Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (Arabic: علي بابا والأربعون لصا) is a folk tale in Arabic added to the One Thousand and One Nights in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popular Arabian Nights tales, it has been widely retold and performed in many media across the world, especially for children (for whom the more violent aspects of the story are often suppressed).
| Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves | |
|---|---|
Cassim, Ali Baba's elder brother, in the cave by Maxfield Parrish (1909) | |
| Folk tale | |
| Name | Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves |
| Region | Middle East |
| Published in | The One Thousand and One Nights, translated by Antoine Galland |
In the original version, Ali Baba (Arabic: علي بابا ʿAlī Bābā) is a poor woodcutter and an honest person who discovers the secret of a thieves' den, and enters with the magic phrase "open sesame". The thieves try to kill Ali Baba, but his faithful slave-girl foils their plots. His son marries her, and Ali Baba keeps the secret of the treasure.