Folktales from the Arabian Peninsula
WORLD FOLKLORE SERIES ADVISORY BOARD
Simon J. Bronner, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Folklore and American Studies
Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg
Joseph Bruchac, Ph.D.
Abenaki Storyteller and Writer
Natalie O. Kononenko, Ph.D.
Professor of Slavic Language and Literature
University of Virginia
Norma J. Livo, Ed.D.
Writer and Storyteller
Margaret Read MacDonald, Ph.D.
King County Library System
FOLKTALES FROM THE
ARABIAN PENINSULA
TALES OF BAHRAIN, KUWAIT, OMAN,
QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, THE UNITED
ARAB EMIRATES, AND YEMEN
NADIA JAMEEL TAIBAH AND
MARGARET READ MACDONALD
World Folklore Series
Copyright © 2016 by Nadia Jameel Taibah and Margaret Read MacDonald
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Taibah, Nadia Jameel.
Folktales from the Arabian Peninsula : tales of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen / Nadia Jameel Taibah and Margaret Read MacDonald.
pages cm. — (World folklore series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59158-529-9 (pbk : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4408-4207-8 (ebook)
1. Tales—Arabian Peninsula.2. Folk literature, Arabic—Arabian Peninsula.I. MacDonald, Margaret Read, 1940-II. Title.
GR275.T352016
398.20953—dc232015013879
ISBN: 978-1-59158-529-9
EISBN: 978-1-4408-4207-8
191817161512345
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook.
Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.
Libraries Unlimited
An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC
ABC-CLIO, LLC
130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911
Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911
This book is printed on acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Arabian Peninsula
The Countries of the Arabian Peninsula
Luqman the Wise
FOLKTALES FROM SAUDI ARABIA
Tales shared by Nadia Jameel Taibah
Animal Tales
The Dove, the Partridge, and the Crow
The Fox, the Wolf, and the Lion
The Ant and the Louse
Riddle Stories
Signs
Jouha Stories
Jouha and His Donkeys
Humorous Tales
The Poor Lady’s Plan
Magical Stories
Throw Your Pumpkin and Pick Me Up
The Annoying Dove
The Seven Buckthorn Pickers
Religious Tales
A Wise Young Boy
The King, the Prince, and the Naughty Sheep
The Miracle of the Spider’s Web
‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Cooks Food for Hungry Children
SAUDI ARABIA: OTHER TALES
Retold by Margaret Read MacDonald
Makki and Kakki
The Mouse and the Eggshell Boat
The Cat Country
The Lost City of Ubar
FOLKTALES FROM BAHRAIN
Aziz, Son of His Maternal Uncle
The Springs of Bahrain
FOLKTALES FROM KUWAIT
About Jouha
Answering the Scholar
Jouha Sings from the Minaret
Counting the Days of Ramadan
Choices
The Helpful Dog
The Black Pearl and the White Pearl
Kill the Man Who Killed the Dog
Nesóp and the Snake
The Hattáb (Woodcutter) and the Khaznah (Treasure)
FOLKTALES FROM OMAN
Abu Nawas, the Trickster
A Djinn Story
Jouha Loses His Donkey
Who Should Ride the Donkey?
When Jouha’s Donkey Passes Gas
The Djinn Outside the Window
The Sad Story of the Mother Camel
The Camel from the Rock
Facts: The Remarkable Camel
Why Love is Blind
The Thrifty Ant
The Fake Bride
Strangers on the Road
The Jinn Builds a Road
Tricking the Sahar
The Biggest Lie
FOLKTALES FROM QATAR
The Helpful Fish
Wealth, Success, and Love
Origin of the Dhow’s Lateen Sail
FOLKTALES FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Why the Hen Cannot Fly
The Shaikh’s Sheep
The Fisherman’s Daughter
FOLKTALES FROM YEMEN
The Queen of Sheba Visits King Solomon
Queen Bilquis Visits King Suyleiman
The Mighty Dyke of Ma-rib
The Year of the White Elephant
The Manly Maiden
ARABIC PROVERBS AND PROVERB TALES
Arabic Proverbs
Proverbs from the United Arab Emirates
Hunain’s Slippers
A Crab Has Drowned a Camel
Riddles
Arabic Words
Tale Notes
More Folktales from the Arabian Peninsula
Bibliography
Index
INTRODUCTION
The marvelous legendry of the Arab peoples from ancient times is well known through The Thousand and One Nights, often called The Arabian Nights. You will find many editions of those stories in your library. The stories in these collections vary, and only some of them are from the Arabian Peninsula. A collection featuring other tales of marvels, some with earlier origins even than The Thousand and One Nights, can be found in the excellent Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends by Khairat Al-Saleh (New York: Schocken, 1985).
In Tales from the Arabian Peninsula, we offer simpler stories, those told today by the people who live in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. We have limited ourselves to only tales from the Arabian Peninsula itself and do not include tales from the other Arabic-speaking countries.
THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
Travel and Trade
The Arabian Peninsula’s position has placed it at the crossroads of travel and trade throughout time. Archeological digs all along the Arabian Gulf Coast have revealed remains of the towns of ancient peoples, such as the Dilmun civilization, a Bronze Age trading center from around 3,000 BC. The Dilmun civilization was centered in present-day Bahrain and also had a town on Failaka Island in present-day Kuwait. Their Bahrain city was a two-day sail from Mesopotamia and a stop for ships to restock supplies and water before heading across the Indian Ocean to India. It was also a trading center for pearls, copper, and other goods and a center of ship building.
Some of the oldest evidence of inhabitants on the Arabian Peninsula are the 40,000-year-old Stone Age sites found in Yemen, at the southwestern end of the peninsula. This area also claims various biblical and Koranic sites. It is believed to be the land of the Queen of Sheba, and some believe that Shem, the so
n of Noah, settled there and founded the Semite people. On the Red Sea side of the peninsula, trade routes were also busy. Frankincense and myrrh as well as pearls were traded. The Saba people who ruled around 1000 BC had quite an advanced civilization. They built houses that were several stories high and constructed a dam that was 2,000 feet wide (609 meters) for irrigation.
On the southeastern end of the peninsula, in Oman, a 200 BC fortress, perhaps much older, has been found inland, just at the edge of Rub al-Khali (the Empty Quarter desert) at Shisr. Stone Age sites have also been found near there. From Salalah, a semitropical seaside city with date palms, small frankincense trees, and enough rainfall for some crops, the road climbs an escarpment to reach a flat, rocky plain. Over 170 km inland across this plain one reaches Shisr. Here archeological digs have revealed evidence of an ancient trade route. Frankincense traveled this route across the Rub al-Khali (the Empty Quarter desert). The large port city of Sumhuram has also been excavated in present-day Salalah.
Oman became a major trading center, sending out sailing dhows to the island of Zanzibar and other East African ports. Following the trade winds, they were able to reach India, and from there they could continue on a very long voyage all the way to China. Frankincense and myrrh were a major part of their trade, and for a time, slaves and ivory were brought from Zanzibar, which served as a slave depot for the East African interior.
The Omanis were remarkably skilled navigators, and it is suggested that the story of Sinbad the Sailor, a popular tale found in The Thousand and One Nights, holds many factual accounts of an Omani voyage. An Omani navigator accompanied the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gamma and showed him how to reach India—a great voyage of exploration for a European, but a regular route for the Omani sailors. The sailors could navigate with nothing more than a piece of cardboard and a string, with which they could estimate their position by their relationship to specific stars.
Frankincense
Frankincense, which thrives in the Al-Mahrah and Hadramat regions of Yemen and in the Dhofar region of southern Oman, has been prized over the centuries as an incense to burn in religious rituals. The Greek scholar Herodotus mentions that over two and a half tons of Frankincense were burned in the Babylonian temple of Baal. The Roman emperor Nero had an entire year’s worth of frankincense from the Arabian Peninsula burnt as a tribute at the funeral of his wife. Egyptians used frankincense in embalming. And the Bible tells us that three wise men brought gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold to the baby Jesus.
Camels
Camel caravans became possible after a special saddle was invented around 1,200 BC. This allowed camel caravans to travel across the vast stretches of desert that cover the interior of the Arabian Peninsula. Now frankincense, myrrh, and other goods could pass by land, rather than having to be transported by ship.
The camel proved an unusually reliable means of transport because it can live on almost any plants or grasses it encounters. And humans can then live on the camel’s milk or slaughter an occasional camel for meat. The Omani tribal leader Mahbrook Massan, who recounted our stories of “Abu Nawas, the Trickster” and “A Djinn Story,” told us that when he was a child, his family wandered for weeks at a time away from the water of their home oasis at Shisr. While living in the rocky desert, his mother fed them by milking the camels. This provided both nourishment and liquid. The camels’ bodies also provided warmth and shelter when the night temperatures became frigid, and they provided shade in the heat of the day.
Pilgrimages
After the rise of Islam, sites in Saudi Arabia became important pilgrimage destinations. Each Muslim is expected to visit Mecca at least once in his or her life, unless financial constraints or health make this impossible. And Medina, the second holiest city in Saudi Arabia, is often visited as well. This travel put Saudi Arabia at the heart of considerable travel from all parts of the Islamic world. Today, over 3 million pilgrims reach Mecca each year during the Hajj (pilgrimage) season, the beginning of the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. And more pilgrims, perhaps as many as 4 million, visit Mecca and Medina throughout the year to perform Omraa (Umrah), which is a visit to the Ka’ba performed at a time other than the Hajj season.
