Arabian Nights

Cultural  

1. A famous collection of Persian, Indian, and Arabian folktales. Supposedly, the legendary Scheherazade told these stories to her husband the sultan, a different tale every night for 1,001 days; therefore, the collection is sometimes called The Thousand and One Nights. The Arabian Nights includes the stories of familiar characters such as Aladdin and Ali Baba.

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Example Sentences

Like many educated Victorians, Stanley was dazzled as a child by travelogues and the Arabian Nights tales.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

The presiding judge called the argument “a tale that surpasses those of the Arabian Nights, lacking credibility,” according to Bernama, Malaysia’s state media outlet, which said the charges involved some $570 million of misappropriated assets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

One gate, Bab al-Zuwaila, and Habbaniya Street to its south, were scenes of vignettes in the Thousand and One Arabian Nights.

From Reuters • Sep. 29, 2021

One story that started that way was “1001 Nights,” which is my retelling of the Persian classic from Arabian Nights.

From Slate • Mar. 23, 2021

He was tall and mysterious-looking, more like a character in my Arabian Nights book than a man you expected to talk to.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz