Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves, A Famous Story,

Ali Baba, 
in folktale, the hero of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” in the collection of stories known in English as Arabian Nights. According to the story, Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter, is gathering wood in the forest when a band of thieves approaches. He hides and watches them enter a cave that opens when they say the words, “Open Sesame.” After they depart, Ali Baba stands before the cave and gives the command; to his surprise, the cave opens to reveal an enormous supply of gold and treasures. Ali Baba packs some of the gold on his donkeys and returns home. When his brother Qasim, a rich but hardhearted merchant, discovers Ali Baba's new wealth, he demands an explanation. The next day Qasim visits the cave and greedily gathers as much treasure as he can, but forgets the formula for leaving the cave. He is found and killed, and the thieves soon trace him to Ali Baba. They plan to kill him too, but Ali Baba's slave, Murganah, discovers and foils their scheme. In gratitude, Ali Baba frees Murganah and marries her (in some variants of the story, he marries her to his son).

The folktale depicts common themes: two brothers with contrasting characteristics, the rewarding of goodness or contentment, and the punishment of evil or greed. In the early 18th century, French writer Antoine Galland added the folktale to his translation of the Arabian Nights, and the story became popular in Europe. The exact origin of the folktale is uncertain, although it derived from Arab, probably Syrian, oral traditions. The literary version of the Ali Baba folktale is now known throughout the world.