Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights

In Short

Sir Richard Francis Burton’s Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights (Volume III) collects the famous "orphan tales"—enduring Arabic and Eastern stories introduced to Western literature by Antoine Galland. These narratives trace the sudden shifts of fortune that define human life, where poor youths, humble merchants, and orphaned siblings navigate supernatural encounters, dark betrayals, and unexpected inheritances. Driven by magical talismans, treacherous magicians, devious thieves, and steadfast heroines, the characters rise from poverty to royalty or plummet into ruin through greed. Framed by the nocturnal storytelling of Shahrazad to postpone her execution by King Shahryar, this volume contains some of the world's most recognized folklore, including the adventures of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Prince Ahmad. The collection has endured because it captures timeless human desires for wealth, justice, and magical transformation, rendered here in Burton's distinctively archaic, ornate, and scholarly prose.

The Story

The volume opens with "The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam," in which a young prince of Bassorah squanders his inheritance and seeks to restore his fortunes. Guided by his father’s loyal servant Mubarak, Zayn travels to the realm of the King of the Jinns. To secure a mythical ninth statue made of a single priceless gem—surpassing eight gem-encrusted statues left by his father—Zayn must fulfill a covenant by bringing the Jinn King a pure, virtuous maiden who has never broken her vows.

In "Alaeddin; or, The Wonderful Lamp," a impoverished Chinese youth named Alaeddin is targeted by an ambitious Maghrabi sorcerer. The magician pretends to be Alaeddin's long-lost uncle to trick him into entering a subterranean treasure vault to retrieve an enchanted oil lamp. Trapped underground when he refuses to hand over the lamp before escaping, Alaeddin accidentally summons a powerful Jinn by rubbing a magical ring given to him by the sorcerer. Escaping the cave, Alaeddin discovers that the lamp harbors an even more potent Jinn capable of granting any wish. With this power, Alaeddin amasses immense wealth, wins the hand of the Sultan's daughter, Lady Badr al-Budur, and builds a magnificent palace overnight. However, the Maghrabi sorcerer discovers Alaeddin's survival through geomancy, travels to China disguised as a merchant offering "new lamps for old," and tricking Badr al-Budur into trading away the magical lamp. The sorcerer transports the palace and the princess to Africa. Alaeddin uses the ring Jinn to follow them, poisons the sorcerer with the help of his bride, recovers the lamp, and restores his home. He later faces and slays the sorcerer's equally evil brother, who attempts revenge disguised as the holy woman Fatimah.

"Khudadad and His Brothers" follows a prince whose jealous half-brothers resent his favor with their father, the King of Harran. They betray him after he rescues them from a monstrous cannibal Abyssinian, leaving him for dead. Intertwined with his tale is the "History of the Princess of Daryabar," who recounts her abduction by a giant Abyssinian, her rescue, and her subsequent misfortunes at sea before aligning with Khudadad.

"The Caliph's Night Adventure" features Harun al-Rashid wandering Baghdad in disguise alongside his Wazir, Ja'afar. They meet three individuals whose strange circumstances require explanation. Baba Abdullah, a blind beggar, explains how his insatiable greed for a subterranean treasure led him to demand a magical salve from a dervish; when applied to his right eye, it blinded him forever. Sidi Nu'uman recounts how his wife was a ghoulish sorceress who transformed him into a dog; he was rescued by a baker and a maiden skilled in magic who restored his human shape and helped him turn his wicked wife into a mare. Khwajah Hasan Al-Habbal describes his transformation from a destitute rope-maker into a wealthy industrialist through a series of misfortunes involving stolen money and a lucky diamond sold to a Jew.

