"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" ( ar, علي بابا والأربعون لصا) is a folk tale from the ''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

''. It was added to the collection in the 18th century by its French translator

Antoine Galland Antoine Galland (; 4 April 1646 – 17 February 1715) was a French orientalist and archaeologist, most famous as the first European translator of '' One Thousand and One Nights'', which he called ''Les mille et une nuits''. His version of the t ...

, who heard it from Syrian storyteller

Hanna Diyab Antun Yusuf Hanna Diyab ( ar, اَنْطون يوسُف حَنّا دِياب, Anṭūn Yūsuf Ḥannā Diyāb; born ''circa'' 1688) was a Syrian Maronite writer and storyteller. He is the origin of the famous tales of '' Aladdin'' and ''Ali Baba ...

. As one of the most popular ''Arabian Nights'' tales, it has been widely retold and performed in many media across the world, especially for children (for whom the more violent aspects of the story are often suppressed). In the original version, Ali Baba ( ar, علي بابا ') is a poor woodcutter and an honest person who discovers the secret of a thieves' den, and enters with the magic phrase "

open sesame "Open sesame" (french: Sésame, ouvre-toi; ar, افتح يا سمسم) is a magical phrase in the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in Antoine Galland's version of '' One Thousand and One Nights''. It opens the mouth of a cave in whi ...

". The thieves try to kill Ali Baba, but Ali Baba's faithful slave-girl foils their plots. Ali Baba's son marries her and Ali Baba keeps the secret of the treasure.

Textual history

The tale was added to the story collection ''

'' by one of its European translators,

, who called his volumes ''

Les Mille et Une Nuits ''Les mille et une nuits, contes arabes traduits en français'' ("The Thousand and One Nights, Arab stories translated into French"), published in 12 volumes between 1704 and 1717, was the first European version of ''The Thousand and One Nights' ...

'' (1704–1717). Galland was an 18th-century

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Orientalist who heard it in oral form from a Syrian

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...

story-teller, called

, who came from

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

in modern-day

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and told the story in Paris. In any case, the earliest known text of the story is Galland's French version.

Richard F. Burton Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...

included it in the supplemental volumes (rather than the main collection of stories) of his translation (published as ''

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night ''The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night'' (1888), subtitled ''A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments'', is the only complete English language translation of '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (the ''Arabian N ...

''). The American Orientalist

Duncan Black MacDonald Duncan Black MacDonald (1863-1943) was an American Orientalist. He studied Semitic languages at Glasgow and then Berlin, before teaching at the Hartford Theological Seminary in the United States starting in 1893, founding the first school in the U.S ...

discovered an Arabic-language manuscript of the story at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

; however, this was later found to be a counterfeit.

Story

Ali Baba and his older brother, ( ar, قاسم ') Cassim (sometimes spelled Kasim), are the sons of a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

. After their father's death, the greedy Cassim marries a wealthy woman and becomes well-to-do, building on their father's business. Ali Baba marries a poor woman and settles into the trade of a woodcutter. One day, Ali Baba is at work collecting and cutting firewood in the forest, when he happens to overhear a group of 40 thieves visiting their stored treasure. Their treasure is in a cave, the mouth of which is sealed by a huge rock. It opens on the magic words "

