Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / ArabianNightsDays

Go To

1%%
2%%
3%%
4%%
5%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
6%%
7%%
8%%
9%%
10%%
11%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1386738056040698400
12%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
13%%
14%%Zero-context examples are not allowed on wiki pages. All such examples have been commented out. Please add proper context before uncommenting them -- simply saying who or what us an example is not context by itself.
15%%
16[[quoteright:283:[[Literature/ArabianNights https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arabiannightdlowefinish1_2270.jpg]]]]
17
18->''Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place\
19Where the caravan camels roam\
20Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face\
21It's barbaric, but hey, it's home.\
22When the wind's from the east and the sun's from the west\
23And the sand in the glass is right,\
24Come on down, stop on by, hop a carpet and fly\
25To another Arabian night!''
26-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', "Arabian Nights"
27
28Arabia: The land of Ali-Baba, genies, {{Sultry Belly Dancer}}s, sheikhs, Sultans, [[EvilChancellor evil Grand Viziers]] ([[TheGoodChancellor as well as some good ones]]), [[LovableRogue dashing thieves]] and [[RoyalHarem harem girls]]. When Western Europe was having its [[DarkAgeEurope Dark Age]], the Islamic world was living it up in a Golden Age, both preserving and enhancing humanity's store of knowledge.
29
30This trope depicts the Middle East as a wondrous region full of magic and mystery, inspired by the artistic and scientific legacies of Golden Age figures such as caliph [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harun_al-Rashid Harun al-Rashid,]] revolutionary surgeon [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Zahrawi al-Zahrawi,]] and "father of algebra" [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Musa_al-Khwarizmi Muhammad al-Khwarizmi.]] Expect to see [[ShiningCity glittering cities]] crowded with secrets and intrigue, striking figures who practice distinct customs, and exotic landscapes foreign to most Western audiences.
31
32Primarily based on the early caliphates, which stretched from Southern Europe and North Africa all the way to South Asia during the Middle Ages. Expect sprawling deserts to be omnipresent, despite the fact that some regions (ex. Portugal, Turkey, and Bangladesh) were not deserts at all. Maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia), while a bastion of Islam nowadays, is excluded as it wasn't part of the Muslim world during the Middle Ages.[[note]]While Islam's presence there is OlderThanTheyThink, it only became the dominant religion in the 16th century.[[/note]]
33
34As noted above, this time period is analogous to the DarkAgeEurope - roughly the 7th to the 11th century - though this is rarely referenced (and sometimes outright contradicted) unless characters from outside cultures make an appearance.
35
36Sometimes this trope is based on the Ottoman Empire of the 16th-19th centuries. This type of Arabian Nights Days tends to put less emphasis on magic and mystery and more [[{{Fanservice}} on harem girls]] and political intrigue.
37
38Can be a form of CulturalBlending, as the "Islamic world" was (and is) home to many different cultures and languages, such as Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and many others.
39
40A popular trope for this setting is GenieInABottle, traditionally a LiteralGenie. {{Flying Carpet}}s are popular too, as are [[TreasureIsBiggerInFiction rubies and sapphires bigger than your fist]]. The look and feel of a BazaarOfTheBizarre often draws heavily on this period as well. Expect at least one reference to the "sands of time."
41
42See also MysticalIndia and FarEast, which treat India and East Asia in a similar way, respectively. Compare {{Orientalism}}, wherein non-Western cultures are stereotyped to be inherently strange and exotic. Compare and contrast {{Qurac}}, a modern-day counterpart to this trope with far more negative connotations.
43
44----
45!!Examples:
46
47[[foldercontrol]]
48
49[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
50* ''Anime/ArabianNightsAdventuresOfSinbad'': As if the title itself [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin isn't enough of a sign]], the series adapts the stories of Sinbad the Sailor, as well as many other tales from the Arabian Nights (with Sinbad often replacing the protagonists of the original stories, though Ali Baba and Aladdin are also supporting characters in this show).
51* The whole planet of [[DeathWorld Zahhak]] from ''Literature/AvestaOfBlackAndWhite'' has an Arabian theme going on as its [[PlanetOfHats hat]] mostly thanks to its current ruler [[TheHedonist Kaikhosru]], complete with deserts, Arabian styled architecture and BedlahBabe's.
52* ''Manga/BlueRamun'' is set in the fictional Silkdeep Empire. Towns like Fargain are scattered throughout the Empire's vast desert, loose cloaks and turbans are de rigueur, and protagonist Jessie comes from a Bedouin-esque tribe of nomads. Jessie's bloodletting/ surgical knives also resemble curved daggers from in the Middle East.