In "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," a poor woodcutter discovers the secret entrance to a bandit cave opened by the magical phrase "Open, Sesame." After Ali Baba takes a portion of the stolen treasure, his greedy brother Cassim tries to plunder the cave, forgets the magical password, and is killed and quartered by the robbers. The bandits track Ali Baba to his home by hiring a tailor, Baba Mustafa, to guide them blindfolded to the house. The thieves attempt to infiltrate the residence hidden inside oil jars, but Ali Baba's clever slave-girl, Morgiana, foils their plots, kills the bandits with boiling oil, and eventually stabs their leader during a feast, earning her freedom and marriage into the family.

"Ali Khwajah and the Merchant of Baghdad" deals with a merchant who leaves a jar of gold coins covered with olives in the care of a friend before going on a long pilgrimage. Seven years later, the friend steals the gold and replaces the spoiled olives. A boy-king playing a game in the street cleverly exposes the theft by consulting expert olive-merchants to prove the olives could not be seven years old, forcing the traitor to confess.

"Prince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-Banu" details three prince brothers—Husayn, Ali, and Ahmad—competing for the hand of Princess Nur al-Nihar by seeking the most extraordinary wonder. Husayn finds a flying carpet, Ali a magnifying glass that reveals any distant scene, and Ahmad a magical apple that cures any illness. Working together, they discover her terminal illness and save her. When their father sets an archery contest to break the tie, Ahmad’s arrow flies out of sight. Following his arrow, Ahmad finds the hidden realm of the fairy Peri-Banu, whom he marries. Jealous ministers convince the Sultan to demand impossible tasks of Ahmad, including fetching water from the Lion's Fountain and bringing a man only three feet high with a thirty-foot beard. Peri-Banu's magical power helps Ahmad fulfill every demand, culminating in the small man—her brother Shaibar—killing the tyrannical Sultan and placing Ahmad on the throne.

Finally, "The Two Sisters Who Envied Their Cadette" depicts two elder sisters who swap their youngest sister’s royal newborn twins and daughter with dead animals, throwing the babies into a canal. Saved by the keeper of the royal gardens, the children grow up and embark on a quest to secure three wonders: the Speaking-Bird, the Singing-Tree, and the Golden-Water. After her brothers are turned to stone on the mountain quest, Princess Perizadah uses her wit to secure the treasures, sprinkle the Golden-Water on the dark boulders, and restore her brothers and all previous fallen seekers to life. The Speaking-Bird eventually reveals the truth to the Sultan, reuniting the family and punishing the jealous sisters.

How It Unfolds

The quest for the ninth statue Prince Zayn Al-Asnam wastes his wealth before discovering a hidden subterranean chamber left by his father, containing eight statues carved from single gems. To obtain the ninth, most precious statue, Zayn and his father's servant Mubarak perform rituals to summon the King of the Jinns, who demands a pure maiden in exchange for the ultimate prize.

The subterranean trap A Maghrabi sorcerer tricks the young slacker Alaeddin into opening an underground hoard containing a magical lamp. When Alaeddin refuses to hand the lamp over before climbing out, the sorcerer seals the cave entrance, leaving the youth trapped in total darkness.

The power of the ring and lamp Accidentally rubbing a magical ring given to him by the sorcerer, Alaeddin summons a Jinn who frees him from the cave. Upon returning home, his mother cleans the oil lamp, revealing an even more powerful Jinn who fulfills their every wish for food, wealth, and royal status.

The marriage to Princess Badr al-Budur Alaeddin falls in love with the Sultan's daughter after spying on her near the baths. His mother brings dishes filled with extraordinary gems to the Sultan, successfully securing the marriage contract and building a grand, jewel-encrusted palace overnight.

The stolen palace The Maghrabi sorcerer learns via sand-board geomancy that Alaeddin survived, travels to China, and trades new lamps for old to steal the magic lamp from the unsuspecting Princess. He instantly teleports the palace and Badr al-Budur to Africa, forcing Alaeddin to use his magic ring to pursue them and slay the magician.