" and seals itself on the words "close sesame". When the thieves are gone, Ali Baba enters the cave himself and takes a single bag of gold coins home. Ali Baba and his wife borrow his sister-in-law's scales to weigh their new wealth. Unbeknownst to them, Cassim's wife puts a blob of wax in the scales to find out what Ali Baba is using them for, as she is curious to know what kind of grain her impoverished brother-in-law needs to measure. To her shock, she finds a gold coin sticking to the scales and tells her husband. Under pressure from his brother, Ali Baba is forced to reveal the secret of the cave. Cassim goes to the cave, taking a donkey with him to take as much treasure as possible. He enters the cave with the magic words. However, in his greed and excitement over the treasure, he forgets the words to get out again and ends up trapped. The thieves find him there and kill him. When his brother does not come back, Ali Baba goes to the cave to look for him, and finds the body quartered and with each piece displayed just inside the cave's entrance, as a warning to anyone else who might try to enter. Ali Baba brings the body home where he entrusts Morgiana ( ar, مرجانة '), a clever slave-girl from Cassim's household, with the task of making others believe that Cassim has died a natural death. First, Morgiana purchases medicines from an apothecary, telling him that Cassim is gravely ill. Then, she finds an old tailor known as Baba Mustafa whom she pays, blindfolds, and leads to Cassim's house. There, overnight, the tailor stitches the pieces of Cassim's body back together. Ali Baba and his family are able to give Cassim a proper burial without anyone suspecting anything. The thieves, finding the body gone, realize that another person must know their secret, and they set out to track him down. One of the thieves goes down to the town and comes across Baba Mustafa, who mentions that he has just sewn the pieces of a corpse back together. Realizing the dead man must have been the thieves' victim, the thief asks Baba Mustafa to lead the way to the house where the deed was performed. The tailor is blindfolded again, and in this state he is able to retrace his steps and find the house. The thief marks the door with a symbol so the other thieves can come back that night and kill everyone in the house. However, the thief has been seen by Morgiana who, loyal to her master, foils the thief's plan by marking all the houses in the neighborhood similarly. When the 40 thieves return that night, they cannot identify the correct house, and their leader kills the unsuccessful thief in a furious rage. The next day, another thief revisits Baba Mustafa and tries again. Only this time, a chunk is chipped out of the stone step at Ali Baba's front door. Again, Morgiana foils the plan by making similar chips in all the other doorsteps, and the second thief is killed for his failure as well. At last, the leader of the thieves goes and looks himself. This time, he memorizes every detail he can of the exterior of Ali Baba's house. The leader of the thieves pretends to be an oil merchant in need of Ali Baba's hospitality, bringing with him

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...

s loaded with 38 oil jars, one filled with oil, the other 37 hiding the other remaining thieves. Once Ali Baba is asleep, the thieves plan to kill him. Again, Morgiana discovers and foils the plan, killing the 37 thieves in their oil jars by pouring boiling oil on them. When their leader comes to rouse his men, he discovers they are all dead and escapes. The next morning, Morgiana tells Ali Baba about the thieves in the jars. They bury them, and Ali Baba shows his gratitude by giving Morgiana her freedom. To exact revenge, the leader of the thieves establishes himself as a merchant, befriends Ali Baba's son (who is now in charge of the late Cassim's business), and is invited to dinner at Ali Baba's house. However, the thief is recognized by Morgiana, who performs a sword dance with a dagger for the diners and plunges it into the thief's heart, when he is off his guard. Ali Baba is at first angry with Morgiana, but when he finds out the thief wanted to kill him, he is extremely grateful and rewards Morgiana by marrying her to his son. Ali Baba is then left as the only one knowing the secret of the treasure in the cave and how to access it.

Analysis

Classification

The story has been classified in the Aarne–Thompson-Uther classification system as ATU 954, "The Forty Thieves". The tale type enjoys "almost universal ... diffusion".

Variants

A West African version, named ''The Password: Outwitting Thieves'' has been found. Percy Amaury Talbot located a Nigerian variant, called ''The Treasure House in the Bush'', from Ojong Akpan of Mfamosing. An American variant was collected by Elsie Clews Parsons from

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

In popular culture

Audio recordings and music

Audio readings/dramatizations include: * Dick Bentley played Ali Baba in a musical dramatization on Riverside Records (RLP 1451)/Golden Wonderland (GW 231). * The story was dramatized for ''

Tale Spinners for Children Tale Spinners for Children was a series of stories and novels adapted for young audiences on vinyl records in the early 1960s. They included a collection of old fairy tales, folklore, literary classics such as ''Don Quixote'' and ''Robinson Cruso ...

'' on United Artists Records (UAC 11018). * Anthony Quayle narrated the story on Caedmon Records (TC 1251)/

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. The independent label distributor Fontana Distribution takes its name from the label. History Fontana started in the 1950s as a subs ...

