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Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

From the 1001 Arabian Nights

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IN a town in Persia there lived two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in luxury, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood in a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him in a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree for safety. When they came up to him and dismounted, he counted forty of them.

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This story from the One Thousand and One nights is not without bloodshed, but all the same, children will love its exciting plot. The name of Ali Baba will forever be associated with thieves, perhaps unfairly as Ali only steals from robbers. The true hero turns out to be a woman – Morgiana the slavegirl.

At a shade under half an hour, this is a longer story than we usual publish – and we have an introduction from the pond where Bertie lives.

This Version by Andrew Lang. Read by Natasha Lee Lewis. Duration 29 Minutes.

This text might differ slightly from the one read by Natasha

IN a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood in a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him in a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree for safety. When they came up to him and dismounted, he counted forty of them. They unbridled their horses and tied them to trees. The finest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a little way among some bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!”[1] so plainly that Ali Baba heard him. A door opened in the rocks, and having made the troop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again of itself. They stayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might come out and catch him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At last the door opened again, and the Forty Thieves came out. As the Captain went in last he came out first, and made them all pass by him; he then closed the door, saying: “Shut, Sesame!” Every man bridled his horse and mounted, the Captain put himself at their head, and they returned as they came.

Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” and it flew open. Ali Baba, who expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to find it large and well lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault, which received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw rich bales of merchandise–silk, stuff-brocades, all piled together, and gold and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He went in and the door shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but brought out as many bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were browsing outside, could carry, loaded them with the bags, and hid it all with fagots. Using the words: “Shut, Sesame!” he closed the door and went home.

Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the money-bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He bade her keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. “Let me first measure it,” said his wife. “I will go borrow a measure of someone, while you dig the hole.” So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed a measure. Knowing Ali Baba’s poverty, the sister was curious to find out what sort of grain his wife wished to measure, and artfully put some suet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Baba’s wife went home and set the measure on the heap of gold, and filled it and emptied it often, to her great content. She then carried it back to her sister, without noticing that a piece of gold was sticking to it, which Cassim’s wife perceived directly her back was turned. She grew very curious, and said to Cassim when he came home: “Cassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not count his money, he measures it.” He begged her to explain this riddle, which she did by showing him the piece of money and telling him where she found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he could not sleep, and went to his brother in the morning before sunrise. “Ali Baba,” he said, showing him the gold piece, “you pretend to be poor and yet you measure gold.” By this Ali Baba perceived that through his wife’s folly Cassim and his wife knew their secret, so he confessed all and offered Cassim a share. “That I expect,” said Cassim; “but I must know where to find the treasure, otherwise I will discover all, and you will lose all.” Ali Baba, more out of kindness than fear, told him of the cave, and the very words to use. Cassim left Ali Baba, meaning to be beforehand with him and get the treasure for himself. He rose early next morning, and set out with ten mules loaded with great chests. He soon found the place, and the door in the rock. He said: “Open, Sesame!” and the door opened and shut behind him. He could have feasted his eyes all day on the treasures, but he now hastened to gather together as much of it as possible; but when he was ready to go he could not remember what to say for thinking of his great riches. Instead of “Sesame,” he said: “Open, Barley!” and the door remained fast. He named several different sorts of grain, all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was so frightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten the word as if he had never heard it.

About noon the robbers returned to their cave, and saw Cassim’s mules roving about with great chests on their backs. This gave them the alarm; they drew their sabres, and went to the door, which opened on their Captain’s saying: “Open, Sesame!” Cassim, who had heard the trampling of their horses’ feet, resolved to sell his life dearly, so when the door opened he leaped out and threw the Captain down. In vain, however, for the robbers with their sabres soon killed him. On entering the cave they saw all the bags laid ready, and could not imagine how anyone had got in without knowing their secret. They cut Cassim’s body into four quarters, and nailed them up inside the cave, in order to frighten anyone who should venture in, and went away in search of more treasure.

