Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

One day, while Ali Baba was working in the forest, he heard the sound of hooves and saw a cloud of dust. He quickly climbed a tree and saw forty thieves on horseback, carrying bags of treasure. They stopped in front of a large rock. The leader of the thieves stood in front of the rock and shouted:

"Open Sesame!"

To Ali Baba’s amazement, the rock opened like a door, revealing a hidden cave. The thieves went inside and the door closed behind them. After some time, they came out with empty bags and rode away.

Once they were gone, Ali Baba came down from the tree, stood in front of the rock, and said the magic words:

"Open Sesame!"

The rock opened, and inside he found a treasure of gold, silver, and jewels. He took as much as he could carry and went home. He told his wife about the cave but made her promise to keep it a secret.

Ali Baba became rich but lived modestly so that no one would become suspicious.

However, Ali Baba's greedy brother, Kasim, found out. When he heard about the cave, he went there himself. He entered using "Open Sesame," but once inside, he forgot the magic words to get out. The thieves returned, found him, and killed him.

Ali Baba later went to the cave, found his brother's body, and brought it home. With the help of a clever servant girl named Morgiana, they gave Kasim a proper burial without raising suspicion.

The thieves, realizing someone else knew about the cave, searched for Ali Baba. Their leader disguised himself as an oil merchant and came to Ali Baba’s house, bringing forty thieves hidden in oil jars.

Morgiana, the smart servant, discovered the plan. That night, she poured boiling oil into the jars, killing all the hidden thieves. She later killed the leader of the thieves too, saving Ali Baba’s life.

Grateful for her bravery, Ali Baba gave Morgiana her freedom and treated her like family. From then on, Ali Baba was the only one who knew the secret of the cave.

He lived a long and happy life, always using the treasure wisely and kindly.

Moral of the story: Greed leads to destruction, but honesty, intelligence, and loyalty are rewarded.