Cammi B asked Jessica Khoury:

In your book The Forbidden Wish, is Aladdin Chinese or Arabic?. I know in the original story he is Chinese and that the other characters around him are Arabic. Also, I'm wondering what the princess Aladdin marries and Zahra look like. Is the princess Asian? What does she wear? I ask all this because I really want to draw them all. Thanks.

Jessica Khoury Great question! Interestingly, most scholars believe that “China" was probably used in the original tale as a storytelling device to indicate the “utter east,” not necessarily meaning the nation we think of today. Aladdin and most of the characters were believed to be from Central Asia (the “Turkestan” region), with the exception of a few characters of Jewish or African origin.

Aladdin and the other characters in The Forbidden Wish are not really Middle Eastern OR Chinese, as the story is set in a fictional world. But in terms of appearance, they’d be similar to most Middle Easterners. Visit my TFW Pinterest board to see how their wardrobes and appearances were inspired! :)
https://www.pinterest.com/jesskhoury/...

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