As night drew on Cassim’s wife grew very uneasy, and ran to her brother-in-law, and told him where her husband had gone. Ali Baba did his best to comfort her, and set out to the forest in search of Cassim. The first thing he saw on entering the cave was his dead brother. Full of horror, he put the body on one of his asses, and bags of gold on the other two, and, covering all with some fagots, returned home. He drove the two asses laden with gold into his own yard, and led the other to Cassim’s house. The door was opened by the slave Morgiana, whom he knew to be both brave and cunning. Unloading the ass, he said to her: “This is the body of your master, who has been murdered, but whom we must bury as though he had died in his bed. I will speak with you again, but now tell your mistress I am come.” The wife of Cassim, on learning the fate of her husband, broke out into cries and tears, but Ali Baba offered to take her to live with him and his wife if she would promise to keep his counsel and leave everything to Morgiana; whereupon she agreed, and dried her eyes.

Morgiana, meanwhile, sought an apothecary and asked him for some lozenges. “My poor master,” she said, “can neither eat nor speak, and no one knows what his distemper is.” She carried home the lozenges and returned next day weeping, and asked for an essence only given to those just about to die. Thus, in the evening, no one was surprised to hear the wretched shrieks and cries of Cassim’s wife and Morgiana, telling everyone that Cassim was dead. The day after Morgiana went to an old cobbler near the gates of the town who opened his stall early, put a piece of gold in his hand, and bade him follow her with his needle and thread. Having bound his eyes with a handkerchief, she took him to the room where the body lay, pulled off the bandage, and bade him sew the quarters together, after which she covered his eyes again and led him home. Then they buried Cassim, and Morgiana his slave followed him to the grave, weeping and tearing her hair, while Cassim’s wife stayed at home uttering lamentable cries. Next day she went to live with Ali Baba, who gave Cassim’s shop to his eldest son.

The Forty Thieves, on their return to the cave, were much astonished to find Cassim’s body gone and some of their money-bags. “We are certainly discovered,” said the Captain, “and shall be undone if we cannot find out who it is that knows our secret. Two men must have known it; we have killed one, we must now find the other. To this end one of you who is bold and artful must go into the city dressed as a traveler, and discover whom we have killed, and whether men talk of the strange manner of his death. If the messenger fails he must lose his life, lest we be betrayed.” One of the thieves started up and offered to do this, and after the rest had highly commended him for his bravery he disguised himself, and happened to enter the town at daybreak, just by Baba Mustapha’s stall. The thief bade him good-day, saying: “Honest man, how can you possibly see to stitch at your age?” “Old as I am,” replied the cobbler, “I have very good eyes, and will you believe me when I tell you that I sewed a dead body together in a place where I had less light than I have now.” The robber was overjoyed at his good fortune, and, giving him a piece of gold, desired to be shown the house where he stitched up the dead body. At first Mustapha refused, saying that he had been blindfolded; but when the robber gave him another piece of gold he began to think he might remember the turnings if blindfolded as before. This means succeeded; the robber partly led him, and was partly guided by him, right in front of Cassim’s house, the door of which the robber marked with a piece of chalk. Then, well pleased, he bade farewell to Baba Mustapha and returned to the forest. By and by Morgiana, going out, saw the mark the robber had made, quickly guessed that some mischief was brewing, and fetching a piece of chalk marked two or three doors on each side, without saying anything to her master or mistress.

The thief, meantime, told his comrades of his discovery. The Captain thanked him, and bade him show him the house he had marked. But when they came to it they saw that five or six of the houses were chalked in the same manner. The guide was so confounded that he knew not what answer to make, and when they returned he was at once beheaded for having failed. Another robber was dispatched, and, having won over Baba Mustapha, marked the house in red chalk; but Morgiana being again too clever for them, the second messenger was put to death also. The Captain now resolved to go himself, but, wiser than the others, he did not mark the house, but looked at it so closely that he could not fail to remember it. He returned, and ordered his men to go into the neighboring villages and buy nineteen mules, and thirty-eight leather jars, all empty except one, which was full of oil. The Captain put one of his men, fully armed, into each, rubbing the outside of the jars with oil from the full vessel. Then the nineteen mules were loaded with thirty-seven robbers in jars, and the jar of oil, and reached the town by dusk. The Captain stopped his mules in front of Ali Baba’s house, and said to Ali Baba, who was sitting outside for coolness: “I have brought some oil from a distance to sell at to-morrow’s market, but it is now so late that I know not where to pass the night, unless you will do me the favor to take me in.” Though Ali Baba had seen the Captain of the robbers in the forest, he did not recognize him in the disguise of an oil merchant. He bade him welcome, opened his gates for the mules to enter, and went to Morgiana to bid her prepare a bed and supper for his guest. He brought the stranger into his hall, and after they had supped went again to speak to Morgiana in the kitchen, while the Captain went into the yard under pretense of seeing after his mules, but really to tell his men what to do. Beginning at the first jar and ending at the last, he said to each man: “As soon as I throw some stones from the window of the chamber where I lie, cut the jars open with your knives and come out, and I will be with you in a trice.” He returned to the house, and Morgiana led him to his chamber. She then told Abdallah, her fellow-slave, to set on the pot to make some broth for her master, who had gone to bed. Meanwhile her lamp went out, and she had no more oil in the house. “Do not be uneasy,” said Abdallah; “go into the yard and take some out of one of those jars.” Morgiana thanked him for his advice, took the oil pot, and went into the yard. When she came to the first jar the robber inside said softly: “Is it time?”

