ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES

Ali Baba and his

elder brother Cassim are the sons of a merchant. After the death of their father, the Mustafa and tries again, only this time, a chunk is chipped out of the stone step at Ali
greedy Cassim marries a wealthy woman and becomes well-to-do, building on their Baba's front door. Again Morgiana foils the plan by making similar chips in all the
father's business—but Ali Baba marries a poor woman and settles into the trade of other doorsteps. The second Thief is killed for his failure as well. At last, the leader of
a woodcutter. the Thieves goes and looks for himself. This time, he memorizes every detail he can
One day Ali Baba is at work collecting and cutting firewood in the forest, and he of the exterior of Ali Baba's house.
happens to overhear a group of forty thieves visiting their treasure store. The treasure The Chief of the Thieves pretends to be an oil merchant in need of Ali Baba's
is in a cave, the mouth of which is sealed by magic. It opens on the words "iftah ya hospitality, bringing with him mules loaded with thirty-eight oil jars, one filled with oil,
simsim" (commonly written as "Open Sesame" in English), and seals itself on the the other thirty-seven hiding the other remaining thieves. Once Ali Baba is asleep, the
words "Close, Simsim" ("Close Sesame"). When the thieves are gone, Ali Baba Thieves plan to kill him. Again, Morgiana discovers and foils the plan, killing the thirty-
enters the cave himself, and takes some of the treasure home. seven Thieves in their oil jars by pouring boiling oil on them. When their leader comes
Ali Baba and his wife borrow his sister-in-law's scales to weigh this new wealth of to rouse his men, he discovers that they are all dead, and escapes. The next morning
gold coins. Unbeknownst to them, she puts a blob of wax in the scales to find out Morgiana tells Ali Baba about the thieves in the jars, they bury them and Ali Baba
what Ali Baba is using them for, as she is curious to know what kind of grain her shows his gratitude by giving Morgiana her freedom.
impoverished brother-in-law needs to measure. To her shock, she finds a gold coin To exact revenge, after some time the Chief of Thieves establishes himself as a
sticking to the scales and tells her husband, Ali Baba's rich and greedy brother, merchant, befriends Ali Baba's son (who is now in charge of the late Cassim's
Cassim. Under pressure from his brother, Ali Baba is forced to reveal the secret of the business), and is invited to dinner at Ali Baba's house. However the Thief is
cave. Cassim goes to the cave and enters with the magic words, but in his greed and recognized by Morgiana, who performs a dance with a dagger for the diners and
excitement over the treasures, he forgets the magic words to get back out again. The plunges it into his heart when he is off his guard. Ali Baba is at first angry with
Thieves find him there, and kill him. When his brother does not come back, Ali Baba Morgiana, but when he finds out the Thief tried to kill him, he is extremely grateful and
goes to the cave to look for him, and finds the body, quartered and with each piece rewards Morgiana by marrying her to his son. Ali Baba is then left as the only one
displayed just inside the entrance of the cave as a warning to anyone else who might knowing the secret of the treasure in the cave and how to access it. Thus, the story
try to enter. ends happily for everyone except Cassim and the forty Thieves.
Ali Baba brings the body home, where he entrusts Morgiana, a clever slave-girl in  
Cassim's household, with the task of making others believe that Cassim has died a
natural death. First, Morgiana purchases medicines from an apothecary, telling him
that Cassim is gravely ill. Then, she finds an old Tailor known as Baba Mustafa whom
she pays, blindfolds, and leads to Cassim's house. There, overnight, the Tailor
Process Questions:
stitches the pieces of Cassim's body back together, so that no one will be suspicious.
Ali Baba and his family are able to give Cassim a proper burial without anyone asking 1. At the start of this lesson, what were your initial feelings and ideas about it?
awkward questions. Did you like story? Was it exciting or too predictable? How did you find its
The Thieves, finding the body gone, realize that yet another person must know ending?
their secret, and set out to track him down. One of the Thieves goes down to the town 2. The magic words “Open, Sesame” and “Close,Sesame” that seal the cave of
and comes across Baba Mustafa, who mentions that he has just sewn a dead man's treasures have become popular expressions. How do modern people use
body back together. Realizing that the dead man must have been the Thieves' victim, this expression in their daily conversations?
the Thief asks Baba Mustafa to lead the way to the house where the deed was 3. How were Ali Baba’ and Cassim’s lives different? Which of these two
performed. The Tailor is blindfolded again, and in this state he is able to retrace his characters do you prefer? Explain your answer and cite instances in the
steps and find the house. The Thief marks the door with a symbol. The plan is for the story that support your choice of character.
other thieves to come back that night and kill everyone in the house. However, the
4. How is each of these themes – greed, loyalty and bravery shown in the
Thief has been seen by Morgiana and she, loyal to her master, foils his plan by
story?
marking all the houses in the neighborhood with a similar marking. When the forty
5. As reflected in this story and in the speech at the start of this lesson, what
Thieves return that night, they cannot identify the correct house and their leader in a
are the personality traits of Saudi Arabs as a people?
furious rage, kills the unsuccessful Thief. The next day, another Thief revisits Baba