The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night

The narrative unfolds in the city of Bassorah where the benevolent King Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Zayni rules. His Wazir Al-Fazl bin Khakan is tasked with finding a beautiful slave-girl for the King. Al-Fazl purchases Anis al-Jalis a remarkably talented and beautiful maiden for ten thousand dinars. However Al-Fazl's son Nur al-Din Ali falls in love with her and they secretly become lovers. When Al-Fazl discovers this he is initially furious but eventually forgives his son allowing them to be together. Unfortunately Al-Fazl falls ill and dies leaving Nur al-Din to manage his affairs. Nur al-Din however squanders his inheritance on lavish parties and gifts for his friends who abandon him when his wealth runs out. In desperation Nur al-Din decides to sell Anis al-Jalis to recoup his losses. At the market the Wazir Al-Mu'in bin Sawi an enemy of Nur al-Din's family attempts to buy her. To avoid this Nur al-Din pretends to chastise Anis al-Jalis and claims he brought her to the market only to fulfill an oath. The Wazir humiliated by Nur al-Din plots revenge by reporting the incident to the Sultan who orders Nur al-Din's arrest. Warned by a loyal chamberlain Nur al-Din and Anis al-Jalis flee to Baghdad. They find refuge in a garden belonging to the Caliph Harun al-Rashid where they are discovered by the gardener Shaykh Ibrahim. Initially intending to punish them Shaykh Ibrahim is charmed by their plight and offers them hospitality. The story highlights themes of love loyalty and the consequences of extravagance set against the backdrop of a richly described medieval Islamic world.