The Arabian Nights is a collection of tales from the Islamic Golden Age, compiled by various authors

over many hundreds of years.

Though each collection features different stories, they are all centered around the frame story of the
sultan Shahrayar and his wife, Scheherazade. After finding out that his first wife is unfaithful,
Shahrayar kills her and swears to marry a different woman each night before killing her the following
morning to prevent further betrayal. Scheherazade, his vizier's daughter, concocts a plan to end this
pattern. She marries Shahrayar, and then begins to tell him a story that night. However, she stops the
story in the middle, so that he will be excited to hear the rest the following night. The next evening,
she finishes that story and then begins another, following the same pattern for 1,001 nights, until
Shahrayar has a change of heart. The stories she tells comprise the collection.

"Aladdin's Lamp" tells of a peasant boy who is tricked by an evil magician into retrieving a magic
genie lamp from a cave. However, Aladdin outsmarts him, keeping the lamp for himself. Through the
genie's power, Aladdin grows rich and marries the sultan's daughter. When the magician steals the
lamp back, Aladdin and his wife thwart and kill the villain. The magician's brother then attempts to
avenge the dead man, but is equally defeated, so that Aladdin lives happily ever after.

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," hardworking Ali Baba stumbles upon a thieves' hideout full of
treasure, protected by a magic entry. When Ali Baba accidentally reveals the secret to his richer
brother Cassim, Cassim gets trapped in the hideout, and killed by the thieves. The villains then try to
track down and kill Ali Baba, but their plans are consistently thwarted by the quick-witted slave
Morgiana.

In "The Three Apples," a fisherman finds a chest in the ocean containing a woman's body. Both her
father and her husband try to take the blame, but the caliph discerns that the husband had killed
her, believing her unfaithful. He had brought her three rare apples when she was sick, then got mad
when he saw a slave with one of the apples, claiming he had received the fruit from his girlfriend.
Believing the slave, he killed the woman. He then learned that his son had actually given the apple to
the slave, who then lied to stir up trouble. The ruler's vizier Ja'far ascertains that his own slave is the
culprit, and the caliph pardons everyone.

"The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor" are told by a famous sailor to an impoverished porter, to
explain the trials and tribulations that the sailor suffered at sea. Over the course of his seven
voyages, Sinbad faced: various shipwrecks; strange beasts such as giant eagles, rocs, and giants;
malicious figures such as the Old Man of the Sea; and many other obstacles. Even though he dealt
with danger on every voyage, Sinbad continued to sail, lured by the thrill and excitement of the sea.
Finally, after seven voyages, he decided to settle down with his wealth.
 "The Fisherman and the Jinni" tells the story of a fisherman whose nets retrieve a yellow jar from the
sea. He opens it to release a dangerous genie, who has been trapped for hundreds of years and had
decided to kill the man who rescues him. The fisherman tricks the genie into returning to the jar, and
then tells him the story of "The Vizier and the Sage Duban," detailed below. After the story, the genie
promises to reward the fisherman, and indeed shows him a magic lake full of strange fish. The
fisherman sells the fish to the sultan, who explores the area of the lake to meet a sad prince who
had been turned half to stone. He helps the prince, and then rewards everyone involved.

In "The Vizier and the Sage Duban," a wise healer named Duban heals King Yunan's leprosy, but
Yunan's vizier convinces the king that Duban is out to kill him. Yunan has Duban executed on that
suspicion, and Duban gifts him a magic book before he dies. After the wise man is beheaded, the
king flips through the book, and then dies himself from a poison that Duban has left on its pages.

Finally, "The Three Princes and the Princes Nouronnihar" details the journeys of three brother
princes who each wants to marry their cousin Nouronnihar. Their father, the Grand Sultan, promises
that whichever brother finds the most valuable item will win the woman's hand. They each find
amazing items - a magic carpet that transports its owner, a tube that shows whatever the viewer
wishes, and an apple that heals anyone. When the brothers learn that Nouronnihar is ill, they pool
the items and manage to save her life.

CHARACTERS:

Shahrayar

In "The Frame Story," he rules over the kingdom of India and begins the practice of marrying wives
and killing them the next morning until Scheherazade begins to tell him stories every night. Brother
to Shahzaman.

Shahzaman

In "The Frame Story," he rules over the kingdom of Samarkand and reveals to his brother Shahrayar
that his wife is cheating on him.

Scheherazade

Scheherazade is the primary storyteller of The Arabian Nights, according to "The Frame Story." The
daughter of Shahrayar's vizier, she marries the king and tells him stories every night to keep him
from killing her or any more of his wives. She is renowned for both her talent and beauty.

Dinarzad
 In "The Frame Story," she is Scheherazade's younger sister who asks for the stories that then keep
Scheherazade alive.

Aladdin

The title character of "Aladdin's Lamp," he is a poor street child who becomes rich after fooling a
magician and procuring a genie's lamp. He eventually marries the sultan's daughter.

