Fairy tale · 声匠改编 · 3:59
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
A poor woodcutter overhears the words Open, Sesame! and finds a robbers' cave of gold. When the forty thieves come hunting, clever Morgiana outwits them.
Narrator
Ali Baba
Cassim
Cassim's Wife
The Robber Captain
Morgiana
Thief in the JarOther languages · 2 languages
About this story
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is one of the best-known Arabian Nights stories, yet no older Arabic manuscript of it is known. The French scholar Antoine Galland added it to his translation, Les Mille et Une Nuits, in the 1710s, most likely from tales told to him by Hanna Diyab, a storyteller from Aleppo in Syria. This bedtime version keeps every turn of the plot, from the magic password to Morgiana's dance, but nobody dies: in Galland, Cassim is killed in the cave and Morgiana scalds the hidden robbers with boiling oil.
What it teaches
Cleverness and loyalty beat greed and force. Greedy Cassim forgets the magic word, while quick-witted Morgiana spots the chalk mark, the voices in the jars and the guest who won't eat salt, and saves the whole household.
Suits
Ages 5–10
Tips for telling it
- Let your child shout Open, Sesame! with the captain, then whisper it with Ali Baba.
- Count Morgiana's three rescues on your fingers: the chalk mark, the oil jars and the dagger.
- Ask why Cassim forgot the word, and what Ali Baba did differently with the gold.
Questions people ask
- What does 'open sesame' mean?
- It is the password that opens the robbers' cave in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (in Galland's French, Sésame, ouvre-toi). Today open sesame means anything that gives easy access to something hard to get into. Nobody knows for sure why sesame was chosen; one popular idea is that ripe sesame pods burst open.
- Is Ali Baba in the original Arabian Nights?
- Not in the oldest manuscripts. Antoine Galland added it to his French translation in the 1710s, most likely from stories told to him in Paris by Hanna Diyab of Aleppo. Aladdin entered the Nights the same way.
- Who is the real hero of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves?
- Ali Baba finds the treasure, but the real hero is Morgiana, his clever servant. She outwits the thieves three times and is rewarded with her freedom and marriage to Ali Baba's son.
More Fairy tales
All Fairy tales episodes →Snow White
声匠改编
A jealous queen, a mirror that never lies, seven dwarfs and one rosy apple. A gentle bedtime retelling of the Grimms' Snow White, with a softer ending.
Beauty and the Beast
声匠改编
A stolen rose, a lonely Beast and a girl brave enough to take her father's place. A gentle bedtime retelling of Beaumont's Beauty and the Beast.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
声匠改编
Peter ignores his mother, squeezes into Mr. McGregor's garden and loses his shoes, his jacket and nearly his way home. Beatrix Potter's 1902 tale, retold.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
声匠改编
Trip, trap! Three hungry goats must cross a bridge guarded by a grumpy troll. A funny bedtime retelling of the Norwegian folk tale.
The Bremen Town Musicians
声匠改编
An old donkey, dog, cat and rooster set off to be musicians, and scare robbers out of their house instead. A funny bedtime retelling of the Grimm tale.
Rapunzel
声匠改编
A girl with very long hair, a tower with no door, and a prince who learns the magic words. The Grimm classic, retold as a warm, funny bedtime story.