(SFL 14108). * Martyn Green narrated the story on ''Arabian Nights' Entertainment'' ( Riverside Records RLP 1405). *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

narrated and sang a version of the story for Simon & Schuster Records (A298:20)/Gala Records (GLP 351). *

recorded the story on 25 April 1957, linking the narrative with songs. This was issued as an album ''

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" ( ar, علي بابا والأربعون لصا) is a folk tale from the ''One Thousand and One Nights''. It was added to the collection in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard ...

'' in 1957. * "Main Hoon Alibaba", a song from the 1953 Indian film ''Char Chand'' by Talat Mehmood and Premlata, it narrates the adventures of Ali Baba. * "Alibaba Alibaba", a song by Asha Bhosle from '' Alibaba Aur 40 Chor'', a 1966 Indian film. * "Main Alibaba" is a song by

K. J. Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian Music and also as a ...

from ''

Alibaba Marjinaa ''Alibaba Marjinaa'' is a 1977 Bollywood film directed by Kedar Kapoor. The film stars Prem Krishen as Alibaba and Tamanna as Marjina. Plot The movie is loosely based on the Arabian Nights tale of Alibaba and 40 Thieves but takes only a fe ...

'', a 1977 Indian film adaptation of the folktale. * "Alibaba Alibaba" is a song about Alibaba and his love for Marjina by

Suresh Wadkar Suresh Ishwar Wadkar (born 7 August 1955) is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films. He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films, Odia albums and bhajans and in Konkani films. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Aka ...

and

Kavita Krishnamurthy Sharada Krishnamurthy, popularly known as Kavita Krishnamurthy or Kavita Subramaniam, is an Indian playback and classical singer. She has recorded 50,000 songs in 45 various Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Rajasthani, Bhojp ...

, from the 1982 Indian film ''

Jeeo Aur Jeene Do ''Jeeo Aur Jeene Do'' ( ''Live and Let Live'') is a 1982 Hindi-language action film, produced by Ratan Mohan under the R.M. Art Productions banner and directed by Shyam Ralhan. It stars Jeetendra and Reena Roy and music composed by Laxmikant-Py ...

''. * "Ali Baba Ali Baba" is a song about the woodcutter by Runa Laila and Aadesh Shrivastava from the 1990 Indian film ''Agneepath''. *The second track on "super group" Dark Lotus' album ''Tales from the Lotus Pod'' (2001) is titled "Ali Baba". * John Holt sings of the dream he had of Ali Baba in his song titled "Ali Baba". *On the first track on '' Licensed to Ill'', "Rhymin' & Steelin'", the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

chant "Ali Baba and the forty thieves".

Books and comics

Tom Holt Thomas Charles Louis Holt (born 13 September 1961) is a British novelist. In addition to fiction published under his own name, he writes fantasy under the pseudonym K. J. Parker. Biography Holt was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel H ...

's mythopoeic novel ''Open Sesame'' is based on characters from the story of ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves''. * In an Alvin comic book ( Dell Comics No. 10, Jan.-Mar. 1965),

The Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three s ...

(Alvin, Theodore, and Simon) join eccentric scientist Dr. Dilby in his time machine. Their first stop is ancient Persia, where they meet Ali Baba and help him fight the 40 Thieves. * Although not a direct adaptation, the characters of Ali Baba, Cassim, and Morgiana as well as part of the concept of the Forty Thieves are featured in the Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series '' Magi''. In 2012, this manga was adapted to anime.

Theatre - Stage

* The story has been used as a popular pantomime plot for many years. An example of the "pantomime Ali Baba" was the pantomime/

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

'' Chu Chin Chow'' (1916). * ''40 Thieves'' (1886) was a pantomime at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. * ''

Ali-Baba ''Ali-Baba'' is an opéra comique in three acts, first produced in 1887, with music by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto based on the familiar tale from the Arabian Nights was by Albert Vanloo and William Busnach. After some initial success the ...

'' (1887) is an

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

, with music by Charles Lecocq. * ''Badi-Bandar Rupkatha'' (বাঁদী-বান্দার রূপকথা) is a 2014

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

theatrical dance adaption of Ali Baba and Forty Thieves organised by Srishti cultural centre and Nrityanchal. Many leading Bangladeshi dancers performed in the adaption such as

Shamim Ara Nipa Shamim Ara Nipa is a Bangladeshi dancer and choreographer. She serves as a director of ''Nrityanchal Dance Company''. She was awarded Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in the category of choreography in 2017. Career Nipa got her firs ...