The sultan

In "Aladdin's Lamp," this sultan grants Aladdin his daughter's hand after the boy conjures up so
much wealth via the genie. He later threatens Aladdin when the magician steals the castle and
princess.

The beautiful princess

In "Aladdin's Lamp," the title character marries her after impressing the sultan with his wealth.
Though kidnapped by the magician, she is eventually rescued.

The magician

In "Aladdin's Lamp," he tricks Aladdin into fetching the magic lamp for him, but Aladdin tricks him in
return and takes it for himself. He is killed when he later tries to steal it back, inspiring his brother to
then seek revenge.

The magician's brother

In "Aladdin's Lamp," this villain is even more vengeful than his brother. After the magician's death,
he disguises himself as a well-known holy woman in order to get into Aladdin's palace.

Ali Baba

The title character of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," he discovers the secret treasure cave of the
forty thieves, which makes an enemy of the thief captain. Brother to Cassim, and later owner of
Morgiana.

Cassim

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," he is Aladdin's brother. He greedily enters the cave after learning
of it from Ali Baba, but is caught by the thieves and then killed.

Captain of the Thieves

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," he leads the band of criminals, and tries several times to murder
Ali Baba after the man finds their hiding place. He is eventually outsmarted by Morgiana.

Morgiana

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," she is Cassim's slave who is later transferred to Ali Baba after her
master's death. The cleverest character in the story, she is responsible for foiling the Thief Captain's
plan.

Baba Mustapha
 In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," he is the cobbler whom Morgiana blindfolds when trying to hide
the truth of Cassim's death. The thieves later use him to find Ali Baba's house.

Caliph Harun al-Rashid

The ruler in many of the Arabian Nights stories. In "The Three Apples," he demands Ja'far find the
woman's killer, and later pardons the young man. In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor,"
Sinbad brings him gifts from the King of Serendip, and the caliph later reciprocates.

Ja'far

In "The Three Apples," he is Caliph Harun al-Rashid's vizier. He solves the mystery at the threat of
execution.

The young husband

In "The Three Apples," he kills his wife, mistakenly believing she was unfaithful. He is later pardoned
after asking to be killed for his crime.

The old father

In "The Three Apples," he is the father of the young woman who was murdered. He lies to protect
his son-in-law, but the young husband ultimately proves his own guilt.

Ja'far's slave

In "The Three Apples," he receives one of the rare apples and then lies about it, thereby leading to
the woman's murder. He is spared at Ja'far's behest.

The impoverished porter

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," this poor man stumbles upon the sailor Sinbad, and
hears one of his stories each night of the week, before receiving money from the wealthy sailor. (In
some versions of The Arabian Nights, he is known as Hindbad.)

Sinbad

A wealthy sailor who has gone on seven voyages as a merchant and faced many trials and
tribulations until he finally chose to settle down with his riches.

King Mihrage

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," he is king of the first island on which Sinbad is
shipwrecked, and shows him great hospitality.

The cannibal giant

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," this creature wreaks havoc on Sinbad's third voyage,
eating much of the crew before Sinbad comes up with an escape plan.

Old Man of the Sea

 In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," this villainous, enchanted creature latches onto Sinbad's
back in his fifth journey, forcing the sailor to carry him around to fruitful trees, in the process
draining the sailor's energy. Sinbad has to get the old man drunk to free himself.

King of Serendib

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," this generous ruler welcomes Sinbad to his island on the
sixth journey, and then sends him back with gifts for the caliph.

Sinbad's merchant master

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," he buys Sinbad as slave after a shipwreck on the seventh
voyage, and uses him to kill elephants for ivory. When Sinbad finds the elephant graveyard, the
master is happy enough to set the sailor free.

Chief merchant's daughter

In the alternate version of the seventh voyage of "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," she
marries Sinbad and later returns home with him from the land of the bird-people.

The old fisherman

In "The Fisherman and the Jinni," this poor man releases a genie from a yellow pot, and then must
outsmart the spirit to save his life. He also tells the story of "The Vizier and the Sage Duban."

Duban

In "The Vizier and the Sage Duban, this wise sage heals King Yunan's leprosy, but is killed when King
Yunan's vizier plots against him.

King Yunan

In "The Vizier and the Sage Duban," this ruler is cured of his leprosy by the wise man Duban, but
then executes the doctor after being fooled by his vizier.

King Yunan's vizier

In "The Vizier and the Sage Duban," this evil, unsightly man plots against Duban, and causes trouble
for both the wise man and Yunan himself.

Hussein

Hussein is the oldest of the three princes in "The Three Princes and the Princess Nouronnihar". He
purchases a magic carpet that can transport him wherever he chooses.

Ali

Ali is the middle of the three princes in "The Three Princes and the Princess Nouronnihar." He
purchases an ivory tube that can show the user anything he wishes.

Ahmed
 Ahmed is the youngest of the princes in "The Three Princes and the Princess Nouronnihar." He
purchases an enchanted artificial apple that can heal even the worst sickness with one sniff.

