It is told — O wise and noble listener — that long ago, in a city of Persia, there lived two brothers. One was named Qasim, a wealthy and greedy merchant, and the other was Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter who lived modestly by collecting firewood from the forest and selling it in the marketplace.
One day, as Ali Baba ventured into the forest to gather wood, he heard the sound of horses approaching. Alarmed, he climbed up a tree and hid among its branches. From his hiding place, he saw forty men, all mounted and armed — fierce-looking bandits.
They rode up to a great rock, and their leader dismounted. Standing before the stone, he cried out in a commanding voice:
"Open, Sesame!"
At once, the rock split open, revealing the entrance to a hidden cave. The men entered one by one, and the rock closed behind them.
Ali Baba watched in awe and waited. After a while, the thieves came out, and the leader said:
"Close, Sesame!"
The cave shut once more, and the bandits rode off into the forest.
Once they were gone, Ali Baba climbed down, approached the rock, and repeated the words:
“Open Sesame!”
The rock opened, and he stepped inside. There, he saw a treasure beyond his wildest dreams—piles of gold, silver, jewels, silks, and more. It was clearly the loot stolen by the thieves over many years.
Ali Baba didn’t let greed take over. He filled a few small bags with gold coins, just enough for him and his wife to live comfortably, and left the cave, saying:
“Close Sesame!”
He returned home joyfully. His wife, curious about the gold, asked him how much it was. Since they had no scale, she suggested borrowing one. So Ali Baba went to his brother Cassim's house and borrowed a scale. Cassim’s suspicious wife, wondering what a poor man would want to weigh, secretly smeared some wax under the scale’s pan.
When the scale was returned, she found a gold coin stuck to the wax. Shocked, she showed it to Cassim, who confronted Ali Baba and demanded the truth. Reluctantly, Ali Baba told him about the secret cave.
Greedy Cassim went the very next day with several donkeys and many bags. He found the rock, stood before it, and said:
“Open Sesame!”
The cave opened. Inside, he gaped at the treasure and began stuffing his bags with gold and jewels. But when he tried to leave, he forgot the magic words! He cried:
“Open Barley!”
“Open Corn!”
“Open Wheat!”
But the cave did not open.
Trapped, Cassim was discovered by the thieves when they returned. Realizing someone else knew their secret, they killed him, cut his body into four pieces, and placed them near the entrance as a warning.
When Cassim didn’t return, Ali Baba went to look for him. He found the remains and was heartbroken. He brought the body back secretly and asked his clever and loyal maidservant Morgiana to help.
Morgiana devised a plan. She went to a blind tailor, gave him coins, and led him to sew the body together without asking questions. They held a quiet funeral, avoiding any suspicion.
Meanwhile, the thieves returned to the cave and noticed someone had taken more gold. They knew another person knew their secret. One of the thieves went into town, pretending to be a merchant, and found Cassim’s house, then followed clues to Ali Baba’s home.
The thieves plotted revenge. Their leader disguised himself as an oil merchant and came to Ali Baba’s house with forty large jars—one filled with oil, and the rest hiding the other thieves. He asked for shelter, and Ali Baba, being hospitable, welcomed him
But Morgiana, ever watchful, noticed suspicious whispers from the jars. She secretly discovered the plot. Boiling oil, she poured it into each jar, killing all the thieves inside. The leader, unaware of their fate, waited until night to call them. When no one responded, he fled
But he did not give up. He returned in disguise later and became friends with Ali Baba’s son. He was invited to dinner at their home. During the feast, Morgiana recognized him. While dancing to entertain the guests, she suddenly drew a dagger and stabbed him, saving Ali Baba and his family once again.
Ali Baba was deeply grateful and gave Morgiana her freedom. Later, she married his son.
Ali Baba continued to use the cave in secret and told no one except his son about it. When he grew old, he passed on the secret to him.
And thus, Ali Baba and his family lived in peace and prosperity, guarding the secret forever.
The End.
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