It is said that caliph “Al Motasem” used to love poetry and poets. One day, a Bedouin man who was said to be a poet, came to visit the caliph. The caliph granted the Bedouin come in. There he entered, stepping forward and backward honoring the king, and started reciting a poem that he had…
Today, our story comes from Scandinavia. Scandinavia, Sweden, Norway and Denmark… How far away these countries are from Tunisia! Further than Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany or the Netherlands… Yet tales have a tendency to be similar to one another. This tale, for instance, is very similar to the tales of Juha*. Once upon a…
Once upon a time, there was a wealthy merchant’s trustee who had three sons. When his sons were old enough for marriage, he told his wife that it was time to find them wives.“Let us first settle a thorny matter.” said his wife. “Having daughters-in-law in the same house will not be easy. The stories…
Once upon a time, there was a gardener who worked for a sultan. One winter day, he found a large peach, the size of an orange, hanging from the peach tree. He was amazed at the sight because it was not the season for peaches to grow. As the sultan was strolling around the garden,…
Once upon a time in Tunis, there was a well-regarded wealthy merchant who had many shops, a house in the center of town and another summer house in Sidi Bou Said. He also had a country estate on the hill of Sidi Yahia and an olive orchard in Tebourba. He had many servants and workers.…
Once there was a talented merchant who was successful in his thriving business (God bless him). Any goods he purchased would bring him good fortune. He was blessed with good luck until one day when all the merchants in the market had had enough of his rising prosperity and began to cause him trouble. The…
Once upon a time, there was a merchant in Baghdad. There came a year when trade was stagnant. The next year was the same, there was no rain and so there were no goods for people to buy. Many people went out of business and he feared he would too. “What am I still doing…
Last Sunday, our tale was about fear and the gallows (God forbid). We said those who are hanged are taken down at sunset to spend the night at “Beb Souika”‘s oil mill to be buried the following day. Today’s tale deals with the same subject. However, this time, events take place in an earlier period.…
(see here Introduction to the Tunisian Stories and Overview) A certain woman was divorced from her husband. At that time divorce was a shameful thing and it wasn’t something that people of nobility would even recognize or admit to. If someone was pushed to divorce because of irreconcilable differences, they would hide it for fear…
(see here Introduction to the Tunisian Stories and Overview) Once upon a time, there was a tailor sewing in his shop. A woman selling jam passed him by, so he bought an ounce from her. He had some bread in his shop that he cut in two and spread the jam on one half to…