Arabian Knights - Volume1

by Aisha Bilal

A fun and interesting collection of stories about the adventures and misadventures of ordinary, famous and infamous Arabian Knights.

In this volume you can read about a slave, a Bedouin, a king, a town elder, a most unfortunate man, a merchant, and more.

If you're looking for something light to read and would like to expand your horizons then this is the book for you.

Come join us as we follow the real-life stories of these Arabian Knights!

This book is approx. 16,000 words in length.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Anthologies, Middle East

66 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2013

About the author

I'm taciturn except for when I'm a blabbermouth. I like to laugh and joke around, unless I'm being serious.

I love reading, writing, archery (predates the Hunger Games :-P), taking pictures, babysitting my nephews and nieces, making fun of my relatives (they're weird, I'm weird) and I'm crazy about animals.

Well, very crazy about animals! Pick up a bird from the sidewalk and take it home to try to nurse it back to health? Been there, done that. He didn't make it :'-( Bring home stray cats? Yup. Adopt tattered looking dog? Yup. Want to sponsor a horse with split hooves? Why sure, I'd love to!! Too bad he doesn't fit in the living room, maybe I can keep him in my home office...wait, that IS the living room. You get the picture...

I'm a Muslim(a) and I'm currently living in Mecca (Makkah), Saudi Arabia. I REALLY wish people would make up their minds about the spelling for that city's name.

Reviews

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of stories with morals at the end and a Middle Eastern flair. Each one had a unique cast of characters and situations. I hesitate to call all of them short stories. I didn’t pay attention to word count, but some of these might qualify as flash fiction. I wanted some areas to be more fleshed out, but I saw where the author was going with the brevity of these pieces.

[Kaj Samuelsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short stories to read at night before you go to bed, but somehow they seemed too short. Or maybe it is just me that want something more embellished and flowery when I go to sleep.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting set of legends about various Arabian knights. Rather interesting and a good quick read.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived in Saudi Arabia for some time, I appreciate their view of what constitutes a fine person. These tales show their strong sense of hospitality and humor, and that common sense is more valuable than money.

Being hospitable to visitors comes from the Arab's long lives in the sands and deserts. By not sharing one's water and food, you probably sent that visitor (or group) to their deaths. The desert is an unforgiving land to inhabit. Therefore, Arabs learned early that being hospitable to people they encountered was critical. In olden times, men became important figures in their world by being known to be hospitable to all. Thus, it is realistic to expect stories lauding hospitality and generosity.

A sense of humor and having common sense are highly valued in Arab culture. These stories show how these attributes help people get along with their neighbors and trading partners.

This short collection is charming and shows the Arab mind to Westerners, who might not otherwise encounter it.

[Zanita H · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF but really lovely short stories. I think the writing is a bit old time and complex which makes it very hard to read the stories. But once you understand what’s going on the stories themselves are lovely.

Someone should write a version with contemporary language to make it more readable

[Dhishna Dhishna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the collection of short stories. Would love to read Volume 2. I enjoyed the ‘travel’ in different places and era.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, but no more than that. I studied a couple of the source texts at Uni, and enjoyed those more. Mediaeval Arabic Literature has many more entertaining stories than the ones included in this book. That said, the variety in the selection was good, and she writes well, without being overly free in her translations.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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