The Arab world's greatest folk stories re-imagined by the acclaimed Lebanese novelist Hanan al-Shaykh, published to coincide with the world tour of a magnificent musical and theatrical production directed by Tim Supple

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO IRAN If you announce that you are going to Iran, someone will certainly advise you not to go. Ignore them, for this is one of the most exciting countries on Earth. This book will take you all the way through 5,000 years of Persian history into today's modern Iran. It is about the places and history of Persia's "One Thousand and One Nights" and how those stories have shaped the modern Iran that it is today. Many westerners, especially women (including some of my friends), feel hesitant about travel to Iran. This is because the western media only reports kidnappings, terrorist activities and endless wars in the region. This has been particularly since the 9/11 attacks, when a group of Al-Qaeda terrorists, a Wahabi religious group from Saudi Arabia, attacked the United States. These attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities and causing long-term consequences for the Middle East and the rest of the world. With the US invasion of many countries in the region including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya. The so-called 'War on Terror' resulted in countless casualties and tremendous human suffering in these countries. Interestingly, Iran managed to stay out of these US led wars until today, although President Trump was awfully close to bombing Iran towards the end of his term. Fortunately, he was not re-elected to office in 2020. This book helps you prepare for a romantic tour in Iran, should you choose to and are able to do so. We will visit the authentic historical places of Persia's "The One Thousand and One Nights" stories and see Iran from an insider's perspective. This is an opportunity to explore the origin of these stories from our childhood, from "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" to "Sinbad the Sailor". In Chapter 2 Brief history of Persia: Iran is home to one of the world's oldest and continuous civilizations and reached its territorial height in the sixth century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire, which stretched from Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley, making it one of the largest empires in history. In Chapter 3 Amazing inventions from Persia. Many Philosophers, Scientists, Medics, Chemists, Architects, Physicians, Geologists, Psychologists and Mathematicians from Persia and at that time, were leading the Ancient World and delivered the basis for today's inventions. In Chapter 4 A historical tour of two weeks through Iran. The Persian Empire has left remnants of an extraordinarily rich cultural heritage, not only in today's Iran, but also across the entire ancient empire territory. From Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia, to the World Heritage sites in Esfahan and Yazd, we will discover them all. Chapter 5 The discrepancy between the western media representations of Iran and of the real conditions in Iran by some highly researched data and well-grounded facts. We shall explore the day-to-day life of Iranian people on the streets. Chapter 6 Diversity, which is in the DNA of Iran and its root are in the cultural heritage of Persia. Many tribes of Turkish, Armenians, Georgians, Jewish and Caucasians migrated to Iran building one of the most diverse societies on Earth. Chapter 7 Iran's politics today. The political system in Iran is shaped by its history, its diversity and by its unique geopolitical position. In Chapter 8 The illegal US sanctions on Iran. In October 2018, the UN's "International Court of Justice (ICJ)" declared the US sanctions on Iran as illegal. We will discover the reasons behind these US led sanctions. In Chapter 9 Despite all the human suffering caused by the US sanctions, Iranians have shown great strength, perseverance and resilience. Iran has made great progress in many areas. A substantial part of the proceeds from the sales of this book goes towards supporting the UNHCR .

Persian hospitality and contemporary lifestyle in some of the finest Iranian hotels The first ever guide to the country's hostels and hoteliers, featuring extraordinary photos and immersive texts. With special travel entries on wind towers, concept stores, mud houses, and espresso culture. etc.

Gathered and passed down over the centuries from India, Persia, and across the Arab world, the mesmerizing stories of One Thousand and One Nights tell of the real and the supernatural, love and marriage, power and punishment, wealth and poverty, and the endless trials and uncertainties of fate. They are related by the beautiful, wise, young Shahrazad, who gives herself up to murderous King Shahrayar. The king has vowed to deflower and then kill a virgin every night—but Shahrazad will not be defeated by the king’s appetites. To save herself, she cunningly spins a web of tales, leaving the king in suspense each morning, and thus prolonging her life for another day. Acclaimed Lebanese writer Hanan al-Shaykh has selected nineteen of these stories, retold them in modern English, and knitted them together into an utterly intoxicating collection. In al-Shaykh’s hands, Shahrazad’s tales are lush and evocative, rich with humor, and utterly captivating.

First produced in January 2007 at The Denver Center Theater, Denver, Colorado.

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Full of mischief, valor, ribaldry, and romance, The Arabian Nights has enthralled readers for centuries. These are the tales that saved the life of Shahrazad, whose husband, the king, executed each of his wives after a single night of marriage. Beginning an enchanting story each evening, Shahrazad always withheld the ending: A thousand and one nights later, her life was spared forever. This volume reproduces the 1932 Modern Library edition, for which Bennett A. Cerf chose the most famous and representative stories from Sir Richard F. Burton's multivolume translation, and includes Burton's extensive and acclaimed explanatory notes. These tales, including Alaeddin; or, the Wonderful Lamp, Sinbad the Seaman and Sinbad the Landsman, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, have entered into the popular imagination, demonstrating that Shahrazad's spell remains unbroken.

A luminous translation of Arabic tales of enchantment and wonder Translated into English for the very first time, A Hundred and One Nights is a marvelous example of the rich tradition of popular Arabic storytelling. Like the celebrated Thousand and One Nights, this collection opens with the frame story of Scheherazade, the vizier’s gifted daughter who recounts imaginative tales night after night in an effort to distract the murderous king from taking her life. A Hundred and One Nights features an almost entirely different set of stories, however, each one more thrilling, amusing, and disturbing than the last. Here, we encounter tales of epic warriors, buried treasure, disappearing brides, cannibal demon-women, fatal shipwrecks, and clever ruses, where human strength and ingenuity play out against a backdrop of inexorable, inscrutable fate. Distinctly rooted in Arabic literary culture and the Islamic tradition, these tales draw on motifs and story elements that circulated across cultures, including Indian and Chinese antecedents, and features a frame story possibly older than its more famous sibling. This vibrant translation of A Hundred and One Nights promises to transport readers, new and veteran alike, into its fantastical realms of magic and wonder. An English-only edition.