, Shibli Sadiq, etc.

Theatrical films

Live-action Foreign-language films

* ''Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs'' is a 1902 short silent film directed by

Ferdinand Zecca Ferdinand Zecca (19 February 1864 – 23 March 1947) was a Innovator, pioneer French film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He worked primarily for the Pathé company, first in artistic endeavors then in administration of the inter ...

, and possibly the first film adaptation. * ''Alibaba and the Forty Thieves'' is a 1927

Indian silent film The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

adaptation by Bhagwati Prasad Mishra. * ''Alibaba Aur Chalis Chor'' (''Alibaba and the Forty Thieves'') is a 1932 Indian Hindi-language feature film by

J.J. Madan J.J. Madan was a theater business owner and film director in India. He was the third son of Indian film magnate Jamshedji Framji Madan who started Madan Theatres Ltd. in 1919. After his father died in 1923, J. J. Madan took over the management of ...

. *''Alibaba'' is a 1937 Indian

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

-language fantasy-comedy film adaptation by

Modhu Bose Modhu Bose (1900–1969), was an Indian film director, actor, singer and screen writer during the thirties to sixties. He was born on 12 February 1900 at 63 Dharmatala Street, Kolkata. His mother was Kamala Dutt Bose, an renowned educator who ...

Kshirode Prasad Vidyavinode Kshirod Prasad ( bn, ক্ষীরোদ প্রসাদ ''Kṣhirōd prasād '') (23 Jan 1986), born ''Kshirod Prasad Joshi'' is a Odiya people, Odiya Business developer,CEO of KP SUITES PRIVATE LIMITED, Enterprineur. Early life and ed ...

's play based on the story of Ali Baba. It stars Bibhuti Ganguly in the titular role,

Sadhana Bose Sadhana Bose (20 April 1914 – 3 October 1973) (Sadhona Bose) was an Indian actress and a dancer. She acted in movies like ''Meenakshi'', where she played the lead. A contemporary of Uday Shankar, in the 1930s she staged a number of ballets in ...

as Marjina and Madhu Bose as Abdullah - the antagonist. *'' Ali Baba'' is a 1940 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film by Mehboob Khan. The film was a bilingual, made in Punjabi language as ''Alibaba'' at the same time. It stars

Surendra Surendra is an Indian masculine given name. Notable people with this name include: * Surendra (actor/singer) * Surendra Bhave * Surendra Chaturvedi * Surendra Dubey * Surendra Gambhir * Surendra Hiranandani * Surendra Jain * Surendra Jha 'Sum ...

in a double role as Ali Baba and his son along with

Sardar Akhtar Sardar Akhtar (1915–1986) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi and Urdu films. She started her acting career on the Urdu stage. Her early films were with Saroj Movietone, where she did a majority of stunt (action) roles. She came into pr ...

, Ghulam Mohammed and Wahidan Bai. * '' Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum'' (''Alibaba and the Forty Thieves'') is a 1941 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

-language comedy film adaptation by K. S. Mani. * ''Ali Baba We El Arbeen Haramy'' (1942, in aka ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'') is an

Egyptian film The cinema of Egypt refers to the flourishing film industry based in Cairo, sometimes also referred to as Hollywood on the Nile. Since 1976, the capital has held the annual Cairo International Film Festival, which has been accredited by the Intern ...

adaptation, starring Ali Al-Kassar as Ali Baba and the comedian actor

Ismail Yasin Ismail Yassine (also credited as ''Ismail Yasseen''; ar, إسماعيل ياسين ; 15 September 1912 - 24 May 1972) was an Egyptian comedian actor, and is considered as one of the greatest comedians in Egypt. Personal life Ismail Yassine ha ...

as his assistant. * ''Ali Baba'' is a 1945 Indian Hindi-language film adaptation by Nanubhai Vakil. * '' Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs'' (1954) is a French film starring Fernandel and Samia Gamal. * '' Alibaba Aur 40 Chor'' (''Alibaba and 40 Thieves'') is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language fantasy action film directed by Homi Wadi. It stars

