151 Tales From Arab World

Ahmed, the cobbler, lived in Isfahan with his greedy wife, Sitara. She was a very discontented woman. One day, Sitara went to the Hammam where people came to bathe and relax. There, she saw the wife of the royal astrologer in gorgeous clothes and jewellery, being waited upon by several maids. Sitara returned home in […]

A farmer had three daughters and they took turns to watch the calves when they went out to graze. One day, the eldest daughter fell asleep and lost one calf. Searching for the calf, she reached a big house with a red door. She went in and opened a golden, a silver and a brass

There was a young man in Persia who inherited a large amount of wealth from his father. But he wasted everything and became so poor that he had to get himself hired. A Sheikh came to the market and hired the young man. Sheikh said he would live a comfortable life in his house and

Once upon a time, there lived a chief named Ali Ben Ahmed and his tribe in the desert of Arabia. They encamped on the trackless sand. For months, they did not see any stranger. One evening, however, little Zuleika, the chief’s daughter, saw someone riding her way from the south. She ran to tell her

Sindbad set off on a ship with merchants from Balsora. They traded at many towns and ports till their ship was driven off its course by a violent storm. The Captain was worried because he knew that the island on which they had arrived was the home of a tribe of dreadful, hairy dwarfs who

Once, a Prince visited his uncle, the King, and his cousin. He met his cousin, but his uncle was away. His cousin had a beautiful lady as his guest. After a lavish meal, his cousin, carrying a pickaxe and a little plaster, took his guests to a place where he opened a door with a

The King loved his son dearly and, when the son wished to go hunting, the King sent his Vazir with him to watch over him. Once, the Prince galloped through the forest, leaving the Vazir and the attendants behind. The Prince suddenly found himself alone and there was no sign of the Vazir! He saw

There was a poor man who loved his beautiful wife very much. Since he went to work every morning, he bought a talking parrot to keep her company. He also told the parrot to tell him all that happened during the day. One day, the parrot told him his wife had been lazy and dishonest

Long, long ago in Persia, there was a Greek King who suffered from a strange illness that seemed incurable. All the physicians in the court and the kingdom had been summoned and each remedy had been tried. But nothing seemed to help the sick King. A new learned physician arrived at the court to cure

Long ago, in the city of Baghdad, there was a merchant named Ali. Once, he had to go on a long journey that would take time. Selling off most of his things, Ali placed a thousand gold coins in a large jar for use when he returned. To keep it safe, he placed a layer

Once upon a time, there was an extremely rich merchant who travelled to many places to sell his merchandise. Once, his journey took him to a land far away and the road passed through a desert where nothing was available to eat. The merchant, therefore, decided to carry some biscuits and dates for the journey.

Once upon a time, there lived a man who was so wild that the Governor of the province sent him away to make his fortune and improve himself. Reaching a forest, he saw a dead horse. He took its head and was about to go on, when he saw some evil spirits coming there. Carrying

The King of Persia was loved by his people as the kingdom was prosperous and the King was kind and just. One day, a merchant came to his court, leading a slave girl whom he presented to the King. She was so beautiful that the King fell in love with her and decided to marry

An old man always went everywhere leading a hind tied with a rope. When he was asked why he took her everywhere, he said she was his wife! He explained that they had no children, so he had adopted the son of a slave as his son and looked after his mother too. When his