![]() “That happened because of the rise of empires and the interest in these lands,” he says. In the West, much early interest was linked to Orientalism, an enthusiasm for eastern societies that developed at a time of colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa.Įurope at the time was “fascinated” by what it then called the Orient, according to Muhsin Al Musawi, professor of classical and modern Arabic literature, comparative and cultural studies at Columbia University in the US. The geographical setting of the stories is diverse, with tales set in regions including North Africa, East Africa, the Middle East and India. ![]() The format is that you can just add stories.” ![]() “It’s a complex body of writing that has an oral tradition, that has a written tradition, and this body of writing generates itself through absorbing, adapting and rewriting stories from everywhere. We’re still looking,” says Prof Wen-chin Ouyang, of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. “The manuscripts, there are so many of them, but we haven’t put our hands on all of them. Two of the best-known tales, Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, are sometimes described as orphan stories as they can be traced only as far back as French translations. Many stories of diverse origin are thought to have been brought together into a collection in Arabic in Cairo in the late 1700s, although by this time many had already found their way, via French, into English-language periodicals.īy then, the tales of 1001 Nights had already been circulating in Ottoman Turkish translation for centuries, probably informed by translations into Persian. Some may be transformations of earlier tales, or may have given rise to later stories. Illustrating their varied history, some tales feature Harun Al Rashid, a celebrated eighth and ninth century caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (which held sway over Arabia and beyond at the time), while others, Dr Elmaz says, mention the coffee houses of 15th century Cairo. The tales can be traced back to before the ninth century, Dr Elmaz says, and although often associated with Arabia, they are hugely varied in origin, with some having their roots in a collection of stories in Persian and, ultimately, Indian folklore. Her vivid imagination conjures up stories that have rarely been equalled in drama and richness, with characters ranging from warriors to thieves, sultans, slaves and jinns who are found in palaces filled with incomparable riches, windswept seas and bustling cities. In their complete form, they are told over 1001 nights by Shahrazad, King Shahriyar’s beautiful wife, who has to tell her bloodthirsty husband a new and compelling tale after dark each day to save herself from being killed and replaced by another young woman. Photo: Dr Orhan Elmaz How has The Arabian Nights proved so enduring? These stories could happen anywhere at any time.”ĭr Orhan Elmaz, senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. There are not lots of descriptions of things that are secondary to the plotline. “If you look at the language of the Nights, you will find that the stories are very linear … They add suspense, but in general there’s just one line of action that you’re headed to. They’re very existential in the questions that they try to address, which makes them timeless.” “It’s all about fate and how it can change you and your life. “The stories are generally about binary opposites, for example, life and death, poverty and riches,” he says. There is a universal element to the stories that helps, suggests Dr Orhan Elmaz, senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and editor of Endless Inspiration: One Thousand and One Nights in Comparative Perspective. Why have these stories, often known as the Arabian Nights, proved to be so popular and why has their appeal endured century after century? ![]() They have been translated into multiple languages, formed the basis of many PhD theses, and also been the focus of academic conferences. Periodicals, pantomimes, Disney films, books and toys - the Tales of 1001 Nights have long sparked huge interest and spawned nothing short of their own industry.įavourites as children’s stories, these tales brought to the world iconic characters such as Aladdin, Sindbad the Sailor and Ali Baba, and have enthralled countless generations.
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