The wandering Caliph Harun al-Rashid grows restless in his palace and roams Baghdad in disguise alongside Ja'afar. They cross the Euphrates and encounter three men with unusual life stories—a blinded beggar demanding a blow to the ear, a man riding a enchanted mare that was once his wife, and a wealthy rope-maker who gained his fortune through a single diamond.

The secret of the cave Ali Baba overhears forty thieves open a hidden jungle cave using the command "Open, Sesame." After he brings gold home, his brother Cassim learns the secret, enters the cave out of greed, forgets the password "Open, Barley," and is butchered by the returning thieves.

The chalked doors The thieves discover Cassim's body is gone and hire the tailor Baba Mustafa to locate the house where it was sewn together. A thief marks Ali Baba's door with white chalk, but the clever slave-girl Morgiana marks all neighboring doors identically, confusing the bandits and saving her master.

The oil jar ambush The robber captain disguises himself as an oil merchant, bringing thirty-nine oil jars to Ali Baba's house, with a bandit hidden in each. Morgiana discovers the plot while seeking lamp oil, pours boiling oil into the jars to destroy the bandits, and later stabs the captain during a performance.

The search for the ultimate wonder Three royal brothers travel to distant lands to find the most remarkable object to win Princess Nur al-Nihar. They combine a flying carpet, an all-seeing glass, and a healing apple to cure her from afar, leading to an archery trial that drives Prince Ahmad to the subterranean palace of the fairy Peri-Banu.

The three magical wonders Princess Perizadah's brothers are turned to black stones while searching a mountain for the Speaking-Bird, the Singing-Tree, and the Golden-Water. Perizadah overcomes the terrifying mountain voices, retrieves the treasures, and uses the Golden-Water to restore her brothers and hundreds of stone-encrusted knights to human form.

The People

• Zayn Al-Asnam: A Prince of Bassorah who squanders his late father's wealth through reckless spending. After discovering his father's underground vault of precious gem statues, he demonstrates fear in the presence of the supernatural but learns discipline under the guidance of his mentor Mubarak to secure the ninth statue from the King of the Jinns.
• Alaeddin (Aladdin): A lazy, careless boy living in a Chinese city who refuses to learn a trade despite his mother's poverty. After being targeted by a Maghrabi sorcerer, he matures into a brave, generous, and strategic leader who uses the magic of an enchanted lamp and ring to win Princess Badr al-Budur, defeat two dark magicians, and command armies for the Sultan.
• The Maghrabi Sorcerer: A ruthless Moorman magician from North Africa who spends forty years studying occult arts to locate the subterranean lamp in China. Driven by absolute greed, he stops at nothing to murder Alaeddin and reclaim the lamp, ultimately meeting his end when poisoned by Princess Badr al-Budur.
• Alaeddin's Mother: An impoverished widow who initially survives by spinning cotton. Grounded in fear and piety, she is terrified by the appearance of the Jinns, yet loyally acts as an envoy to the Sultan, carrying bowls of magical jewels to negotiate her son's marriage.
• Harun al-Rashid: The historical Caliph of Baghdad who suffers from profound restlessness and melancholy. He seeks entertainment by roaming his city in disguise alongside his Wazir, Ja'afar, demanding odd explanations from the subjects he encounters.
• Ali Baba: A humble, poor woodcutter who stumbles upon the secret cave of forty bandits. Though he takes gold from the cave to escape poverty, he remains cautious, relying entirely on his resourceful slave-girl Morgiana to save his life from the bandits' vengeance.
• Morgiana: A brilliant, remarkably sharp-witted slave-girl in Ali Baba's household. She continually outsmarts the forty thieves through keen observation, chalking neighboring doors, neutralizing hidden bandits with boiling oil, and executing their chief during a dance to win her freedom.
• Prince Ahmad: The youngest son of a Sultan who seeks the most extraordinary object in the world. After his arrow leads him to the magical fairy Peri-Banu, he marries her and relies on her supernatural power to complete impossible tasks set by his jealous father.
• Peri-Banu: A powerful fairy princess who falls in love with Prince Ahmad. She possesses vast magical resources, providing Ahmad with miraculous gifts—including a tent that fits in the palm of a hand yet covers an army—and controlling formidable beasts like the lions guarding the magical spring.
• Princess Perizadah: A courageous, highly educated princess who was stolen at birth by her jealous aunts and raised by a gardener. When her brothers fail in their quest and are turned to stone, she demonstrates immense mental fortitude, scaling a perilous mountain to claim the Speaking-Bird, the Singing-Tree, and the Golden-Water.