Any other slave but Morgiana, on finding a man in the jar instead of the oil she wanted, would have screamed and made a noise; but she, knowing the danger her master was in, bethought herself of a plan, and answered quietly: “Not yet, but presently.” She went to all the jars, giving the same answer, till she came to the jar of oil. She now saw that her master, thinking to entertain an oil merchant, had let thirty-eight robbers into his house. She filled her oil pot, went back to the kitchen, and, having lit her lamp, went again to the oil jar and filled a large kettle full of oil. When it boiled she went and poured enough oil into every jar to stifle and kill the robber inside. When this brave deed was done she went back to the kitchen, put out the fire and the lamp, and waited to see what would happen.

In a quarter of an hour the Captain of the robbers awoke, got up, and opened the window. As all seemed quiet, he threw down some little pebbles which hit the jars. He listened, and as none of his men seemed to stir he grew uneasy, and went down into the yard. On going to the first jar and saying, “Are you asleep?” he smelt the hot boiled oil, and knew at once that his plot to murder Ali Baba and his household had been discovered. He found all the gang was dead, and, missing the oil out of the last jar, became aware of the manner of their death. He then forced the lock of a door leading into a garden, and climbing over several walls made his escape. Morgiana heard and saw all this, and, rejoicing at her success, went to bed and fell asleep.

At daybreak Ali Baba arose, and, seeing the oil jars still there, asked why the merchant had not gone with his mules. Morgiana bade him look in the first jar and see if there was any oil. Seeing a man, he started back in terror. “Have no fear,” said Morgiana; “the man cannot harm you: he is dead.” Ali Baba, when he had recovered somewhat from his astonishment, asked what had become of the merchant. “Merchant!” said she, “he is no more a merchant than I am!” and she told him the whole story, assuring him that it was a plot of the robbers of the forest, of whom only three were left, and that the white and red chalk marks had something to do with it. Ali Baba at once gave Morgiana her freedom, saying that he owed her his life. They then buried the bodies in Ali Baba’s garden, while the mules were sold in the market by his slaves.

The Captain returned to his lonely cave, which seemed frightful to him without his lost companions, and firmly resolved to avenge them by killing Ali Baba. He dressed himself carefully, and went into the town, where he took lodgings in an inn. In the course of a great many journeys to the forest he carried away many rich stuffs and much fine linen, and set up a shop opposite that of Ali Baba’s son. He called himself Cogia Hassan, and as he was both civil and well dressed he soon made friends with Ali Baba’s son, and through him with Ali Baba, whom he was continually asking to sup with him. Ali Baba, wishing to return his kindness, invited him into his house and received him smiling, thanking him for his kindness to his son. When the merchant was about to take his leave Ali Baba stopped him, saying: “Where are you going, sir, in such haste? Will you not stay and sup with me?” The merchant refused, saying that he had a reason; and, on Ali Baba’s asking him what that was, he replied: “It is, sir, that I can eat no victuals that have any salt in them.” “If that is all,” said Ali Baba, “let me tell you that there shall be no salt in either the meat or the bread that we eat to-night.” He went to give this order to Morgiana, who was much surprised. “Who is this man,” she said, “who eats no salt with his meat?” “He is an honest man, Morgiana,” returned her master; “therefore do as I bid you.” But she could not withstand a desire to see this strange man, so she helped Abdallah to carry up the dishes, and saw in a moment that Cogia Hassan was the robber Captain, and carried a dagger under his garment. “I am not surprised,” she said to herself, “that this wicked man, who intends to kill my master, will eat no salt with him; but I will hinder his plans.”

