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    A Bird’s Eye View of the “Arabian Nights”
    A Bird’s Eye View of the “Arabian Nights”
    A Bird’s Eye View of the “Arabian Nights”
    Ebook56 pages50 minutes

    A Bird’s Eye View of the “Arabian Nights”

    By Daniel Zimmermann

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    About this ebook

    This e-book offers the plots of the seven voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, plus experiences of the disguised Caliph Harun ar-Rashid. Other stories treated are "Jullanar of the Sea," "Nur-ed-Din and Enis-el-Jelis," and stories concerning a fisherman and a humpback.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLulu.com
    Release dateFeb 17, 2015
    ISBN9781312927858
    A Bird’s Eye View of the “Arabian Nights”

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      Book preview

      A Bird’s Eye View of the “Arabian Nights” - Daniel Zimmermann

      A Bird’s Eye View of the “Arabian Nights”

      A Bird’s Eye View of the Arabian Nights

      By Daniel Zimmermann

      Sinbad the Sailor’s First Voyage

      In the year 750, the last Umayyad caliph was slain, and the Abbasids ruled in their stead. The center of the Islamic empire moved from Damascus eastward to Baghdad, which was founded by the caliph al-Mansur. Abbasid power reached its apogee in the reign of Harun ar-Rashid, who ruled in Baghdad from 786 to 809.

      The stories about Sinbad the sailor have their setting in Baghdad during the reign of Harun ar-Rashid. Sinbad the sailor contracted a friendship with another man named Sinbad, who was an indigent porter. After inviting the porter into his magnificent home and satisfying his hunger, he told his guest about the hardships and triumphs that he had experienced in seven sea voyages. I shall summarize the first of these in the following paragraphs.

      Sinbad had inherited a considerable amount of money from his father, but he dissipated his inheritance by luxurious living with his friends and companions. So he sold his house and other property, invested in some merchandise, and went on a sea voyage, hoping to recover his fortune in foreign commerce.

      In company with other merchants, Sinbad sailed down the Tigris River to El-Basrah. They then entered the high seas and passed many islands. When they came to an especially luxuriant island, they decided to rest for a while.

      Unfortunately, the island was actually a large fish that had lain dormant for a long time. Soil had accumulated on its back, and plants had taken root. So the sailors had unwittingly blundered into a precarious situation.

      When some of the sailors lit fires and began to cook some food, catastrophe struck. The fires disturbed the fish. It prepared to dive into the ocean depths. The captain noticed what was happening and urged everyone to embark immediately. Some reached the ship safely, but Sinbad and others did not make it in time. The other stragglers drowned, but Sinbad climbed into a large wooden bowl. By using his feet as oars and by the help of the wind and tide, he managed to reach an island.

      Many fruit trees grew on the island, so Sinbad had plenty to eat, and it soon happened that he was able to return to civilization. It happened in the following manner.

      The grooms of King El-Mihraj came to the island with some mares that had not yet foaled. Each groom went to a different place on the island, tethered a mare, and hid in an underground chamber. They hoped that the mares would attract the attention of sea-horses.

      By chance, Sinbad encountered one of these grooms. After he explained how he had arrived on the island, the sympathetic grooms treated him hospitably, and they took him home with them after they had accomplished their objective.

      King El-Mihraj treated Sinbad courteously and made him superintendent of his seaport. Since he was registrar of every vessel that arrived, he was able to ask the sailors in which direction the city of Baghdad lay. However, no one was acquainted with Baghdad.

      Sinbad occasionally saw or heard things that interested him. One day, people from India told him some curious facts about their country. On another occasion, he saw a fearful fish 200 cubits in length. Another fish had a face that looked like an owl.

      To his surprise, the ship on which he had been sailing arrived at port. The captain thought that Sinbad had drowned, so he planned to sell his goods and give the money to Sinbad's relatives.

      When Sinbad identified himself, the captain refused to believe him at first. However, Sinbad minutely described his experiences on the ship up until the tragedy that occurred on the fishy island. The captain was convinced, and gave Sinbad his goods. He sold them at a handsome profit. With the permission of King El-Mihraj, he returned to Baghdad with the ship and lived a prosperous life.

      After telling the story, he gave Sinbad the porter 100 pieces of gold. Before the porter went home, Sinbad the Sailor told him to return the next day. He promised to tell the porter about his second voyage.

      Reference

      Tales from the Arabian Nights; Maple Press

      Sinbad the Sailor’s Second

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