53* ''Anime/{{Bucchigiri}}'' is partially inspired by this, having the conflict of the two Genies (here called Honki people) at the centre of it, with the anime's aesthetics referencing several West Asian cultures. Several buildings, including the school the main characters attend, are a direct {{homage}} to Middle Eastern architecture.
54* ''Anime/CosPrayers'': Reim's costume is based on this archetype.
55* ''Anime/DinosaurKing'': The heroes travel to Ancient Persia where they befriend a princess named Zahra and come across a street scoundrel named Aladdin who bears a strong resemblance to [[CaptainErsatz the Disney version]]. They also have to deal with a band of 39[[labelnote:Explanation]]The 40th was at home on sick leave[[/labelnote]] Thieves who are working with a vizier to takeover the kingdom.
56* The ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' movie ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasDorabianNights'' where they head to a storybook world of Arabian Nights.
57* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
58** In the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, the participant [[FatBastard Pintar]] has an outfit similar to the Mid-Eastern style of the trope.
59** The fusions for the main characters, such as Gogeta and Gotenks, have outfits that have a similar Mid-Eastern theme.
60* ''Anime/{{Free}}'': The first ending "Splash Free" featured the main five boys in an Arabic kingdom, each with elaborate outfits that fit the new world.
61* ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'': Makoto Mizuhara finds himself (along with several other people) catapulted across dimensions to the world of El-Hazard. Once the site of an unimaginably advanced civilization that destroyed itself in an apocalyptic war, it is now home to a culture of this trope, sprinkled here and there with the remnants of ancient ultratechnology.
62* Much of the anime adaptation of ''Literature/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'' is set in Pars, the FantasyCounterpartCulture of the [[AncientPersia Persian Empire]], and the Arabian influence can be seen in the many characters' clothing, armor, weapons, surrounding architecture, etc.
63* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' is featured briefly in Arabia and the gang encounters a group of Arabian stand users.
64* ''Manga/MagiTheLabyrinthOfMagic'' draws inspiration from ''Literature/TheArabianNights'', but with more {{shonen|Demographic}} and fantasy elements.
65* In ''Anime/MarginalNumber4 KISS kara Tsukuru Big Bang'', L Nomura's ending ImageSong "Kokoro Hitotsu" features him as an Arabian dancer, and the music video is filled with oasis and desert motifs.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Arts]]
69* The "French Orientalist" artists, such as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Auguste-Dominique_Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres,]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-L%C3%A9on_G%C3%A9r%C3%B4me Jean-Léon Gérôme]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Delacroix Eugène Delacroix;]] not to mention Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck's illustrations of ''Literature/ArabianNights''.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Comic Books]]
73* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': In ''Recap/AsterixAndTheMagicCarpet'', a King’s daughter is to be sentenced to death unless it rains in her kingdom. A friendly fakir rides his magic carpet to the Village to bring Cacofonix back with him to sing for the rain and to save the princess’ life. Although the story is set in India, it plays out most of the best for an Arabian fantasy story.
74* In the ''ComicBook/DouweDabbert'' story "The Gate to the East", Douwe ends up in an unnamed, stereotypical middle-eastern country. Shortly after this, the series becomes more firmly rooted in the real world - just two albums later, Douwe is traveling with the historical East India Trading Company.
75* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' portrays the free European fables as being stuck in the modern world after the adversary took over. When they ally with the Arabian Fables they expect them to be living in hiding in the middle east. Instead it turns out they are still living in their own traditional lands, complete with flying carpets, since the Adversary has only recently started targeting them and they are actually a cohesive force that can fight him, unlike the Europeans (who, when they were conquered, had a very medieval mindset with each fief and principality on its own).
76* ''ComicBook/{{Iznogoud}}'': The Baghdad in which the series is set owes more to an AffectionateParody of ''Literature/ArabianNights'' than to historical accuracy.
77* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': "Ramadan" features a Baghdad rich, magical, and powerful, with exotic markets, pleasurable palaces, and flying carpets. Its leader Caliph Harun al-Raschid finds it so wonderful that he is haunted by the knowledge that it will someday end. He calls on Morpheus to preserve it forever, [[spoiler:and Morpheus obliges by [[RealityWarper changing it]] into [[TheMagicGoesAway a more mundane version of the city]] but causing the Arabian Nights Days version to live on in stories and dreams.]]
78* ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'': The story "Prinses Zagemeel" takes place in an unidentified Middle Eastern country, with classic elements like evil wizards, giants, and a princess.