She sent up the supper by Abdallah, while she made ready for one of the boldest acts that could be thought on. When the dessert had been served, Cogia Hassan was left alone with Ali Baba and his son, whom he thought to make drunk and then to murder them. Morgiana, meanwhile, put on a head-dress like a dancing-girl’s, and clasped a girdle round her waist, from which hung a dagger with a silver hilt, and said to Abdallah: “Take your tabor, and let us go and divert our master and his guest.” Abdallah took his tabor and played before Morgiana until they came to the door, where Abdallah stopped playing and Morgiana made a low courtesy. “Come in, Morgiana,” said Ali Baba, “and let Cogia Hassan see what you can do”; and, turning to Cogia Hassan, he said: “She’s my slave and my housekeeper.” Cogia Hassan was by no means pleased, for he feared that his chance of killing Ali Baba was gone for the present; but he pretended great eagerness to see Morgiana, and Abdallah began to play and Morgiana to dance. After she had performed several dances she drew her dagger and made passes with it, sometimes pointing it at her own breast, sometimes at her master’s, as if it were part of the dance. Suddenly, out of breath, she snatched the tabor from Abdallah with her left hand, and, holding the dagger in her right hand, held out the tabor to her master. Ali Baba and his son put a piece of gold into it, and Cogia Hassan, seeing that she was coming to him, pulled out his purse to make her a present, but while he was putting his hand into it Morgiana plunged the dagger into his heart.

“Unhappy girl!” cried Ali Baba and his son, “what have you done to ruin us?”

“It was to preserve you, master, not to ruin you,” answered Morgiana. “See here,” opening the false merchant’s garment and showing the dagger; “see what an enemy you have entertained! Remember, he would eat no salt with you, and what more would you have? Look at him! he is both the false oil merchant and the Captain of the Forty Thieves.”

Ali Baba was so grateful to Morgiana for thus saving his life that he offered her to his son in marriage, who readily consented, and a few days after the wedding was celebrated with greatest splendor.

At the end of a year Ali Baba, hearing nothing of the two remaining robbers, judged they were dead, and set out to the cave. The door opened on his saying: “Open Sesame!” He went in, and saw that nobody had been there since the Captain left it. He brought away as much gold as he could carry, and returned to town. He told his son the secret of the cave, which his son handed down in his turn, so the children and grandchildren of Ali Baba were rich to the end of their lives.

152 Responses to “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”

• simran says: August 3, 2011 at 6:02 pm

  i did’n understand at the end.that why he not eating salt.give me some clues to understand it.

• pretty says: August 3, 2011 at 9:37 am

  i like it tooooooo much it is awesome

• ariba nasir says: July 30, 2011 at 4:07 pm

  i loved the story i can do my handwriting

• jeffery says: July 10, 2011 at 2:26 pm

  it is sooooooooooooooooooooo nice and woooooooooooooowwwwwwwwww

• utsav says: July 2, 2011 at 4:53 am

  clever but horrible

• RASHI says: June 28, 2011 at 10:40 am

  WELL DONE, YOUR STORIES ARE WONDERFUL. I LIKE IT VERY MUCH.

• hugogrant says: June 19, 2011 at 5:56 pm

  i hated it

• shifa says: June 16, 2011 at 9:27 am

  this is the best story i have ever heard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• aryan says: June 15, 2011 at 4:22 am

  yes i ike this story

• sonali says: June 5, 2011 at 6:00 am

  wonderful story

• sonali says: June 5, 2011 at 5:59 am

  this story is really the bestest one I read it tells
  about the man with a clean mind with no greediness

• forgio says: May 28, 2011 at 11:40 am

  i read this story, really it is awesome. i expect like this story more from you.

• ishadeep kaur says: May 27, 2011 at 8:19 pm

  NICE STORYNORY

• ishadeep kaur says: May 27, 2011 at 8:18 pm

  I LOVE IT

• alice says: May 23, 2011 at 5:10 pm

  i thought this story is great but i didnt like the wording in it !

• Bloom says: May 16, 2011 at 12:31 pm

  Great voice,fantastic story.Thank you Storynory!
  Make more wonderful story like this story.

