Guide · 2 min read
1001 Glossary: Words From the Tales
A glossary of Arabic and historical words that appear in the 1001 series and the Arabian Nights: jinn, ifrit, vizier, souk, Maghreb, caravanserai and more.
The tales of the Nights are full of words from Arabic, Persian and the old world of the caliphs. Here are the ones you will meet most often in the 1001 series, with simple explanations.
- Alf Layla wa-Layla ألف ليلة وليلة
- "A thousand nights and a night": the Arabic title of the collection. See What is One Thousand and One Nights?
- Caliph خليفة
- The ruler of the Islamic empire. Harun al-Rashid, caliph in Baghdad from 786 to 809, appears in many tales, often wandering the city in disguise at night.
- Caravanserai
- A walled inn on a trade route where caravans of merchants, camels and goods stopped for the night. Important in desert tales like The Treasure.
- Dinar and dirham
- Gold and silver coins of the medieval Islamic world. "A purse of dinars" is the classic treasure of the Nights.
- Djinn / jinn جن
- Spirits created from smokeless fire, with free will. Singular: jinni. See Jinn in Arab folklore.
- Ghul غول
- A shape-shifting desert jinni that preys on travellers; the root of the English "ghoul".
- Ifrit عفريت
- A powerful and often fearsome kind of jinni.
- Maghreb المغرب
- "The place of sunset": North Africa west of Egypt. In Aladdin, the sorcerer comes from the Maghreb, which in the old tales was a land of famous magicians. He is called the Maghrebi in the series.
- Marid مارد
- A giant, proud and enormously strong jinni.
- Open Sesame افتح يا سمسم
- The password that opens the thieves' cave in Ali Baba.
- Roc / rukh الرخ
- A colossal bird of legend. See The Roc.
- Serendib
- The old Arabic name for Sri Lanka, visited by Sinbad. It gave English the word "serendipity".
- Souk سوق
- A market: covered lanes of stalls selling spices, cloth, metalwork and food. Aladdin grows up in the souks.
- Sultan سلطان
- A ruler with royal authority, often under the caliph. Princess Bodour is the Sultan's daughter.
- Vizier وزير
- The chief minister of a ruler. Scheherazade is a vizier's daughter; in Aladdin, the Grand Vizier wants the princess for his own son.
- Bodour / Badr al-Budur بدر البدور
- "Full moon of full moons": the name of the princess in Aladdin, shortened to Bodour in 1001.
More stories
- What Is One Thousand and One Nights?
- Scheherazade: The Storyteller Who Outlived the King
- Aladdin: The Orphan Tale That Became the Most Famous Night
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: Origins of the Tale
- The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor
- Jinn in Arab Folklore: Beyond the Genie in the Lamp
- The Roc: The Giant Bird of the Arabian Nights
- How 1001 Is Made: Folklore, Writers' Room and AI Cinema
- 1001 Watch Order: Where to Start