Mahipal Mahipal (1919 -2005) was an Indian actor who worked in bollywood mostly in stunt films like ''Parasmani, Zabak, Cobra Girl, Jantar Mantar, Arabian nights themed movies such as Alibaba and 40 Thieves, Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag, Roop Lekha, Sune ...

in the titular role and Shakila as his love interest, Marjina. * ''Son of Ali Baba'' is a 1955 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film by Majnu. It follows the adventures of Ali Baba's son. *'' Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum'' (''Alibaba and the Forty Thieves'') is a 1956 Indian Tamil-language adventure fantasy-drama film by

T. R. Sundaram Tiruchengodu Ramalingam Sundaram Mudaliar (16 July 1907 – 30 August 1963) was an Indian actor, director, and producer. He was the founder of the Salem-based film production company Modern Theatres. Early life Sundaram was born in 1907 fro ...

, starring M. G. Ramachandran in the titular role. *''Khul Ja Sim Sim'' (''Open Sesame'') is a 1956 Indian Hindi-language action film by Nanubhai Vakil, starring

and Shakila in the lead roles. It starts from when Ali Baba has gained the treasure of the thieves after defeating them but his arrogance grows and he starts using the money for his own pleasure. *''Sim Sim Marjeena'' is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film by Naren Dave, starring

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

and

in the lead roles. It follows the adventures of Ali Baba and Marjeena, who serves as his love interest here. It is a sequel to 1956's ''Khul Ja Sim Sim''. * ''Aik Tha Alibaba'' (''There was a Alibaba'') is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language action film adaptation by Harbans Singh. * ''

Sindbad Alibaba and Aladdin ''Sindbad Alibaba and Aladdin'' is a 1965 action Hindi film starring Pradeep Kumar, Helen etc. Cast * Pradeep Kumar as Sindbad * Agha as Aladdin * Bhagwan as Aladdin * S Bannerji * Ram Awtar * Ulhas * Helen Helen may refer to: People ...

'' is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language musical fantasy-adventure film by Prem Narayan Arora. It features the three most popular characters from the Arabian Nights. * ''

Ali Baba Bujang Lapok ''Ali Baba Bujang Lapok'' ("Ali Baba the Old Bachelor") is a 1961 Malay comedy film directed by, written by and starring Malaysian silver-screen legend P. Ramlee and produced in Singapore by Malay Film Productions Ltd. Based loosely on the stor ...

'' (1960) is a Malaysian comedy film which quite faithfully adhered to the tale's plot details but introduced a number of anachronisms for humour, for example the usage of a truck instead of donkey by Cassim Baba to steal the robbers' loot. *'' Alibaba Aur 40 Chor'' (''Alibaba and 40 Thieves'') is a 1966 Indian Hindi-language adventure-

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

by Homi Wadia, starring Sanjeev Kumar in the lead role. * ''

Ali Baba 40 Dongalu ''Ali Baba 40 Dongalu'' () is a 1970 Telugu-language fantasy swashbuckler film directed by B. Vittalacharya. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and Jayalalithaa, with music composed by Ghantasala. The film is produced by N. Ramabrahmam under the Sri Go ...

'' is a 1970 Indian

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

-language film by

B. Vittalacharya B. Vittalacharya (28 January 1920 – 28 May 1999) was an Indian film director and producer known for his works in Telugu and Kannada cinema. He was known as ''Janapada Brahma'' in the Telugu film industry. Vittalacharya formed his film prod ...

. Based on the folktale, it stars

N T Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms. He starred ...

in the titular role and

Jayalalitha Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

as Marjiana. * '' Marjina Abdulla'' is a 1973 Indian Bengali-language musical film adaptation by Dinen Gupta, starring Santosh Dutta as Ali Baba, Mithu Mukherjee as Marjina, Rabi Ghosh as Abdulla (Marjina's brotherly figure) and Utpal Dutt as the chieftain of the robbers. * ''Ali Baba ve Kırk Haramiler'' (1971, in English: ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'') is a

Turkish film Cinema of Turkey or Turkish cinema (also old known as ''Yeşilçam'' literally means ''The Green Pine'' in Turkish language), () or Türk sineması is the sobriquet that refers to the Turkish film art and industry. It is an important part of ...

