Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Long ago, in a busy town by the edge of the desert, two brothers lived very different lives. Cassim, the older brother, had married a wealthy woman and owned a shop. Ali Baba, the younger brother, was a poor woodcutter. He worked hard, was kind to his neighbors, and shared what little he had with his wife and their clever household helper, a brave young woman named Morgiana.

One hot afternoon, Ali Baba took his donkeys into the hills to gather firewood. As he worked, he heard the thunder of many hooves. Quickly, he led his donkeys behind a thick rock and peered out. Down the path came forty riders, each with a sword and a bulging saddlebag. They were the most feared bandits in the land.

Ali Baba watched as the riders stopped before a smooth cliff. The captain stepped forward, raised his arms, and called out in a clear voice, "Open, Sesame!" To Ali Baba’s amazement, the rock split apart like a door. The thieves led their horses into a hidden cave. After a while, they came back out, lighter and laughing. The captain said, "Close, Sesame!" and the rock sealed itself again. Then the forty thieves rode away in a cloud of dust.

When the hills were quiet, Ali Baba’s heart beat fast with curiosity. He stepped from his hiding place, stood before the cliff, and whispered, "Open, Sesame!" The rock door slid aside. Inside, by the light that trickled through cracks above, he saw piles of treasure—gold coins, silver plates, colorful carpets, and sparkling jewels. He understood at once that this was stolen wealth, taken from many people over many years.

Ali Baba did not wish to be greedy. He filled a small bag with as many coins as would help his family and neighbors, and then he said gently, "Close, Sesame!" The rock sealed shut. He hurried home, hid the gold, and told his wife the truth. To count the coins, she borrowed a measuring bowl from Cassim’s house. Cassim’s wife, always curious, pressed a little wax inside the bowl. When Ali Baba’s wife returned it, one shining coin, stuck by the wax, stayed behind. Cassim saw it and his eyes grew wide.

Early the next day, Cassim rushed to Ali Baba. "Brother," he said, trying to sound friendly, "tell me at once where this gold came from." Ali Baba, who did not wish to lie, told him about the cave and the magic words. Cassim hurried away, took a dozen donkeys, and followed the path to the hills. He stood before the cliff and called, "Open, Sesame!" The rock opened, and he went in. Inside, the treasure dazzled him. He piled bag after bag with gold until he could hardly move.

But when he turned to leave, his mind was tangled with greed. He could not remember the words. "Open, barley!" he cried. "Open, wheat!" Nothing happened. He tried again and again, but the door would not move. As the sun slid low, the forty thieves returned. They found the rock open and a stranger inside their secret cave. Cassim was trapped. He did not come home that night.

When Cassim did not return, Ali Baba feared the worst. He went to the hills, said, "Open, Sesame!" and entered. He discovered that the thieves had been there before him and that Cassim would never come back. Saddened, Ali Baba brought his brother home so their family could say goodbye properly. Morgiana, quick-witted and loyal, made a careful plan so no one would ask dangerous questions. She found a tailor and led him to the house with a blindfold, so he would not know where he had sewn. In this way, Cassim was honored quietly, and Ali Baba kept his family safe.

The forty thieves soon noticed that someone else knew their secret. Their captain went to the town to search. He wandered the streets, listening for gossip, and at last learned which part of town Ali Baba lived in. Night fell. The captain crept up to a house and marked its door with a chalk sign so he could return with his men. But Morgiana, coming home late with a basket, noticed the strange mark. She guessed a trap. Calmly, she took a piece of chalk and drew the very same mark on all the doors in the street. When the captain returned with the forty thieves, they could not tell which house to attack. Angry and embarrassed, they slipped away.

The captain did not give up. He came again and scratched a secret sign on Ali Baba’s door. Morgiana saw it and smiled to herself. She drew that same sign on every door along the lane. Once more the thieves were tricked. The captain understood that someone clever was protecting Ali Baba.

At last, the captain made a bold plan. Disguised as a traveling oil merchant, he loaded forty large jars onto mules and walked to Ali Baba’s house. In one jar he carried oil. In the others, his men hid, curled up in the darkness, waiting for night.

"Peace to you," said the captain at the gate. "I am a merchant far from home. May I rest in your courtyard until morning?" Ali Baba, generous by nature, welcomed him. The jars were set along the wall. Supper was cooked. Lanterns were lit. Everyone smiled and talked.

When the house grew quiet, Morgiana went out to fetch oil for the lamps. As she passed the jars, she heard a whisper: "Is it time?" Morgiana froze. She tapped the next jar. Another whisper: "Shall we come out?" In a heartbeat she understood the danger. She slipped back inside to warn Ali Baba. Together they made a plan.

Ali Baba sent a boy to fetch the town watch, while Morgiana busied herself in the courtyard so the “merchant” would not suspect. Soon the watchmen arrived softly at the gate. One by one, they unsealed the jars and pulled out the hidden thieves, who were too startled to fight. The men were tied and taken away. When the captain discovered his plan was ruined, he ran into the night and escaped.

Days later, a rich merchant came to Ali Baba’s house to trade and feast. He smiled politely, but Morgiana felt a chill. She had a keen eye for faces, and this one she remembered—the bandit captain without his disguise. Hidden under his robe, she saw the glint of a dagger.

Morgiana asked Ali Baba for permission to perform a dance to honor their guest. She wrapped a scarf around her shoulders and took up a small dancer’s blade, as entertainers sometimes did. Her steps were graceful and quick. As she spun, she drew nearer and nearer to the guest. Suddenly she stopped, pointed her blade at his sleeve, and cried, "Seize him! He is the captain of the forty thieves!" The men of the house sprang forward and held the captain fast. This time there was no escape. The danger to Ali Baba’s family was over at last.

Ali Baba turned to Morgiana with tears in his eyes. "You saved my life and my home—more than once," he said. He set her free as a reward for her courage and wisdom, and, with Morgiana’s consent, invited her to marry his son, whom she liked and trusted. Their wedding was full of music and lamps and laughter.

From that day on, Ali Baba visited the cave only when needed, never out of greed. He used the gold the thieves had stolen to help his family, aid the poor, and mend broken roads and fountains so the whole town could prosper. He kept the words "Open, Sesame!" a careful secret until he was old and gray, and he taught his children to be brave, honest, and kind.

And so, through courage, quick thinking, and a generous heart, Ali Baba and Morgiana turned a tale of thieves into a life of safety and goodness. That is how the secret of the sesame door became a story told for generations.