In The Great Khan’s Tent Episode XIV: The Arabian Nights Part XII

In this episode, we end the story cycle of the “The Porter, the Three Ladies of Baghdad, and the three Dervishes” with Night XIX and begin another story cycle “The Story of the Three Apples” with Night XX. Within the “Three Apples” cycle we start “The Story of Nur-ed-din Ali and His Son and of Shams-ud-din Mohammad and his Daughter”. What is interesting about both the end of the first cycle and the start of the second is that there is a considerable change in the attitude that is displayed by Harun-al-Rashid. Instead of the calm, reasonable, Caliph Harun al-Rashid is seen continually threatening his vizier Jafar al-Barmaki with death of not only himself but that of his entire family, a fact which may reflect on his actual execution and of his entire family in 803 C.E. Furthermore, this may reflect that fact that these stories may have been created, written down, or modified soon after the first Abbasid Civil War of 811-813 C.E. This is particularly important view to consider, as the references to al-Amin may refer to the condition Baghdad was in under his reign. This aspect will be explored in the upcoming special episode.