, starring

Sadri Alışık Sadri Alışık (born Mehmet Sadrettin Alışık; 5 April 1925 – 18 March 1995) was a Turkish stage and movie actor, and one of the most loved comedians in Turkey. He was the husband of Çolpan İlhan. Biography He was a prolific actor, ap ...

as Ali Baba. * '' Alibabayum 41 Kallanmaarum'' (''Alibaba and 41 Thieves'') is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language musical film by J. Sasikumar, starring

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 7 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the histo ...

as Ali Baba. * ''Ali Baba'' is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language action adventure-fantasy film, based on the folktale, by Mohammed Hussain. * ''

'' is a 1977 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film by Kedar Kapoor, starring Prem Krishan as Alibaba and Tamanna as Marjinaa. *'' Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves'' is a 1980 Indian-Soviet film based on the folktale, directed by Latif Faiziyev and Umesh Mehra. The film stars Indian actors Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman alongside Russian,

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

and Central Asian actors. The storyline is slightly altered to extend as a long movie. The writers were Shanti Prakash Bakshi and Boris Saakov, the music was scored by musician

R.D. Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work ...

, and the

Choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

was

P. L. Raj P. L. Raj (born "Devraj Peter Lewis"; 10 August 1934 – 9 July 2002) was a noted Bollywood film choreographer, who was the leading choreographer of 1960 and 70s Hindi cinema. He established face-paced dancing and cabaret-style dance numbers. He ...

. It was the most successful Indian-Soviet co-production, becoming a success in both India and the Soviet Union. * 新阿里巴巴 (Xin A Li Ba Ba) /New Ali Baba and Forty Thieves is a 1988 Taiwanese Mandarin-language fantasy-comedy directed by Chun-Liang Chen and Ulysses Chun Ouyang starring Chyi Chin as Ali Baba and Eric Tsang as Ali Mama. * ''Alibaba Aur 40 Chor'' (''Alibaba and 40 Thieves'') is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language action adventure-drama film by Sunil Agnihotri. A modern-day retelling of the folktale, it follows Alibaba ( Arbaaz Khan) as he faces off against a local bandit who has been terrorizing his village.

Live-action English-language films

* ''

'' (1944), remade as ''

The Sword of Ali Baba ''The Sword of Ali Baba'' is a 1965 American adventure film from Universal Pictures, directed by Virgil W. Vogel and written by Edmund Hartmann and Oscar Brodney. The film stars Peter Mann, Jocelyn Lane, Frank McGrath, Gavin MacLeod, Frank Pu ...

'' (1965), reimagines the thieves as freedom fighters against Mongol oppression, and Ali Baba as their leader. Frank Puglia portrayed the character named Cassim in both versions. * '' Son of Ali Baba'' is a 1952 film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie. Morris Ankrum plays Ali Baba. * The story of Ali Baba was featured in '' Inkheart'' (2008). One of the 40 Thieves, named Farid (played by Rafi Garven), is brought out of the story by Mortimer "Mo" Folchart and ends up becoming his ally.

Animation - USA

* A '' Comi Color'' cartoon, ''Ali Baba'' (1936) * A '' Popeye'' cartoon, ''

Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves ''Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves'' is a two-reel animated cartoon short subject in the '' Popeye Color Feature'' series, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on November 26, 1937 by Paramount Pictures. It was pro ...

'' (1937), features Popeye meeting and defeating the titular group and their leader Abu Hassan (portrayed by the same voice actor as Popeye's nemesis

Bluto Bluto, at times known as Brutus, is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his ''Thimble Theatre'' comic strip (later renamed ''Popeye''). Blut ...

). * A ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...

'' Bugs Bunny/ Daffy Duck cartoon, '' Ali Baba Bunny'' (1957), has a similar premise to the concept of the treasure-filled magical cave. * The Disneytoon Studios film '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' uses the reference of the folk tale but alters the name of Ali Baba to Collie Baba, the story origins reveals that the DuckTales version of the greatest thief that he stolen the magic lamp from the evil sorcerer name Merlock for good. *In ''

Aladdin and the King of Thieves ''Aladdin and the King of Thieves'' is a 1996 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the second sequel to the 1992 film ''Aladdin'', and serves as the final chapter and ...