79[[/folder]]
80
81[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
82* Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' franchise. The original "Literature/{{Aladdin}}" is nominally set in China, but given the fact that "China" as described in the story is identical to the average Arabian city of the time, it's likely that the author was just engaging in a bit of exoticism.[[note]] It is also possible that the "China" described in the story is East Turkestan � a.k.a Xinjiang � an area populated by the Muslim Uyghur people that today is controlled by China, but wasn't then. However, if it wasn't controlled by China when it was written, why would they call it that? It is possible that it is the protectorate of Sogdiana, which was controlled by the Chinese Empire at the time, and whose people are Iranian but like the Turkic peoples were influenced by Arabs. As many of the Arabian Nights story tellers are Persian Iranians, their Sogdiana would pretty much be as far away as they could go and still encounter a familiar civilization even if it was under China's heel.[[/note]]
83* ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'': One of the [[{{Macekre}} butchered cuts]] of the film outright sets the story in Baghdad, although the original only ever calls it "The Golden City". Fits the trope regardless.
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
87%%* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'': The Sultan's court.
88* The 2019 film revival of ''[[Film/Aladdin2019 Aladdin]]'', like [[{{WesternAnimation/Aladdin}} its animated original]]. And, of course, numerous other live-action adaptations of the "{{Literature/Aladdin}}" story, of which there are too many to possibly list. Very rarely, if ever, does a cinematic Aladdin actually live in China, where his story nominally takes place[[note]]the limited series [[Series/ArabianNights Arabian Nights]] is a notable exception[[/note]], and even then China likely referred to the nation's far western borderlands that are dominated by Muslims, Persian and Turkic people, ''not'' Han Chinese far away on the other side of the country. Indeed, West China, which connected the Han to the Muslim and Central Asian world, was still seen as exotic by Middle Eastern people as much as it was seen as a frontier by the Chinese. As for the film, it alluded to a ''South'' Asian nation where this version of Jasmine's mother was from, and the film's use of Bollywood tropes also nudged towards how India and the Middle East cyclically influenced each other culturally.
89* In the 1979 film ''Film/ArabianAdventure'', An evil caliph offers his daughter's hand in marriage to a prince if he can complete a perilous quest for a magical rose. Helped by a young boy and a magic carpet, Prince Hasan, has to overcome genies, fire breathing monsters and treacherous swamps to reach his prize and claim the hand of Princess Fuleira.
90* The Morocco that Creator/BingCrosby and Creator/BobHope find themselves in ''Film/RoadToMorocco'', is a borderline fantasy setting.
91* Creator/RayHarryhausen's trilogy of films about Literature/SinbadTheSailor - ''Film/The7thVoyageOfSinbad'', ''Film/TheGoldenVoyageOfSinbad'', and ''Film/SinbadAndTheEyeOfTheTiger'' - all start out in this type of setting, although being SeaStories, they spend a lot of time on the open ocean, with a third act on some IsleOfGiantHorrors or LostWorld.
92* ''The Thief of Bagdad'', a [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 1924 silent movie]] and a more famous [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1940 1940 remake]]. The 1940 version was extremely influential on later Hollywood films with an Arabian Nights theme. Creator/RayHarryhausen was a big fan, and ''Golden Voyage'' in particular bears a heavy ''Thief of Bagdad'' influence.
93* ''Film/ThreeThousandYearsOfLonging'' goes the Turkish route rather than the Arabic, with a genie coming from the court of the Queen of Sheba to Istanbul, and seeing the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. Nevertheless,
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Gamebooks]]
97* The ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' franchise has its own FantasyCounterpartCulture to the ancient Middle East, the city of Kallamehr, which is the setting of ''Literature/SlavesOfTheAbyss'' and ''Literature/{{Magehunter}}''. There's also the city port of Tak, setting of ''Literature/SeasOfBlood'' which resembles ancient Bagdad.
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Literature]]
101* ''Literature/ArabianNights''. The single most important {{Trope Maker|s}}, not to mention the TropeNamer. Ironically, a lot of the content in ''Arabian Nights'' was told by and/or features Persians and other non-Arab ethnic groups. Though given how Middle Eastern and West Asian civilizations cyclically influenced each other, especially with Islam coming from Arabia, it's all understandable.
102* ''Literature/BazilBroketail'': Ourdh is an ancient empire to the south of the Argonath. While they do have pseudo-Islamic stereotypes (extreme patriarchy, concealing female clothing that's mandated, religious fanatics), they're polytheist and have pagan Mesopotamian/Egyptian motifs as well (ziggurat temples feature heavily for instance).
103* ''Literature/CastleInTheAir'', which bears the same relationship to the ''Arabian Nights'' as its predecessor ''Literature/HowlsMovingCastle'' does to Western fairy tales.
104* ''The Desert of Souls'' and ''The Bones of the Old Ones'' by Howard Andrew Jones are set in the 8th Century Caliphate, with generous heapings of fantasy added to the historical fiction.
