One of the most famous stories from the 1001 Nights is Aladdin. The Disney version is only loosely based on the original story. Aladdin doesn’t even have a magic carpet! That idea is from the story called: The Three Princes and the Princess Nouronniha which is also in this book. There are so many twists and turns to the original story and it would make a great movie script without any changes to it. I have captured the essence of the original and condensed it into twelve pages full my photographs of beautiful sand sculptures. I have also designed each page meticulously to produce an understated yet stylized canvas to enjoy both the story and this unique art form. Here is an excerpt.  

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Aladdin was a poor and undisciplined boy raised by only his mother. A wicked sorcerer chose him for a devious plan. He pretended to be the brother of Aladdin’s late father Qaseem, and convinced Aladdin he would make him a wealthy merchant. The sorcerer’s real motive was to use Aladdin to retrieve a magic lamp that gave tremendous power to whoever possessed it. The Sorcerer knew where to find it, but the lamp was protected by a spell where he could only receive it from the hand of another. He had picked out Aladdin as fool enough for this purpose, intending to get the lamp and kill him afterward.

The Sorcerer brought Aladdin on a journey to find the lamp, and they reached two mountains divided by a narrow valley. “I will show you something wonderful. Gather up sticks while I kindle a fire.” The Sorcerer threw magic powder on the fire and chanted strange words. The earth trembled and opened before them, revealing a square flat stone with a brass ring in the middle to lift it. Aladdin tried to run away, but the magician caught him and struck him down. “What have I done, uncle?” He cried. The magician said in a kindly tone, “Fear nothing but obey me. Beneath this stone lies a treasure to be yours, and no one else may touch it, so you must do exactly as I tell you.”

Sculptors – Nikolay Torkhov & Paulina Siniatkina