One Thousand and One Nights – a classic collection of Middle Eastern tales, shaped between the 8th and 15th centuries across Persia, India, the Arab world, and later Egypt. Framed by the story of Scheherazade telling tales to survive, it blends the magical, philosophical, and realistic. Its themes profoundly influenced European literature and art.
📜 Its earliest core stems from Persian and Indian tales of the 8th century. 🕌 The Arabic version took shape in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate. 📚 Famous figures like Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad appeared only in later versions. 📖 Egyptian manuscripts of the 15th–16th centuries became the basis for European editions. 🌍 In the 18th century, Frenchman Antoine Galland translated it, introducing it to Europe. ✍️ Galland heard some stories from a Syrian storyteller, Hanna Diyab – including Aladdin. 🎭 The collection influenced Goethe, Byron, Pushkin and many others. 📖 Its themes spread into opera, ballet, painting, and even Hollywood films. 😲 Curious fact: different manuscripts contained from 200 to more than 1000 nights. 😄 Funny fact: some Europeans once believed Scheherazade was a real historical figure.