'' (1996), the 40 thieves play an integral part in the story. However, the story is very different from the original Ali Baba story, particularly Cassim's new role as Aladdin's father and the King of Thieves, a title which is given to the leader of the Forty Thieves. *In the animated movie ''Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves-The Lost Scimitar of Arabia'' (2005), Ali Baba, the son of the Sultan of Arabia, is worried about his father's safety when he discovers that the Sultan's evil brother, Kasim, has taken over the throne and is plotting to kill him. With his friends, Ali returns to Arabia and successfully avoids his uncle's henchmen. Out in the desert, Ali becomes the leader of a group of forty men who are ready to fight against Kasim.

Animation - Europe and Asia

* The story was adapted in the 1971 anime ', storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki. * '' Ali Baba'' is a 1973 Indian

-language musical drama short animated film directed by Rohit Mohra. *Ali Baba appears as a protagonist in the 1975 anime series '' Arabian Nights: Sinbad's Adventures''. This version is portrayed as a young desert raider who befriends Sinbad and accompanies him on his adventures. * In the manga, '' Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic'' (serialized since June 2009), Alibaba appears as another protagonist. At some point in the show, he is shown as the leader of a gang of thieves called Fog Troupe. Morgiana is his loyal friend, whom Alibaba freed from slavery, and Cassim is his friend from the slums, who is constantly jealous of Alibaba and tries to bring him ill fate, when he can. * ''Alibaba'' is a 2002 Indian 3-D animated adventure film by Usha Ganesarajah, produced by

Pentamedia Graphics Pentamedia Graphics, formerly known as Pentafour Software, is a software and digital media company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The main activities are projects, products, consultancy and training in software and digital media. The compan ...

. * ''Alibaba and The Forty Thieves'' is a 2018 Indian 3D-animated film adaptation by V. Murugan.

Television

Live-action

* Indian TV series '' Alif Laila'', based on the Arabian Nights, had a 14 episode segment on Alibaba and the Forty Thieves. * '' Princess Dollie Aur Uska Magic Bag'' (2004–2006), an Indian teen fantasy adventure television series on

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedies, ...

where Vinod Singh portrays Ali Baba, one of the main characters in the show along with Sinbad and Hatim. * ''Ali Baba'' (2007) is a French telefilm starring Gérard Jugnot. * In the American/British television mini-series ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' (2000), the story is told faithfully with two major changes. The first is: when Morgiana discovers the thieves in the oil jars, she alerts Ali Baba and, together with a friend, they release the jars on a street with a steep incline that allows the jars to roll down and break open. Furthermore, the city guard is alerted and arrest the disoriented thieves as they emerge from their containers. Later, when Morgiana defeats the thief leader, Ali Baba, who is young and has no children, marries the heroine himself. *In the 2019 BBC/FX

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

of ''A Christmas Carol'', Ali Baba was portrayed by Kayvan Novak. This was an expansion from a reference to the character in the original novel. *This story was partially used in the 2022 indian fantasy TV series Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul Aired on

Sony SAB Sony SAB (formerly SAB TV) is an Indian pay television channel owned by Culver Max Entertainment. History Sony SAB was launched as SAB TV by Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari under their company Sri Adhikari Brothers (thus the acronym) on ...

, where

Sheezan Mohammed Khan Sheezan Mohammed Khan (, born 9 September 1994) is an Indian television actor. He is best known as young Akbar/Sultan Murad Mirza in ''Jodha Akbar'' and as Ali Baba in '' Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul''. Early life Khan was born on 9 September 1994 ...

played the main character of Ali Baba.

Animation

* '' Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child'' televised a " gender bender" version of ''Ali Baba'' in 1999, featuring the voices of Jurnee Smollett as a female Ali Baba, Tommy Davidson as Cassim, Marla Gibbs as the Grandmother, Will Ferrell as Mamet the Moocher,

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

as Baba Mustafa, and Bruno Kirby as the Great One. * In '' The Simpsons'' episode "

Moe Goes from Rags to Riches "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" is the twelfth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 29, 2012. In the episode, Moe Szy ...

