panic, the tailor and his wife wrapped him up in a bundle and rushed over to the doctor\u2019s house, leaving him for fear of being responsible for his death. The doctor, who was in a rush to check on the patient, falls down the stairs and is shocked to find him unconscious. He blames himself, and in fear of being accused of murder, disposes of the body off to his neighbor. This game of hot potato is played until it lands in the hands of the king\u2019s broker, when the truth finally slips, tracing the murder back and back down the line, and revealing the biggest truth that maybe the hunchback himself wasn\u2019t even dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a poor boy, Ali Baba was always quick-witted, hardworking, and resourceful. He lived his life day by day as a woodcutter, waiting for the day his life turned around. One day, he stumbles upon the den owned by thieves, and using his smarts, learns the password to gain access. Inside, he discovered a room filled with treasures and riches. But the thieves aren\u2019t so happy when they find out someone had broken into their safe. In a game of cat and mouse, the thieves chase Ali Baba in a game of wits that he keeps escaping from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The three princes and the Princess Nouronnihar<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a kingdom, far far away, there lived three princes, who all wanted to get married to their cousin, princess Nouronnihar. The Sultan promises the three of them, that whoever produces the item with the highest value will win her hand in marriage. This brings much fiasco within the palace, with gifts ranging from magic carpet rides to healing apples, and so many more. However, the competition all stops when news arrives that Princess Nouronnihar has fallen ill. In a story of family and love, the three brothers band together to save her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Written as a frame story, within the frame story of Shahryar and Scheherazade, the tale follows a sailor, Sinbad, who details his own stories of shipwrecks, beasts, and the dangers of the sea that he had experienced in the seven voyages he had taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so this cycle of stories continued for a thousand and one nights. When she finished her last story, the sultan had fallen in love with her, and this time, he spared her life permanently, crowning her as sultana to rule by his side, and the two lived happily ever after.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BBC. \u201cRichard E Grant unravels origins of The Arabian Nights.\u201d BBC News<\/em>, 20 April 2011,<\/p>\n\n\n\n