• Justin says: May 15, 2011 at 6:16 am

  really good

• ruby says: May 11, 2011 at 5:04 pm

  it is fab !!!!

• amrit says: May 10, 2011 at 6:59 am

  woooooooooooooow gogious story

• anjali says: May 8, 2011 at 9:35 am

  one of my likest story.its good to be read.

• Baabul, India says: May 1, 2011 at 2:44 pm

  Brilliant story, great voice, you folks are the best on the planet. keep it up!

• Mary says: April 26, 2011 at 3:25 pm

  wooooooooooooow t s extng

• Mary says: April 26, 2011 at 1:04 pm

  ohstory norry thanyou

• Gabriel says: March 27, 2011 at 11:09 pm

  Great telling of the story. This is a favorite of mine.

• slimane says: March 25, 2011 at 7:19 pm

  great the voice of the girl reading : cinderella, an angel’s voice.

• dib says: March 8, 2011 at 3:58 pm

  it si the best story but can we listening an america english

• Belieber4eva says: March 7, 2011 at 12:15 pm

  Thanks bertie, i love this story.

• mikey says: February 28, 2011 at 9:45 pm

  this sucks bad

• Kara says: February 24, 2011 at 1:49 pm

  I have a book from the library that is like this one it’s called forty fortunes. On the other hand iv’e herd this story before. Awsome!!!!! I read it at my friend’s house i’m not really his friend my sister want’s to marry him. His name is Asher. Anna my sister is the girl who wants to marry Asher, she is best friend’s with him. Lots of writing!

• Gianne Ong says: February 24, 2011 at 12:03 pm

  love it so smart wish i were smart

• Dena says: February 22, 2011 at 3:42 am

  shouldn’t they go on with the story????? in the beginning?

• Alex says: February 12, 2011 at 5:18 pm

  This is one of my favourite Arabic story.

• Alex says: February 12, 2011 at 5:17 pm

  I like the story and it is also one of my favourite Arabic story

• Nish says: February 6, 2011 at 8:08 pm

  Gruesome; but a very good story. Well read.

• Bertie says: February 5, 2011 at 5:29 am

  Hi Orff, I agree with you. These stories didn’t seem to do me any harm as a child. However, I may have to bow to pressure in this case. Just haven’t go round to re-doing Ali Baba.

• Orff says: February 4, 2011 at 10:25 pm

  Why are people so upset that the old tales contain violence and topics that modern audiences find inappropriate for children? The past generations understood that stories help prepare for real life. The modern thought is to keep children in a fantasy world for as long as possible and to hide the real world. Children had to grow up quickly in those old days and they needed to prepare for life earlier.

• Emmi says: February 1, 2011 at 5:03 pm

  i think it is weard in a good way

• Mimi says: January 26, 2011 at 1:06 pm

  I dont really like this story, young children listening to this could find it disturbing as there is torture and death. I find it very disturbing

• mike says: January 19, 2011 at 2:03 am

  awsome

• Maria says: January 14, 2011 at 4:07 pm

  Very Bloody and unusuel. Hard to understand.

• aisha says: December 21, 2010 at 11:45 pm

  amazing story

• Somashekar Hasigal says: December 6, 2010 at 2:21 am

  Very goood one. Must and should read. Thanks for sharing.

• Alexander says: December 4, 2010 at 4:55 pm

  Bad choice, Captain oc the Forty Thieves.

• Akindamagic says: December 1, 2010 at 10:55 pm

  @Thiefscaptain:
  It was (perhaps still is) the custom not to do unkindness to people with whom you have eaten salt. By refusing to eat salt with Ali Baba, the captain of the thieves would have felt he had not broken any social taboo by killing him.

• subhana says: November 30, 2010 at 8:06 pm

  half good and half bad!

• mckensie says: November 29, 2010 at 4:49 pm

  youer story is kind ,sweet and very very very rude

• name says: November 26, 2010 at 8:19 pm

  yuk

• maria says: November 21, 2010 at 3:15 pm

  i like this story. but i do not like the killing. but its interesting.

• R.ash says: October 20, 2010 at 7:02 am

  im iranian.nice story!exactly in persian stories.tns a lot

• ALICIA says: October 13, 2010 at 7:26 am

  VERY BORING

• mohammed says: October 12, 2010 at 10:11 pm

  the story was little sad but i like it very much

• thiefscaptain says: October 3, 2010 at 9:18 pm

  hey hey! I don’t understand at all. why would the captain of the thieves not eat salt? give me some clues.

