This website is my final project for WLC 370B—Topics in the Middle East: Arabian Nights—at Iowa State University. For this course, we read selections from The Arabian Nights translated by Husain Haddawy in 1990. He translated directly from the 14th century manuscript edited by Muhsin Mahdi, which is largely considered the oldest version that still remains.
We also read selections from Haddawy’s translation of Sindbad: And Other Stories from the Arabian Nights, also edited by Muhsin Mahdi.
The purpose of this website is to provide summaries, analysis, and context of stories from the world of The Arabian Nights.
Note: There are some translations and editions that include additional stories to reach a complete 1001 nights of stories told by Shahrazad (also spelled Schehrazade). The edition translated by Haddawy is based on the earliest-known written edition and is meant to be true to the original. This edition only includes 271 nights.
The World of the Arabian Nights 