Arabian Literature

There was an emperor of Persia named Kosrouschah, who, when he first came to his crown, in order to obtain knowledge of affairs, took great pleasure in night excursions, attended by a trusty minister. He often walked in disguise through the city, and met with many adventures, one of the most remarkable of which happened to him upon his first ramble, which was not long after his accession to the throne of his father.

Giant birds and magic carpets share the skies with flying horses and mighty genies. Brave adventurers set out to find jeweled palaces and caves stuffed with treasures. So sit back and listen and like King Sharhya of the story let our Sheherezade enchant you with tales of romance and delight.

There was, in olden time, and in an ancient age and period, in the land of the Persians, a king named Shahzeman, and the place of his residence was Khorassan. He had not been blest, during his whole life, with a male child nor a female; and he reflected upon this, one day, and lamented that the greater portion of his life had passed, and he had no heir to take the kingdom after him as he had inherited it from his fathers and forefathers. So the utmost grief befell him on this account.

Mas historias orientales.

Takrim refuses to be enslaved by the evil djinn temptress Iigwha. He escapes her clutches, but the djinn torments him with a cursed ring that brings him endless pleasure but denies him release. A hunter travelling alone through the Al'inal Forest finds Takrim, half-starved and exhausted. Sadiq tries to help him the only way he can - through pleasure.

Ein romantischer Liebesroman, der die Hörer in den Orient entführt... Rana Stone kann es nicht fassen. Gerade noch raste ein Auto an ihr vorbei, nun liegt es brennt neben der Straße. In letzter Sekunde kann sie einen Mann aus den Trümmern retten. Was sie nicht weiß - der Mann ist Karim Ibn Tariq Shaheen, der zukünftige Emir von Dubai. Sie hat ihm das Leben gerettet, doch eigentlich war sie nach Dubai gereist, um einen neuen Job anzutreten... und hier fangen die Probleme erst richtig an. Denn nicht nur der Job ist weg, auch kann Rana sich dem Charme des Prinzen kaum entziehen.

To save herself from certain death, the beautiful Scheherazade must beguile a Persian sultan with her enchanting stories. In two of her most well-known tales, Aladdin's and Ali Baba's cleverness and quick-thinking save the day - and a great treasure. Andrew Lang's masterful version of these ancient Middle Eastern folk tales will captivate listeners of all ages, just as they did when Scherazade was the storyteller.

The padded footsteps of a white tiger pass a servant girl in the hallway of an Arabian palace. The prince's toys rise up to defend him from a band of mercenaries. A sinister man takes control of the palace while the Sultan is away...but what is his purpose? Another of Raver's tales of hidden magic, The Enchantress is a short story that takes the listener to a fictional land and into the mind of a mysterious young woman.

The Sultan wants to ensure his hundred concubines keep themselves in shape, so he devises a fitness plan with a difference. The losers of his weekly sprinting sessions are to be whipped by his very own lashmaster. When Orla is tricked into coming last in her race, she is fearful. Returning to the harem alone, she encounters Aladdin and his Genie, both of whom are in search of erotic encounters.

Aladdin is a young lad dwelling in ancient China; his parents are in despair, as he is a never-do-well and won't ever do anything. A sorcerer from the Maghreb persuades him to retrieve a wonderful oil lamp from a magic cave. But then, the socerer attempts to double-cross Aladdin, who resists only to find himself trapped in the cave. Luckily, he has kept the magical object and a world of adventures opens before him.

There formerly reigned in the city of Harran a most magnificent and potent sultan, who loved his subjects, and was equally beloved by them. He was endued with all virtues, and wanted nothing to complete his happiness but an heir.

"You must know, my lord," said the wretched prisoner, "that my father, named Mahmoud, was monarch of this country. This is the kingdom of the Black Isles, which takes its name from the four small neighboring mountains; for those mountains were formerly isles, and the capital where the king, my father, resided was situated on the spot now occupied by the lake you have seen. The sequel of my history will inform you of the reason for those changes.

In reading the fantastic tale of Prince Agib's adventures in the justly famous Arabian Nights, I was struck with how deeply insightful it was about the human condition. Although the story is so incredible that even one's imagination is stretched by its incredulity, the message it conveys is so universal and so human that one cannot help but be awed by its moral implications. Blaise Pascal brilliantly captures Prince Agib's and our own dilemma when he writes, “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”

Full of mischief, valor, ribaldry, and romance, The Arabian Nights has enthralled readers for centuries. These are the tales that saved the life of Shahrazad, whose husband, the king, executed each of his wives after a single night of marriage. Beginning an enchanting story each evening, Shahrazad always withheld the ending: A thousand and one nights later, her life was spared forever.