In Its Own Voice

When Zayn Al-Asnam and Mubarak summon the King of the Jinns in a dark ritual, supernatural terror grips the young prince:

"Presently came forth a mighty rushing wind and a voice like an earthquake, the quake of earth on Judgment Day."

Trapped deep beneath the earth after the sorcerer seals the subterranean vault, Alaeddin reflects on the deception that brought him there:

"Know that I beheld Death with mine own eyes at the hand of this damned wretch, whom thou didst certify to be my uncle; and, had not Almighty Allah rescued me from him, I and thou, O my mother, had been cozened by the excess of this Accursed's promises..."

When the magician attempts to deceive Princess Badr al-Budur into drinking poisoned wine, he flatters her while framing his rough origins:

"'O my lady, we in Africa have not so gracious customs as the men of China. This day I have learned of thee a new courtesy which I shall ever keep in mind.'"

What It's Really About

At their core, these stories explore the erratic nature of fortune, the dangers of unbridled ambition, and the absolute necessity of wit when navigating an unpredictable world. Wealth in these tales is rarely earned through steady, mundane labor; it arrives through luck, subterranean hoards, or supernatural intervention. However, the possession of wealth instantly attracts existential danger in the form of jealous relatives, dark sorcerers, or bloodthirsty bandits.

A primary thematic focus is the contrast between greed and wisdom. Characters driven by unchecked avarice—such as Cassim in the thieves' cave, the Maghrabi sorcerer seeking the lamp, or Baba Abdullah seeking all the dervish's treasure—are consistently destroyed or maimed by their unwillingness to accept a reasonable share. Conversely, characters who pair good fortune with prudence, quick thinking, and loyalty (often embodied by sharp-witted women like Morgiana and Princess Perizadah) manage to preserve their lives and secure lasting justice. The stories repeatedly examine domestic betrayal, showing that the deadliest threats to a person's life come not from distant monsters, but from envious brothers, co-wives, and trusted friends who break holy covenants.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers readers an authentic look at the "orphan tales" that shaped global fairy-tale culture, stripped of modern sanitization. Reading Sir Richard Francis Burton's translation provides a raw, unfiltered journey into medieval Islamic folklore, complete with its stark moral universe, casual violence, rich courtly rituals, and complex magical mechanics. Burton's style is famously eccentric; he deliberately employs archaic, highly stylized English ("wayfare," "soothfast," "wight," "gramarye") to capture the cadence, rhyming prose, and grandiosity of the original Oriental storytelling traditions.

While modern readers will encounter challenging period attitudes—including casual ethnocentrism, archaic gender dynamics, and explicit depictions of harsh punishments—the book remains extraordinarily entertaining. The narrative pacing is relentless, shifting seamlessly from quiet domestic scenes to terrifying supernatural encounters. The primary difficulty for contemporary readers lies in navigating Burton’s heavy, archaic vocabulary and dense scholarly footnotes, which break down anthropological details, geographic histories, and linguistic nuances.

What lingers long after reading is the overwhelming imaginative energy of the tales. Images of subterranean rooms filled with gem-bearing trees, lions guarding magical fountains, oil jars harboring hidden assassins, and iron gates rolling open at a single phrase have captured the world's imagination for centuries. For anyone interested in the roots of world folklore, narrative structure, or Victorian literary history, this volume remains an essential, captivating read.