" (29 January 2012), Lisa is Scheherazade, who tells the story to Nelson Muntz as King Shahryar. * Elements of Ali Baba were featured in the second '' Dinosaur King'' series, from episodes 18 through 21. One of the most common elements of the story featured the 39 Thieves (one of its 40 members was out sick), and it featured the "Open Sesame" phrase. *''Adventures of Ali Baba'' (2018–2019) is an Indian animated television series, produced by

Shilpa Shetty Kundra Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty; Née Shetty; 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi-language films. Shetty made her screen debut in the thriller ''Baazigar'' (1993) which garnered her nominations for two Filmfa ...

, which aired on

Colors Rishtey Colors Rishtey is an Indian pay general entertainment television channel that mainly broadcasts re-runs of programming from Colors TV and also airs shows from NDTV Imagine & DD National. International Feeds Of ‘Colors Rishtey’ Also Air Dub ...

. A modern-day retelling of the folktale, it follows brothers Ali and Baba, who protect dungeons and fight evil forces with their supernatural powers.

Video games

* ''Ali Baba'' (1981) is a computer video game by Quality Software * '' Ali Baba and 40 Thieves'' (1982) is an arcade video game by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

. * Blade of Ali Baba is a unique item of the video game '' Diablo II'' (2000). * A version of Ali Baba appears in '' Sonic and the Secret Rings'' (2007), where he is portrayed by the character Tails. * A gang of thieves known as the "Forty Thieves" appears in '' Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time'' (2013). *"Alibaba" appears as the hacker

alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

of Futaba Sakura in '' Persona 5''. *The story Alibaba and the 40 thieves appears on the website ''

Poptropica ''Poptropica'' is an online role-playing game, developed in 2007 by Pearson Education's Family Education Network, and targeted towards children aged 6 to 15. ''Poptropica'' was primarily the creation of Jeff Kinney, the author of the ''Diary of ...

'' as a playable island. * Alibaba and Morgiana were playable characters in the mobile game ''

Grimms Notes is an online free-to-play role-playing game developed by Genki and published by Square Enix. It was released in Japan on January 21, 2016 for Android and iOS devices. The game was released worldwide on March 2, 2018 in South Korea, China, ...

'', while the 40 thieves and their leader were enemies. * "Ali Baba's Wee Booties" are a community created weapon for the ''

Demoman ''Team Fortress 2'' is a 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' Mod (video gaming), mod for ''Quake (video game), Quake'' and ...

'' in the video game '' Team Fortress 2'' (2007)

Military

At the United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Squadron 40 was originally nicknamed "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" before eventually changing its name to the " P-40 Warhawks". The name "Ali Baba" was often used as derogatory slang by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and Iraqi soldiers and their allies in the Iraq War, to describe individuals suspected of a variety of offenses related to theft and looting. Additionally, British soldiers routinely used the term to refer to Iraqi civilians. In the subsequent occupation, it is used as a general term for the insurgents. The Iraqis adopted the term "Ali Baba" to describe foreign troops suspected of looting.

Miscellaneous

* Alibaba Group of China used the name because of its universal appeal. *

Zero-knowledge proofs In cryptography, a zero-knowledge proof or zero-knowledge protocol is a method by which one party (the prover) can prove to another party (the verifier) that a given statement is true while the prover avoids conveying any additional information a ...

are often introduced to students of computer science with a pedagogical parable involving "Ali Baba's Cave."

Gallery

File:Robida Alibaba page8et9.jpg, A depiction of the Forty Thieves. File:Robida - Ali-baba page6.jpg, The Forty Thieves attack Cassim. File:Robida - Ali-baba page12.jpg, A member of the Forty Thieves tries to discover the location of the house of Ali Baba. File:Robida - Ali-baba page11.jpg, A member of the Forty Thieves marks the door of Ali Baba File:Robida - Ali-baba page7.jpg, Morgiana pays Baba Mustafa the Cobbler. File:Robida - Ali-baba page13.jpg, Morgiana pours boiling hot oil into the jars containing the infamous Forty Thieves. File:Robida - Ali-baba page4.jpg, Ali Baba presents treasures from the magical cave of

Sesame Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

to Morgiana.