The Great Sultan of India

In "The Three Princes and the Princess Nouronnihar," he devises the competition for his sons (the
princes) to take, and ultimately lauds them for working together. Father to Hussein, Ali, and Ahmed;
uncle to Nouronnihar.

Nouronnihar

In "The Three Princes and the Princess Nouronnihar," she is niece to the Great Sultan, and cousin to
the three princes who compete for her hand.

Shahrayar's vizier

In "The Frame Story," he is Shahrayar's advocate sent to Samarkand to invite Shahzaman to visit
India.

The demon

In "The Frame Story," he traps a beautiful woman, who then sleeps around as much as possible to
scorn him. His misfortune encourages Shahrayar and Shahzaman on their quest to find someone
more miserable than they are.

The demon's woman

In "The Frame Story," this woman is trapped in a glass chest by a demon, but sleeps around as much
as possible (including with Shahrayar and Shahzaman) to scorn the demon.

The young man's wife

In "The Three Apples," she was falsely accused of infidelity by Ja'far's slave, and was murdered
because of it.

Sinbad's captain

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," several captains accidentally leave Sinbad behind,
usually to come across him later apologetically.

The horsegroom

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," this man serves King Mihrage and brings Sinbad to the
king after the sailor helps him save a drowning mare.

The giant's mate

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," this creature throws rocks at the fleeing crew after they
kill the cannibal giant, leaving only a few of the men alive.

The wealthy king

 In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," this ruler offers Sinbad a beautiful wife on his fourth
voyage, not revealing that the sailor has to be buried alive with the woman after she dies according
to local custom.

Sinbad's island wife

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," Sinbad marries this woman on his fourth voyage, only to
then discover he must be buried alive with her according to local custom.

Cassim's wife

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," she lends Ali Baba's wife a rigged scale and thereby learns the
secret of their wealth.

Ali Baba's wife

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," she desires to weigh the gold Ali Baba steals, so borrows a scale
from Cassim's wife, which the latter woman rigs to discover their secret.

Ali Baba's son

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," he is fooled by the Captain of the Thieves into inviting the villain
to dinner at Ali Baba's house.

Aladdin's mother

The title character's mother in "Aladdin's Lamp," she supports his almost-fatal trip with the
magician, and later helps Aladdin carry out his plan to marry the sultan's daughter.

The sultan's greedy vizier

In "Aladdin's Lamp," this man convinces the sultan to postpone the princess's marriage to Aladdin so
his own son can woo her. He succeeds, but Aladdin then manages to break up the marriage.

The curious sultan

In "The Fisherman and the Jinni," this ruler is intrigued by the mystery of the colorful fish and
investigates to discover and free the sad prince.

The vizier's son

In "Aladdin's Lamp," he marries the beautiful princess thanks to his father's scheming, but then loses
his marriage because of Aladdin's magic.

The ring jinn

In "Aladdin's Lamp," he is the spirit conjured by the magician's ring, and less powerful than the lamp
jinn.

The lamp jinn

 In "Aladdin's Lamp," he is the spirit conjured by the lamp Aladdin steals for the magician, and is
more powerful than the ring jinn.

The hairy men

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," these hairy, two-feet tall savages steal the ship on which
Sinbad is serving, leaving the crew stranded on the island with the cannibal giant.

The naked savages

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," these men drug Sinbad's crew on his fourth journey, all
in anticipation of eating them. Sinbad refuses to take their drugs.

The bird-people

In "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," these people welcome Sinbad to their community in the
alternate version of the final voyage, but prove to be demons whom he must escape.

The pot jinni

In "The Fisherman and the Jinni," this spirit is released by the old fisherman after having been
trapped inside a yellow jar by King Solomon of the Jinns for hundreds of years. Though he initially
wishes to punish the fisherman, he is outsmarted and ultimately grants him a boon.

The sad prince

In "The Fisherman and the Jinni," this prince had been turned half-way to stone, but is released
through the help of the curious sultan.

GLOSSARY:

ambergris - a waxy, ash-colored secretion from a sperm whale intestine; very valuable at the time of the
stories, and used in perfume and cookery

bezestein - a marketplace of valuable merchandise

brocade - fabric woven with an elaborate design

caliph - the chief Muslim civil and religious ruler in Islamic tradition; regarded as the successor of
Muhammad

camphor - a whitish, crystalline substance obtained from the wood of the camphor tree, and used in
medicine

comrade - a companion or friend

desolate - deserted, bleak, empty

idle - not working or active

incognito - disguised, concealed, or hidden

jinn - a genie

jinni - a genie

khan - an inn in certain Arab countries

lamp - in the case of these stories, a lamp would actually look more like a small, ornate pitcher than
something that gives light

omen - an occurrence believed to contain some insight into future events

porter - a person employed to carry luggage or other loads

roc - an enormous, legendary bird of prey

sage - a wise man or healer

sequin - a gold coin; a unit of money

Serendib - present-day Sri Lanka

squander - to waste in a reckless or foolish manner

sultan - a king of an Islamic empire

tempest - a violent windstorm

vizier - the chief advisor to a sultan or king