105* Klatch on the Literature/{{Discworld}} is Arabian Nights Days in ''Literature/{{Sourcery}}'', the first book Klatchians play a major part in, but by the time ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' rolls around it's more of a late-19th/early-20th-century ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'' style Middle East, with a few ''Literature/ArabianNights'' elements left in.
106* ''Literature/TheFangsOfKaath'' by Paul Kidd and its sequel are set in Osra, a fictional sultanate which is essentially a combined FantasyCounterpartCulture of Egypt, Persia, and the Abbasid Caliphate. Despite the inhabitants being {{funny animal}}s, Islam and Christianity are both more or less the same, though perhaps both slightly more liberal. While there is sorcery, its day-to-day use seems to be mostly limited to UtilityMagic such as dyeing fur.
107* ''The Father of Locks'' by Andrew Killeen has a meticulously researched 8th century Baghdad setting.
108* The city of Sirr in ''[[Literature/TheQuantumThief The Fractal Prince]]'' is a sci-fi interpretation of the trope. It is a great city built in the ruins of a fallen space station in the middle of the [[GreyGoo Wildcode Desert]]. Its inhabitants use technological flying carpets as their primary mode of transportation and bind Jinns, actually uploaded human minds living in the Wildcode, into jar-like miniature computers to use them as servitors. The theme of the place is essentially MagicFromTechnology.
109* ''Literature/TheGauntlet2017'': The titular game has this theme. It contains a city of Middle-Eastern design called Paheli, and everyone there dresses accordingly.
110* ''Literature/TheGoldenDreamOfCarloChuchio'': Orphaned Carlo, living as an apprentice with his uncle, is given a treasure map by a mysterious bookseller, who promptly vanishes. Finally cast out by his uncle, he makes his way to the Middle East, where he sets out along the Golden Road to find the treasure. Taking up with a lazy and dishonest camel-puller, a girl out for revenge, and a wandering philosopher, he encounters caravans, brigands, violent nomads, and plenty of adventure on the way to discovering what treasure really is.
111* ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' takes place largely in Calormen, a fantasy culture with a clear debt to the ''Literature/ArabianNights''; it also appears in several other installments of Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia. ''The Arabian Nights'' even provided Creator/CSLewis with the name "Aslan" (he found it in a footnote to an English translation; it is the Turkish word for "Lion".)
112* ''Literature/JackTheMadKing'': The third novel is called ''Jack in the East'' and has the titular protagonist travel to this world's equivalent of Arabia to rescue the sultan's daughter.
113* The world of ''Literature/KingdomsDisdain'' is partially inspired by the Islamic Golden Age; combined with standard MedievalEuropeanFantasy.
114* ''Literature/TheLandOfGreenGinger'' is somewhere between a {{parody}} of this trope and a nigh-{{Troperiffic}} tribute -- [[GenieInABottle djinn]], {{magic carpet}}s, sultans, and desert cities included.
115* A variation in ''Literature/TheLibrariansAndTheLostLamp''. While the events take place in the 21st century ([[PlotThreads one storyline in 2006 and one in 2016]]), the focus is on this trope as told in Scheherezade's ''Literature/ArabianNights''. Apparently, everything that she wrote about in her book (at least, the original edition, which Flynn discovers in 2006) [[AllMythsAreTrue has actually happened]]. There's a nod to ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', when the Forty (the modern-day version of Ali Baba's Forty Thieves) force Flynn and a Baghdad historian to help them find Aladdin's lamp. As they enter the lamp's resting place (where it was placed by Ali Baba and Sinbad), they see dozens of different lamps. Flynn deliberately makes a grab for a clearly Arabic one, when, in fact, he knows perfectly well that, in the original story, Aladdin obtained the lamp in China. When the BigBad grabs the fake lamp, it rapidly heats up and burns his hand, at the same time starting a cave-in, while Flynn and the historian make off with the jade lamp of Zhy dynasty design, which turns out to be the real deal. In the 2016 plotline, Stone is annoyed at the cheap Hollywood version of this trope being displayed in a Vegas casino, constantly complaining about everything the casino gets wrong.
116* Five-year-old Creator/HPLovecraft was crazy about this kind of "Arabian romanticism", after his mother bought him the Andrew Lang edition. Naming himself [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Alhazred Abdul al-Hazred]], he insisted that he was a Muslim. His mother bought him some appropriate ceramics and decorations and made him a proper outfit. The sense of exotic enchantment and wondrous cities with elaborate architecture and gardens is enshrined in his Dreamland tales. He probably read the Holy Q'ran too. Fans have identified "The Nameless City" as having been partially inspired by [[http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/exploring-iram-of-the-pillars-influence-on-lovecrafts-nameless-city Iram of the Pillars]] and some of the tales in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnameh Shah Nameh]].