• VISHU says: October 3, 2010 at 1:52 am

  I LOVE THIS STORY

• Naira says: September 14, 2010 at 9:55 am

  Very interesting story! thanks!

• ahmed says: August 13, 2010 at 5:07 pm

  nice story

• Anoymous123 says: July 20, 2010 at 12:58 pm

  Fun AND LOng Story

• gabrielle winter says: July 17, 2010 at 9:05 pm

  i liked it to as my older sister was doing it as a school production it was well good i think my friends will like it i hope you will like it too

• XXXXSHANNONXXXX says: July 17, 2010 at 9:03 pm

  i would say i didnt like reading it but it being shown to me is better than reading it !!!

• Bertie says: July 15, 2010 at 10:02 pm

  Dear Thea, I am so glad you like your stories ! I expect you know that your name means “Goddess” in Ancient Greek, possibly modern Greek too. One of the oldest stories ever told, the Iliad, by Homer begins “menin aeide, thea” or “Of rage, sing Goddess”…. so Thea is a very good name for somebody who appreciates stories. I hope I am not being too obscure.

  You left a another question about Robin Hood. I’m not really planning any more Robin Hood stories soon. For the “medieval” adventures, I’m really thinking about the Knights of the Round Table. There are so many fascinating legends to adapt.

• Thea says: July 15, 2010 at 8:38 pm

  i adore storynori evrytime i come to bed i listen to it i ecspeacially like the long ones with lots of exitement.Thhese stories make me so happy and i feel like im not in my small bedroom i feel like im there,in the stories so thankyou,you have made a young girl not afraid of the dark!

• sai tanay says: July 15, 2010 at 1:44 pm

  the best story i liked , very nice

• xxxshannon.winterxxxx says: July 12, 2010 at 6:56 pm

  it rocks toooo

• xxxshannon.winterxxxx says: July 12, 2010 at 6:56 pm

  i like this story as we are doing it as our year6 school play its really good. i would pass it on to someone else as its really goodxxxx

• Bertie says: June 21, 2010 at 5:50 pm

  maisie we might redo it one day

• Maisie says: June 21, 2010 at 5:35 pm

  This story is boring,but well done fro trying :)

• Mohammad Jafar says: June 13, 2010 at 9:54 pm

  Thank you so much for this nice site and excellent stories. I’m from Iran and I haven’t heard this story yet but when i was kid i had this story book. that was unforgettable.

• Marla says: May 21, 2010 at 6:26 pm

  I found this story to be too gruesome for young listeners (5 years old) Cutting someone up into quarters and then sewing the body back together was too descriptive. Also killing the thieves with hot oil was also quite graphic for young children. Please give more warnings at the beginning about the content of the story.

• Alia says: April 16, 2010 at 9:02 pm

  Great story, Im doing this for a school play,im ali baba’s wife!

• emerita says: April 14, 2010 at 4:49 pm

  story is my favorite

• emerita says: April 14, 2010 at 4:48 pm

  i love that story

• emerita says: April 14, 2010 at 4:47 pm

  ali baba is my favorite story

• Fahad says: March 11, 2010 at 9:11 pm

  like very much…
  there r only 3 stories…
  what about other stories…
  please reply on:-
  sfafahad@gmail.com

• Kevin vo says: February 26, 2010 at 7:49 pm

  I go to school in erinwoods school

• maria says: February 25, 2010 at 11:47 pm

  i love how read it

• Anonymous says: February 25, 2010 at 11:43 pm

  awesome story i love how you read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Rachel says: February 8, 2010 at 6:17 am

  go storynory

• cheyenne says: January 24, 2010 at 7:16 pm

  you need to be slower because children would not understand

  thank you for tring

  from cheyenne
  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

• poojitha says: January 20, 2010 at 10:34 am

  i acted this story in my school drama.my teacher read out this story and translated it to hindhi.

