Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights is the English name for a collection of stories and romances written in Arabic having the title 'Alaf Laila, Wa Laila' which literally means 'Thousand Nights, and One Night'. The book has been translated in English with titles like 'the Thousand and One Nights', 'the Arabian Nights', 'the Arabian Nights' Entertainment' etc.

The stories in this collection of tales are of various origin and date, traceable in their present form to the middle of the 15th century, and first translated into French by Galland in 1704. The thread on which they are strung is this: A Persian monarch having made a vow that he would marry a fresh bride every night and sacrifice her in the morning, the vizier's daughter obtained permission to be the first bride, and began a story which broke off at an interesting part evening after evening for a thousand and one nights, at the end of which term the king, it is said, released her and spared her life.

Nearby pages
Arabian peninsula, Arabian Sea, Arabic, Arabic Numeral, Arabica, Arabinose