Invasions
At times, various peoples, including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Ottoman Turks, and Portuguese, invaded the Arabian Peninsula. Each group ruled for a time and then was overthrown. Today, the countries of the Arabian Peninsula are all independent and ruled by leaders of the specific Arabic tribes who have controlled these areas since the 1800s or earlier.
Oil Wealth
The discovery of oil changed everything for this area. With money came the possibility to build schools, hospitals, and roads. The royal families who controlled the countries amassed enormous wealth. And because the royal families in many countries are so extensive, this wealth was spread through many households. Most of the countries also chose to distribute some of the oil wealth among their citizens. This was done with direct monetary gifts, stock in the oil enterprises, or land grants. Most of the countries charge no taxes on their people, and health care and education are usually free. In some cases, utilities such as water and electricity are also provided at no charge.
Because citizenship carries perks with it, strict requirements have been established for claiming citizenship. Adherence to Islam is usually one. The residence of your family in the area since before the advent of the oil boom is another. It is difficult or impossible for new arrivals to claim citizenship. Thousands of workers must be brought in from other countries to maintain the workforce needed in these growing economies. So the number of noncitizens residing in some Arabian Peninsula countries far exceeds the number of citizens.
Using the oil monies, the cities in this region are growing at a furious pace. Shallow seas are being filled in to create even more land for building, and entire islands, such as the Palm Jumeirah (shaped like the branches of a palm) and the World Islands (shaped like countries of the world) in Dubai and the Pearl (a ring of reclaimed land with high-rise apartments and shops) in Doha, the capital of Qatar, have been created and filled with high-end developments. Dubai boasts the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.
The countries honor the arts with museums, such as the stunning Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, and performance venues, such as the Muscat Royal Opera House in Oman. Each country sponsors a historical museum, such as the handsome Bahrain National Museum. The Al Tayebat International City Museum in Jeddah has 300 rooms centered around a 300-year-old palace. And archeological sites such as the Al Balid Archeological Park in Salalah are found in many locations. There are dynamic events such as the Sharjah International Book Fair. Doha is also home to one of the world’s foremost television networks, Al Jazeera.
Islam
The people of the Arabian Peninsula are of the Muslim faith. Prophet Mohammad was born in Mecca around AD 570. The Ka’ba had been a pilgrimage site for centuries at the time Prophet Mohammad was born, but it contained images of various gods. Prophet Mohammad insisted on reverence to only one true god. The word “Allah” means “God” in Arabic. Today, all Muslims turn toward Mecca to pray, and all pray to Allah.
There are Five Pillars (rules) of Islam:
Stating with conviction, “There is no God but God and Prophet Mohammad is his messenger.”
Praying five times daily (dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset, evening).
Giving charity (a portion of wealth given to those less fortunate)
Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Performing the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
OLD AND NEW, SIDE BY SIDE
Oil money is bringing rapid change to the Arabian Peninsula. A new chapter in the region’s history is being written.
The modern towers above the old souk shops in Kuwait City.
The new springs up behind the old in Kuwait City.
THE COUNTRIES OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
Bahrain
The Al-Khalifa family left Kuwait after the Al-Sabah family took control in 1756. The Al-Khalifa moved to the Bahrain area and became the rulers of this region.
Bahrain is an island country only 257 square miles in total land mass (665 sq km). Bahrain Island is connected by causeways to Muharraq Island and Sitrah Island. A few other small islands, including the Hawar Islands, are considered a part of Bahrain’s territory. Bahrain lies just 15 miles off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The King Fahd Causeway, constructed by the Saudi government, was completed in 1986, connecting Bahrain to the mainland. A causeway is also planned between Qatar and Bahrain.
In Bahrain, 2.8 percent of the land is usable for growing crops, and 92 percent is desert. About 5 percent of Bahraini ground is covered with over 350,000 tombs left by the ancient Dilmun people. Fields of lumpy tomb mounds can be seen in many places, and archeological concerns limit the usage of these lands.
Of the Bahraini population, 62.4 percent are Bahraini Arab. The rest of the population includes Asians, other Arabs, Iranians, and some Europeans, Americans, and Australians in specialized jobs.
Kuwait
At the top of the Arabian Peninsula, on the Arabian Gulf, sits Kuwait, a country not quite as big as New Jersey. Kuwait shares a sometimes-disputed border with Saudi Arabia. The two countries have decided to share the oil-rich land of this border region. North of Kuwait lies Iraq, which tried to annex Kuwait in 1990, resulting in the Gulf War. After the Gulf War, the United Nations established the current border. Several islands in the Arabian Gulf are claimed by Kuwait, including Warbah, Failaka, and the large Bubiyan Island, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge.
Most of Kuwait is flat, sandy, or gravelly desert, though a few ridges of low hills do lie in the desert, as well as sand dunes. Freshwater is now provided by desalinization plants. Less than 1 percent of Kuwait is farmland, growing olives, dates, and fruits. But irrigation enables crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers now.
Folktales from the Arabian Peninsula Page 1
