Alibaba and the 40 Thieves Summary

Jul 15, 2025

Overview

The story of Alibaba and the 40 Thieves follows Alibaba, a humble woodcutter who discovers a thieves' treasure cave, faces greed and danger from both his brother and the thieves, and ultimately survives due to the cleverness of his maid, Morgiana.

Characters and Relationships

  • Alibaba is a poor woodcutter with a greedy brother, Cassim.
  • Cassim inherits the family business and marries a wealthy woman.
  • Alibaba supports his family by selling wood, while Cassim lives comfortably.
  • Morgiana is Cassim's clever maid who later helps Alibaba.

Discovery of the Thieves' Cave

  • Alibaba accidentally witnesses 40 thieves using "Open Sesame" to enter a secret cave.
  • He enters the cave after the thieves leave and discovers great wealth.
  • Alibaba takes a small amount of gold coins home to his wife.

Exposure and Consequences

  • Alibaba's wife borrows weighing scales, which leads Cassim's wife to suspect newfound wealth.
  • Cassim learns the secret and forces Alibaba to reveal the cave's location and password.
  • Cassim enters the cave but forgets the password and is killed by the thieves.

Morgiana’s Intervention and Thieves' Retaliation

  • Morgiana helps Alibaba hide Cassim's cause of death, pretending illness.
  • The thieves search for who knows their secret after discovering Cassim’s body.
  • A thief marks Alibaba’s house, but Morgiana foils the plan by marking all houses similarly.

The Thieves’ Final Plot and Morgiana’s Heroics

  • The thieves’ leader disguises as an oil merchant, hiding thieves in barrels to kill Alibaba.
  • Morgiana discovers the plot and pours boiling oil into the barrels, killing the hidden thieves.
  • The leader flees upon discovering his plan failed.

Resolution

  • Alibaba is grateful to Morgiana, making her a member of the family.
  • Alibaba remains the sole possessor of the cave’s secret.