Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
About the Story
'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves' is one of the most famous stories from THE ARABIAN NIGHTS (also called 'One Thousand and One Nights'). It is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales.
'This story has EVERYTHING — a secret cave, magic words, hidden treasure, brave heroes, and a very CLEVER servant girl!'
The Story
Ali Baba and Cassim
In a town in PERSIA (modern-day Iran), there lived TWO brothers. CASSIM was RICH and GREEDY. ALI BABA was POOR but KIND.
Ali Baba was a WOODCUTTER. Every day, he went into the forest to cut wood. He loaded the wood on his THREE DONKEYS and sold it in the market.
The Secret Cave
One day, while Ali Baba was cutting wood, he heard VOICES. He HID behind a tree. A group of FORTY THIEVES on horseback rode up to a large ROCK.
'This must be their HIDEOUT!' Ali Baba thought.
The leader of the thieves stood in front of the rock and shouted:
'OPEN SESAME!'
AMAZINGLY — the rock SLID OPEN, revealing a CAVE!
The thieves went inside. After some time, they came OUT. The leader said: 'CLOSE SESAME!' and the rock SLID SHUT. The thieves rode away.
The Treasure
Ali Baba waited until the thieves were GONE. Then he walked up to the rock.
'OPEN SESAME!' he said.
The rock SLID OPEN. Inside, the cave was FILLED with TREASURE — gold coins, silver, silk, jewels, and precious carpets!
Ali Baba filled his DONKEY BAGS with gold coins and went home. He told his wife about the treasure, and they became RICH.
Cassim's Greed
Cassim, the GREEDY brother, heard about Ali Baba's good fortune. He DEMANDED to know where the treasure came from. Ali Baba TOLD him.
Cassim went to the cave with TEN DONKEYS. 'OPEN SESAME!' he shouted. The cave opened. He loaded ALL the donkeys with treasure.
But when he tried to LEAVE — he FORGOT the magic words!
'OPEN... OPEN... OPEN... BARLEY!' he shouted. But the rock would NOT open. 'OPEN... OPEN... WHEAT!' Nothing. He could not remember 'SESAME'!
The thieves RETURNED and FOUND Cassim inside! They KILLED him.
Morgiana to the Rescue
Ali Baba found his brother's body and gave him a PROPER burial. But the thieves KNEW someone else had discovered their cave.
The leader of the thieves decided to FIND and KILL Ali Baba. He hid in an OIL JAR. The other 39 thieves also hid in OIL JARS. They were carried to Ali Baba's house, pretending to be oil merchants!
But the clever servant girl, MORGIANA, was SUSPICIOUS. She PEEKED into one of the jars and SAW a thief!
Morgiana's Clever Plan
Morgiana quietly poured BOILING OIL into EACH jar. One by one, the thieves inside were KILLED. She saved Ali Baba and his family!
The leader of the thieves ESCAPED. He disguised himself as a MERCHANT and pretended to be Ali Baba's FRIEND. He planned to kill Ali Baba at DINNER.
But MORGIANA RECOGNISED him! During dinner, she performed a DANCE with a DAGGER. As the thief watched, she STABBED him — SAVING Ali Baba's life once again!
The Happy Ending
Ali Baba was so GRATEFUL to Morgiana that he SET HER FREE. His son MARRIED Morgiana. They all lived HAPPILY ever after, sharing the treasure with the poor.
New Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sesame | A type of seed — the magic word in the story |
| Woodcutter | Someone who cuts wood for a living |
| Greedy | Wanting more than you need |
| Disguised | Dressed differently to hide who you are |
| Merchant | Someone who buys and sells goods |
| Suspicous | Feeling that something is wrong or not right |
Why We Love This Story
- It is THRILLING. Secret caves, thieves, and hidden treasure!
- Morgiana is a HERO. She is a servant — but she is the BRAVEST and SMARTEST person in the story.
- Greed is PUNISHED. Cassim died because he was greedy.
- Kindness is REWARDED. Ali Baba was kind, and he was saved.
Think and Discuss
- Why was Ali Baba able to discover the cave while Cassim could not?
- What was Cassim's MISTAKE? What does it teach us?
- Why is MORGIANA the real hero of this story?
- What would YOU do if you found a cave of treasure?
Fun Activity
Write a SHORT play version of the oil jar scene. Act it out with your friends! One person can be Morgiana, and others can be the thieves in the jars.
Common Mistakes
- 'The phrase is "OPEN SESAME," not "OPEN SIM-SIM" or "OPEN PLEASE." Sesame is a specific SEED used as a magic word.'
- 'Don't confuse ARABIAN NIGHTS with other folk tale collections. This is a MIDDLE EASTERN story, not European.'
Self-Test
Q1: What did Ali Baba do for a living?
Q2: What magic words opened the thieves' cave?
Q3: Why did Cassim get trapped and killed in the cave?
Q4: How did the thieves plan to kill Ali Baba at his house?
Q5: How did MORGIANA save Ali Baba the first time?
Q6: How did Morgiana save Ali Baba the SECOND time?
Q7: What happened to Morgiana at the end of the story?
Answers:
A1: He was a woodcutter. He cut wood in the forest and sold it. A2: 'OPEN SESAME!' A3: He was GREEDY. He forgot the magic words (he could not remember 'Sesame') and was trapped when the thieves returned. A4: They hid inside OIL JARS and were brought to Ali Baba's house, pretending to be oil merchants. A5: Morgiana POURED BOILING OIL into each jar, killing the thieves hiding inside. A6: She RECOGNISED the thief leader in disguise at dinner, danced with a dagger, and STABBED him. A7: Ali Baba set her FREE. His son married her. She lived happily ever after.
