Encyclopedia of Islam

Arabian Nights

  

51  J

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q

Uran

, the 

sharia

, and Sufi dervishes—that draw 

upon Islamic tradition.

The stories are anonymous, and modern 

scholars agree that they come from different 

sources, not all of which are “Arabian.” Though 

the stories are written in Arabic and a number 

of them refer to b

aghdad

 and c

airo

, many of 

them show strong Indian and Persian influences. 

Scholars also agree that the Arabian Nights cir-

culated in several versions of different lengths 

during much of its history. The version that first 

captured the attention of Western readers was 

based on Arabic manuscripts from s

yria

 trans-

lated by a French traveler-scholar, Antoine Gal-

land (1646–1715), in collaboration with an Arab 

Christian named Hanna Diab. Indeed, some of 

the most beloved stories we now associate with 

the Arabian Nights, such as those about Sinbad, 

Aladdin, and Ali Baba, circulated as separate sto-

ries and were not part of the original 14th-cen-

tury collection. They were added to the Arabian 

Nights only as a result of Galland and Hanna’s 

collaboration early in the 18th century. Printed 

translations and adaptations of the Arabian 

Nights quickly became best sellers in Europe 

and continue to fascinate readers young and 

old around the world today. Moreover, Arabian 

Nights has inspired modern composers, poets, 

playwrights, and filmmakers both in the West 

and the Middle East. However, it has also con-

tributed to the formation of exotic stereotypes 

about Arabs and Muslims that inhibit cross-

cultural communication and understanding, as 

exemplified in the controversy surrounding the 

animated Disney feature Aladdin (1992).

See also  a

rabic

 

langUage

 

and

 

literatUre

; 

Folklore

; o

rientalism

.