1001 Arabian Nights: One Thousand and One Nights 1001 Nights Ballet, Baku, Azerbaijan
An Epic like Arabian Nights has such tremendous influence. For instance, The Brothers Grimm, authors of well-known fairy tales such as Cinderella and Rapunzel, spoke highly of Arabian Nights saying that it contains tales that are “felicitous in terms of content as well as charming and delicately beautiful in terms of presentation” (Marzloph, 162). The importance of storytelling is displayed throughout Arabian Nights. It is said best within the epic in The Story of Two Sister Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister. “This speech was delivered of a vast multitude of people… and the news was passed mouth to mouth in a few seconds” (Shah, NP). A good story has this effect, the ability to spread across cultures and generations. The tales in Arabian Nights can be viewed as a valuable source of Middle Eastern history, for the stories told have lived for generations and continue to inspire people till this day.
Arabian Nights is said to have been rooted in Iraq/Iran. Given that Azerbaijan borders Iraq, it is no surprise that an Arabian Nights ballet was adapted in this area. It is amazing to see the impact it has had on this region, given that a ballet was adapted thousands of years later and has been running for 30+ years.
