Throughout the Arab-speaking world, the cycle of tales popularly known as A Thousand and One Nights or Arabian Nights have always existed both in written form and oral performance. The tales were eventually transposed from the East to the West and to the United States where they have become an integral part of American popular culture.

This website features resources on the art of Arab storytelling and American appropriations of the tales in music,books and films found at UCLA. These supplementary materials support academic instruction at the University of California, Los Angeles.

This online resource was made possible by a grant from the Office of Instructional Development (OID), at the University of California, Los Angeles

Supplementary media for the UCLA course A Thousand and One Nights Alf Layla wa-Layla, taught by Prof. Susan Slyomovics.

A Thousand and One Nights: Oral Epic Performance

The Tale of Anas al-Wujud and al-Ward fi-l-Akmam. An Oral Performance by Awadallah Abd al-Jalil Ali. click here to watch

A Thousand and One Nights: The Merchant of Art

The Merchant of Art: An Egyptian Hilali Oral Epic Poet in Performance.click here to watch