• phonglan says: January 3, 2010 at 1:22 am

  Thank u ….this is good storynory . when i am little girl, my mother talk about the story for me…i very like it ….now, i have listen the story again in an other language …..i feel happy ….thanks u …

• sara says: December 21, 2009 at 1:28 pm

  assalamou alaykom very nice story
  thank yoooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuu so much

• alice says: December 18, 2009 at 10:48 am

  good and bad
  :-] , :-[

• Bertie says: November 29, 2009 at 7:57 am

  Hi Sonali, I think a lot of teenagers and adults listen to our stories. Thank you to you and your friends for listening !

• sonali says: November 29, 2009 at 4:48 am

  I love storynory,it is so awsome. me and my friends love listening to Natasha tell stories. Even though I am 13 I still like it.

• sonali says: November 29, 2009 at 4:44 am

  I love storynory. Even though I am 13 I love fairytails. They inspire me to write when I get older. My favorite story is Baba yaga. It is so suspensful and scary. My friends and I love listning to Natasha tell stories.

• Khoa vietnam says: November 8, 2009 at 8:19 pm

  Dear beRn.the script is available on the webpage.you just need to scroll down the page.

• Bertie says: November 7, 2009 at 7:52 am

  Dear beRN Please just scroll down the page. The script is there. The page is printer-friendly.

• beRn says: November 7, 2009 at 5:37 am

  can i ask for the script? lol
  we’re just needing it for our play of ALI BABA and THE FORTY THIEVES

• Khoa vietnam says: November 6, 2009 at 4:08 pm

  This one is really useful to improve vocabulary,to made our mind be purity and the best way for adults return to childhood.I want to express my thank to all the officers who designed this interesting website.Id like to made friend in some countries,if you like,send me a email by:hantin_10@yahoo.com

• *142# says: October 18, 2009 at 5:59 pm

  vveryyyyyyyyyyyyy baaaaaaaaddddddddd

• sharanya says: September 30, 2009 at 9:17 pm

  i read the story before but the fun of listening is something else

  from sharanya :)

• dirty bird says: September 14, 2009 at 10:38 pm

  cool

• Bean says: June 30, 2009 at 6:32 pm

  How long is it?

• zxc says: May 5, 2009 at 2:49 pm

  please write the authors name in front of the story

• Maranda says: May 4, 2009 at 7:21 pm

  i loved it

• kiwi says: May 4, 2009 at 7:20 pm

  bruvo!

• Grace says: May 1, 2009 at 7:08 pm

  u should use asses more often.It is a good word to use because we need to lean that those words are not bad.

• Anonymous says: May 1, 2009 at 7:04 pm

  it was great!

• sulaiman says: April 16, 2009 at 6:07 pm

  I love it

• Kevan says: March 25, 2009 at 4:56 pm

  Good overcomes evil.

• selma says: March 13, 2009 at 5:07 pm

  my mom tells me this story

• fiona says: December 31, 2008 at 10:29 pm

  this story is a “keep you on your toes”
  story!
  a ” golden” story. Literaly.

• Bertie says: December 24, 2008 at 11:20 pm

  Thank you Jessica. We’ll keep adventure and fairy tales coming.

• jessica says: December 24, 2008 at 10:26 pm

  i really like this story because i’v read this story along time ago in an other language and please…………………….
  can you add more adventure and fairytale story to it because i love it when natasha reads us story, it gives us imagination and she reads it very well
  hats offfffffffffffffffffffffff to you natasha
  and thankyou for your stories

• Mohammad says: December 15, 2008 at 4:04 am

  It’s very well
  this is a good persian’s story

• luis and ana cooment says: December 6, 2008 at 9:04 pm

  that wasa aswemo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! story man because it has 40 thives and one good guy

• Ayesha atiqe says: November 25, 2008 at 2:16 pm

  it is a nice story and i also saw the cartoon of it

• zameeludeen says: November 23, 2008 at 6:45 am

  good

• TGGT says: November 19, 2008 at 5:56 pm

  GOOD

• david says: October 19, 2008 at 11:47 am

  
  

• Eric says: August 4, 2008 at 9:42 am

  it’s quiet interesting and educative.

• aime says: July 28, 2008 at 10:54 am

  it’s a very nice story..good one..

• aime says: July 28, 2008 at 10:49 am

  i really like it.a very interesting and wonderfull story.