117* Edward Said devoted his ''Orientalism'' to debunking this sort of myth -- or, more precisely, pointing out how the pervasiveness of this sort of myth prevented Europeans from having any sort of perspective on what the Middle East was, and is, ''actually'' like, as well as the fact that "orientalism" often misinterprets what's actually in ''Arabian Nights'' to begin with, especially the meaning of "fatalism", and the pervasive idea of sinister, effeminate guys (think Creator/JoelCairo in ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'') and silent, puppetlike women. Of course, modern scholars point out that [[http://www.salon.com/2006/12/06/orientalism/ Said didn't have the whole picture, either]].
118* And George Meredith's ''The Shaving of Shagpat'', an entirely original story that could fit right into the original ''Arabian Nights'', is fantastic and funny.
119* "Literature/TheSixtyTwoCursesOfCaliphArenschadd" by Creator/PatriciaCWrede. Caliph Arenschadd is not a terrible ruler, on the whole, but he's bad-tempered and proud, particularly of his magical abilities, which has led to a situation where he tends to express his displeasure by putting curses on people. Even that's not so bad, since the curses tend to be more annoying and inconvenient than really harmful, so it's just a matter of enduring until the vizier comes through with the appropriate counterspell.
120* Creator/WashingtonIrving's ''Tales of the Alambra'' is set during the Spanish Reconquista: Arabian Nights Days with {{Badass Spaniard}}s.
121* ''Literature/TheThiefOfBaghdad'' has a modern-day Russian man end up in this trope thanks to a genie and Creator/OmarKhayyam. Suffering from magic-related [[LaserGuidedAmnesia amnesia]], the protagonist learns the trade of thievery from Omar and embarks on the task of ending the rule of the evil Emir of Baghdad. On the way, he encounters Nasreddin, the Emir's guards, the Emir's entire harem (who are quite happy to see him), and... [[IfJesusThenAliens aliens]] (because why not?). The sequel, ''The Shamer of Shaitan'', has the protagonist being sent back to Arabia (with his memories intact, this time) to take on [[TheDevil Shaitan]] himself. The third novel ''Return the Thief!'' has ancient Arabia once again in need of the Thief, as it is on the brink of war. This time, the story is told [[DirectLineToTheAuthor to the author]] not by the titular character but by Nasreddin, who somehow ends up in modern times and seems to adjust pretty well.
122* William Beckford's ''Literature/{{Vathek}}'' mixes this with GothicHorror. The novel purports to be "An Arabian Tale, From an Unpublished Manuscript", and chronicles the fall from power of the Caliph Vathek (a fictionalized version of the historical Al-Wathiq), who renounces Islam and engages with his mother, Carathis, in a series of licentious and deplorable activities designed to gain him supernatural powers.
123* ''Literature/YashimSeries'': An Ottoman [[ChasteHero Eunuch]] in the Nineteenth Century and his boon companion, a Polish NobleFugitive. They fight crime.
124[[/folder]]
125
126[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
127* The ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' episode "I Dream of Phoebe" -- genie in a bottle? Check. Flying carpets? Check. Men with scimitars? Check. Magical desert city? Check.
128* {{Parodied}} on ''Series/ImpracticalJokers'' when Joe is punished by playing the Genie in an ''Aladdin''-style play. The wire operators send him flying all over the stage and into the set pieces.
129* ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'': The SixthRanger Magishine has a magic carpet as his mode of transportation, and a magic lamp-shaped firearm as his weapon of chose, the latter complete with a genie living inside who acts as his sidekick. So does his counterpart, Solaris Knight, from the American adaptation ''Series/PowerRangersMysticForce''.
130* Agrabah, as portrayed in the ''Series/OnceUponATime'' [[Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland spin-off]]. As the Enchanted Forest is modelled after medieval Europe, it's only fitting that Agrabah gets patterned after the Middle East. Plenty of genies and flying carpets, with a BedlahBabe or two thrown in.
131[[/folder]]
132
133[[folder:Music]]
134* {{Music/ItaloBrothers}} did a remake of the ''Ch!pz'' song, "1001 Arabian Nights" which is all about everyone on a magic carpet ride through these countries.
135* Music/RayStevens' "Ahab, the Arab" is an example of this. The titular Ahab is loaded with jewels and an attractive woman, whom he has stolen from a sultan. Upon threat from the sultan, Ahab and the woman escape successfully. Ironically, the woman herself is not an example, as she is shown eating junk food, listening to a transistor radio, and reading ''Magazine/{{MAD}}''.
