At some time (probably in the early eighth century), these tales were translated into Arabic under the title Alf Layla, or вЂThe Thousand NightsвЂ™.В The original core of stories wasВ probably quite small, with Arabic stories added to it in the 9th and 10th centuries. The history of the NightsВ is extremely complex, and modern scholars have made many attempts to untangle the story of how the collection came about.В Most scholars agree that is was a composite work, coming from India and Persia. The History of the Arabian Nights Stories Some of the stories widely associated with The Nights, in particular вЂ AladdinвЂ™s Wonderful LampвЂ, вЂAli Baba and the Forty ThievesвЂ™, and вЂ The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the SailorвЂ, while almost certainly genuine Middle-Eastern folk tales, were not part of The NightsВ in its original Arabic versions, but were added to the collection byВ Antoine GallandВ (1646 вЂ“ 1715) and other European translators. In all these cases, she is justified in her belief that the KingвЂ™s curiosity about the sequel would buy her another day of life. While in many cases a story is cut off with the hero in danger of losing his life or another kind of deep trouble, in some parts, Scheherazade stops her narration in the middle of an exposition of abstract philosophical principles or complex points ofВ Islamic philosophy, and in one case during a detailed description ofВ human anatomyВ according toВ Galen. The narratorвЂ™s standards for what constitutes aВ cliff-hangerВ seem broader than in modern literature. Numerous stories depict ghouls,В apes, sorcerers, magicians, and legendary places, which are often intermingled with real people and geography. They include historical tales, love stories, tragedies, comedies, poems,В burlesques,В and various forms ofВ erotica. It is one of the earliest examples of вЂ™embedded narrativesвЂ™ вЂ“ which can be traced back to earlier Persian and Indian storytelling traditions, most notably the PanchatantraВ (an ancientВ IndianВ collection of interrelatedВ animal fablesВ in verse and prose).ДЄcross the collection, the tales vary extremely widely. The One Thousand and One NightsВ and various tales within it make use of many innovativeВ literary techniques, which the storytellers of the tales rely on for increased drama and suspense. In some, Scheherazade asks for a pardon, in some, the King sees their children and decides not to execute his wife, in others, things happen that make the King distracted вЂ“ but they all end with the king giving his wife a pardon and sparing her life. The different versions have different, individually detailed endings. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins (and onlyВ begins) a new one, and the King, eager to hear the conclusion, postpones her execution once again.

The King, curious about how the story ends, is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the King a tale but does not end it. Scheherazade, the vizierвЂ™s daughter, offers herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees. Eventually, theВ vizier, whose duty it is to provide them, cannot find any more virgins. ShahryДЃr begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning before she has a chance to dishonour him. But in his bitterness and grief, he decides that all women are the same. One day, King ShahryДЃr discovers that his wife has been unfaithful.

The tales are many and varied, but common throughout all the narratives is the initial frame story of the rulerВ ShahryДЃr, and his wife ScheherazadeвЂ¦. The work itself was collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, South Asia and North Africa. The title Arabian Nights came from the first English language edition (1706), which rendered the title as The Arabian NightsвЂ™ Entertainment. This period lasted from the eighth century to the thirteenth century, when much of the Arabic-speaking world experienced a scientific, economic, and cultural flourishing вЂ“ One Thousand and One Nights epitomising the rich and multifaceted literary output.

Origins of Fairy Tales from Around the WorldДЄrabian Nights, more properly known as One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales, compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age.

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