• Anna says: May 18, 2008 at 6:44 pm

  This website helped me a bit with my homework but if i were to rate it out of 10 i would give it 6/10

• Bertie says: May 2, 2008 at 8:31 pm

  Dear Lisa

  Thanks for your comment. We are gradually cutting out the longer Bertie intros from the earlier stories. We just haven’t got round to doing this one, but will do shortly.

• Lisa says: May 2, 2008 at 2:34 pm

  My child listens to Storynory each day and usually we are very happy however today I am dissapointed at the amount of Bertie at the start of this story.

  If my daughter wanted a Bertie story we would have selected one.

  Thanks.

• Mariam says: April 18, 2008 at 11:54 pm

  I love the story because I am egyptian and I always hear about ali Baba and also because it has “OPEN SESEME”
  It’s cool I love http://www.storynory.com

• Nitish says: March 10, 2008 at 12:14 pm

  Its cool

• Ishaque nizamani says: February 22, 2008 at 3:21 am

  Thanks for these audio stories, for teacher like me.
  i wish if they were made animated. Over all the story is very good. Once again thanks to storynory.com

• Laura says: February 20, 2008 at 8:31 am

  Hmm I don’t know It’s Okay ?

• Sima says: February 16, 2008 at 12:34 pm

  It is a very good story. I like it.

• bethany says: February 10, 2008 at 4:12 pm

  I think that it is a intresting story because it tells you what it was like ages ago.

• Goku says: February 10, 2008 at 3:49 am

  Ka… me… ha… me… HA!

• Bethany says: February 1, 2008 at 11:49 am

  I really liked the story because it is really describing and it has alot decribing words in it.It was really good the best bit was when they find the person in the cave dead!

• heather says: February 1, 2008 at 11:45 am

  I thought it was amazing because I never knew about morgarna and it was good describeing the plot.

• Saf says: January 1, 2008 at 12:58 pm

  This is one of the stories of my beloved Baghdad. God bless our 1001 nights.

• angel says: December 5, 2007 at 4:14 pm

  hi this story is TURK?SH STORY

• abdurrahman says: November 27, 2007 at 10:33 am

  its a wicked story

• Nanuji says: November 21, 2007 at 7:00 pm

  nice storynory.

• wambo lee says: November 12, 2007 at 11:24 pm

  cheese noopa woopa

• wambo lee says: November 12, 2007 at 11:21 pm

  cheese

• jdjjdjffuihifufiuefiufrfu cool says: November 12, 2007 at 11:17 pm

  it was CORAL and useible for all the time

• swapnil says: November 1, 2007 at 6:56 pm

  i liked it because it’s a adventurous story

• hellen says: October 29, 2007 at 10:40 pm

  i first time to read the story ,i like it ,it’s great

• Jenny says: September 27, 2007 at 7:52 am

  Its a fun story.

• i LOVE You says: September 3, 2007 at 11:18 am

  oh i love bogi

• i LOVE You says: September 3, 2007 at 11:08 am

  oh i love you bo?

• menna menatef@yahoo.com says: August 11, 2007 at 11:36 pm

  ntasha is crazi

• Mpemba says: July 7, 2007 at 8:00 pm

  I have nothing to say about this great task and golden grants for us.God bless you

• 113923 says: June 5, 2007 at 6:14 pm

  it is ok

• 444 says: June 5, 2007 at 3:28 pm

  wow

• ..albert says: June 2, 2007 at 8:13 pm

  it doesnt make sense

• lolo says: May 23, 2007 at 11:52 am

  the story from may cintry

• ali baba says: May 22, 2007 at 6:27 am

  good story

  the story from may cintry

• ali says: May 22, 2007 at 6:26 am

  good story

  the story from may cintry

• siobhana says: May 16, 2007 at 7:08 pm

  it is a very good story and yes i like it very well

• xue er says: April 13, 2007 at 8:28 am

  fantatics

  grearrt

• xue er says: April 13, 2007 at 8:28 am

  wanderful

• sheryl says: April 13, 2007 at 8:27 am

  
  that mean very googd story!!!!!

  sheryl

• Anonymous says: March 15, 2007 at 10:31 am

  fARHAN

• Joshua says: February 28, 2007 at 1:10 am

  I liked this story because it has robbers. And it has, “open Sesame!”

  Joshua (5)

• I P Freely says: November 23, 2006 at 8:09 pm

  For real.

• Angel says: May 15, 2006 at 11:53 pm

  Hi

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