136[[/folder]]
137
138[[folder:Pinball]]
139* Played straight with ''Pinball/TalesOfTheArabianNights'', set in a fairy tale land with an evil ''djinn'' and a [[DamselInDistress kidnapped princess]].
140[[/folder]]
141
142[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
143* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'', while typically set in Mythic Europe, frequently includes elements of this trope either due to the influence of Islamic culture upon European scholastics and the Fourth Crusade (and Reconquista). In particular, the 4th Edition supplement "Blood and Sand" covers the Levant while the 5th Edition book "The Cradle and the Crescent" details the Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Transoxiana.
144* ''TabletopGame/{{Carpharnaum}}'' is set in an Arabian Nights inspired fantasy world which includes djinn, dragons, and magic.
145* ''TabletopGame/CoriolisTheThirdHorizon'' is a Main/SpaceOpera take on the concept, drawing heavily from the Arabian Nights and Middle Eastern mythology for its feel and more mystical aspects such as the Icons.
146* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
147** The ''TabletopGame/AlQadim'' campaign setting. Thematically the land of Zakhara is a blend of the historical Muslim Caliphates, the stories of legend, and a wealth of Hollywood cinematic history.
148** Faerûn of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', where ''Al-Qadim'' was later placed, also has Calimshan, which seems to be a combination of the Ottoman Empire, Morocco, and generic Arabian culture. As the Third Edition guide puts it, it has "exotic markets, thieves' guilds, decadent harems, desert landscape" and so on. Appropriately, it's placed south of Amn (the Spain analogue) and north of Chult (sub-Saharan Africa).
149* TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} ''[[http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/arabiannights/ Arabian Nights]]'' is about roleplaying within this trope, while some lands within the world of ''GURPS TabletopGames/{{Banestorm}}'' reflect it.'' GURPS TabletopGame/CastleFalkenstein: [[http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/ottoman/ The Ottoman Empire]]'' is about a version of the Ottoman Empire, in a GaslampFantasy world, that's very heavy on the Arabian Nights elements.
150* The ''Arabian Nights'' expansion of ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' (actually inspired by the above ''Sandman'' example). It was later retconned into the plane of Rabiah. Another Arabian-inspired plane called Alkabah is briefly seen in [[ComicBook/MagicTheGatheringIDW IDW's comic series]].
151* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
152** The Keleshite Empire is a stand-in for early Islamic empires. Their empire is built on trade and genie wishes, and is in a longstanding but uncomfortable truce with the Taldor Imperium (who resemble the Romans and/or Byzantines).
153** The ancient nation of Osirion recently won its independence from Kelesh, and has decided to [[EgyptIsStillAncient restore the Pharaohs]] and get back to [[BuildLikeAnEgyptian building pyramids.]]
154** Katapesh, a lawless mercantile nation that resembles the North African coast. It's a haven of piracy, smuggling, and slavery.
155* ''TabletopGame/SavageWorlds'': ''The Land of Fire'' expansion for the RPG ''Hellfrost'' describes itself as 'a land of flying carpets, bound jinn, glittering palaces, scheming wizirs, regal sphinxes, and trap-laden tombs bloated with fabulous treasure!'
156* ''TabletopGame/TalesOfTheArabianNights'' is a {{Gamebook|s}}-style game that runs on RandomEncounters from different Arabian Nights archetypes and characters. The game board is even based on an ancient Arabian map.
157* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Araby fits most of the portrayal. Araby is a sub-continent of the Southlands, located to the south of the Old World, and bordering Nehekhara (AncientEgypt run by animated mummies). It is a huge and decadent empire, composed of many theocratic Caliphates, all ruled over by the Sultan of All Araby. They even had their own Crusades after one Sultan tried to launch an invasion of the Empire at a Tzeentchian daemon's urging.
158[[/folder]]
159
160[[folder:Theater]]
161* Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart's ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'' (''The Abduction from the Seraglio''). The plot concerns the attempt of the hero Belmonte, assisted by his servant Pedrillo, to rescue his beloved Konstanze from the seraglio of Pasha Selim.
162* ''Theatre/{{Kismet}}'': With extreme cleverness and a fair amount of luck, the poor but wily Poet rises from the streets of Baghdad, avoids losing a hand when put on trial for theft, and is instead given the title of Emir by the Wazir of Baghdad.
