بغداد في الكتابات الأردية كتاب "ألف ليلة وليلة" أنموذجا

Baghdad in Urdu Writings The book "One Thousand and One Nights" is an example

Abstract

In Arabic literature, alif-Laila holds a significance akin to Homer’s “Odyssey” in global literature. Known by its complete name, AliF-Laila wa Laila, which translates to “One Thousand and One Nights” in Arabic, it stands as a monumental work of Arabic literature. With a collection of ten thousand stories, it is also referred to as “Hazar Dastan” (thousand tales). Arab storytellers are believed to have commenced narrating its initial sections in the eighth century AD. Subsequent contributions from storytellers in Turkey, Egypt, and Iran further enriched its content. An intriguing aspect is the Western Orientalists’ role in unearthing this Eastern treasure.

In the 18^th century, Antoine Galland, a French orientalist, stumbled upon tales of in a French library. Intrigued by Oriental studies and possessing a talent for storytelling, he translated and published these tales in French. The translation of this masterpiece into Urdu was completed at some point in the 20^th century. The inaugural edition, titled “Alf Laila Al-Ma’roof Beh Hazar Dastan,” is available on the renowned Urdu website “Rekhta.” Owing to its collaborative translation, the names of the translators remain undisclosed. Notably, Professor Abul Hasan Mansoor of Aligarh University rendered Alif Laila into Urdu, garnering acclaim for his work. The current edition, published in Pakistan in 2009 across seven volumes, builds upon its original publication between 1940 and 1946 under the Anjuman Taraqi Urdu (India) Delhi series of publications. Widely regarded as the most accurate and fluid translation, it preserves the essence of the original text.