163[[/folder]]
164
165[[folder:Video Games]]
166* In ''VideoGame/AfterTheEndAPostApocalypticAmerica'', this is parodied by the [[{{Orientalism}} Neo-Moor Orientalists]], descendants of non-Muslims in Florida (which they have named Agrabah). They picked up Shriner lore, ''Literature/ArabianNights'', Literature/TheKoran, and a copy of Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', and mixed it all together with [[OnlyInFlorida local influences]] to create a curious, unique culture and religion. They are ''technically'' accepted as a peculiar, heterodox form of Islam by the Traditionalists and Imamites, realistic depictions of the descendants of American Muslims who avert this trope.
167* ''VideoGame/AlQadimTheGeniesCurse'' has this as overriding theme, as it's set in the Al-Qadim sub-setting of the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms. Scimitar-wielding corsairs, genies, scheming viziers, and magic carpets all make their obligatory appearances.
168* Given the source material, any LicensedGame based on Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' is bound to have at least a little of this in every level.
169* ''VideoGame/ArabianMagic'' and ''VideoGame/ArabianFight'', two BeatEmUp games set in a heavily-fictionalized version of the Middle East during the middle ages, complete with genies, flying carpets, and evil sorcerors as their main villains. Incidentally, they're [[DuelingWorks both released in 1992 and made by different companies]] (''Fight'' by Creator/{{SEGA}}, ''Magic'' by Creator/{{Taito}}).
170* ''VideoGame/BillyBladeAndTheTempleOfTime'': One of the timelines that [[PlayerCharacter Billy Blade]] can visit is AncientPersia, which has him fighting against turban-headed guards and traversing palaces.
171* ''VideoGame/BugsBunnyAndTazTimeBusters'' has the Arabian Era, the third of the game's main levels mostly based on the classic short ''Ali Baba Bunny''. As such, there's a lot of flying carpets, elegant palaces and architecture, daggers, and genies.
172* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'' has the levels of Hang 'em High, High Time, and Flaming Passion, all set in what is presumably Abbasid-era Baghdad; the second warp chamber in the central warp station is themed around the Middle East as well. Flying carpets are common in the levels, serving as platforms that help Crash cross large pits. Interestingly, all three of them contain colored gems, making it the only setting that contains more than one colored gem.
173* ''VideoGame/DokiDokiPanic'' is largely based around this trope, since it was originally developed and released as part of a festival run by Fuji TV in 1987, which had a cast of Arabian characters (a full family plus the girlfriend of the parents' older son) as its mascots. As a result some elements, such as the flying carpets, are also in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. In turn, ''VideoGame/MarioKart7'' has a track based on the Subcon desert called Shy Guy Bazaar, complete with ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' references and Middle East-inspired music; the track later returns in ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' as a NostalgiaLevel.
174* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder'': The game's fourth world, Sunbaked Desert, has a more spot-on portrayal of this trope than many other ''Mario'' games (including, surprisingly, ''Super Mario Bros. 2''), since it averts BuildLikeAnEgyptian (while pyramids were built in RealLife Asia, all of them are located in Southeast Asia instead of the Asian side of the Middle East) in favor of featuring a wide, elegantly-built palace that brings [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Agrabah]] to mind. The music's instrumentation also evokes the Arabian Nights vibe.
175* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series has the Redguards, Tamriel's race of dark-skinned humans, who have significant Arabian/Moorish influences to their culture. They hail from the desert province of Hammerfell, have a strong martial tradition including scimitars as a favored weapon type, dress in a very North African/Arabian style, breed some of the best horses in Tamriel, and draw heavily from these cultures for their FantasticNamingConvention. In the vein of CultureChopSuey, they combine these traits with heavy influences from Japanese {{Samurai}} culture.
176* In ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', the ''1001 Arabian Nights'' [[https://enstars.info/scout/arabian-nights gacha set]] has this theme, featuring the members of UNDEAD wearing traditional clothing and wielding scimitars, and Arabian exchange student Adonis lounging with a white tiger.
177* The setting of ''VideoGame/EverOasis'' draws from Egypt in its aesthetics, character designs and names.
178* In ''VideoGame/FaeryLegendsOfAvalon'', one of the three worlds you get sent to is partly based on Middle Eastern mythology (with AncientEgypt making up the remainder). It's populated genies, peris, and so forth -- some of whom were the inspiration for various human stories and myths, although they don't necessarily live up to the tales.
179* Al Maajik in ''VideoGame/FantasyLife''. It's also the setting's magic capital.
180* The ''Treasures of Aht Urhgan'' expansion of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'', complete with an evil Grand Vizier who heads the mysterious, veiled Immortals.
181* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' features Scheherazade, the teller of Arabian Nights itself, as a servant as she's decked out as a BedlahBabe. The Queen of Sheba also has some of this trope influence her MsFanservice looks. [[{{Irony}} Neither of them are actually Arab]].
182* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight'': The city of Guera has this aesthetic.
183* Almyra in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' evokes this to an extent. The names of people from the area are either Arabic or Persian such as Nader, Shahid and Khalid [[spoiler:aka Claude]], and due to not being under the enforced MedievalStasis Fódlan is under implies they're experiencing a counterpart to the Islamic Golden Age.
184* ''[[VideoGame/GuildWars Guild Wars Nightfall]]'' has the region of Vabbi in the continent of Elona which is modeled after this; other regions include Istan, the Desolation, and Kourna in which the first two are modeled after UsefulNotes/AncientEgypt and the third as sub-Saharan Africa.
185* In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' the Academy faction has this theme in V and VII, with wizards in Arabian attire riding flying carpets, commanding armies of golems, djinn and titans.
186* ''Videogame/KingsQuestVI'': The Isle of the Crown is vaguely Arabic in culture, but is covered in lush vegetation.
187* The Gerudo from the ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Legend of Zelda]]'' (debuting in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'') series seem to be ''very loosely'' based off of this trope, where the harem girls ''are'' thieves. Also, their king, Ganondorf, happens to be the main antagonist in the series, and he happens to be skilled with sorcery. The Gerudo are a OneGenderRace, save for on emale born every 100 yers, though in some games, it has been milenia since a male Geru was last seen, so the harem girls are now the ''entire population'' of their desert town.[[note]]Incidentally, this is the base of the only jewellery store in Hyrule, thereby keeping the link to treasure and gemstones with this setting.[[/note]] though [[LadyLand men aren't allowed beyond the gates]]. Additionally, Gerudo soldiers and travelers are often seen wielding scimitars.
188* In ''VideoGame/MonsterWorldIV'', the whole world is a [[FantasyCounterpartCulture fantasy version]] of this.
189* ''[[VideoGame/MountAndBlade Mount & Blade: Warband]]'' and ''VideoGame/MountAndBladeIIBannerlord'' have this in the nations of the Sarranid Sultanate and the Aserai, respectively, as both are Arab-inspired nations.
190* Al-Mamoon in ''VideoGame/NiNoKuni''. Its name even means something like "a safe place" in Arabic (and doubles as a pun on the fact that its ruler is a [[FunnyAnimal cow woman]]).
191* Arabian Nights Island from ''VideoGame/{{Poptropica}}'' is themed after Arabia, with a camel, a desert, a bazaar, a palace, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick thieves]].
192* The ''Franchise/PrinceOfPersia'' series is set firmly here, with many franchises having the hero save a princess from an evil Vizier. Technically, the setting is [[AllMuslimsAreArab Persian, rather than Arabic,]] and some of the later games do make an effort to get the architecture and cultural references right, but a lot of the narrative tropes remain the same.
193* ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'' is built off this trope, including flying carpets, genies in rings, and versions of Harun al-Rashid, Ja'afar and Iblis.
194* The Alin from ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'' are based on this trope. Their floating cities are located in a vast desert, and their lands are full of magical creatures made up of fire and glass. There are, of course, genies. Interestingly, the Alin are on the verge of being overrun by the so-called Dark Alin, creatures born of magic fueled by [[spoiler:an alien artifact]]. The intro film shows Alin forces besieging a Vinci city in a clear case of MagicVersusTechnology. This never happens in the game, however. The other {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s in the game are the Vinci (Renaissance-era Italy fueled by [[Creator/LeonardoDaVinci Leonardo's]] SteamPunk and ClockPunk inventions) and the Cuotl (a Mayincatec culture using technology given by their SufficientlyAdvancedAlien masters). And while the Alin-Vinci battle never happens in the game, the ending heavily implies that, with the Alin no longer under threat, they are looking West towards the Vinci city-states to expand their territory.
195* In ''VideoGame/RugratsCastleCapers'', "Ali Baby and the 40 Fleas" takes place in an Arabian city, where the babies ride on flying carpets. Angelica, who serves as the stage's boss, takes on the form of a genie.
196* The main setting of the ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' series is Sequin Land, which takes much of its influence from Turkey, with elements including the designs of the various towns, Shantae's belly dancing style, and Sky's love of falconry. The backstory of the setting also has the land as having been previously protected by scores of genies, with Shantae being the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human offspring]] of one of them.
197* ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'': Sonic is the game's protagonist, and his sidekick throughout the game is Shahra, "Genie of the Ring". Their enemy is Erazor Djinn, a genie who aspires to erase the entirety of the ''Arabian Nights'' book. He was once the Genie of the Lamp from the story of ''Aladdin and the Magic Lamp'', who was punished for misdeeds and imprisoned in his lamp until he granted the wishes of one thousand people.
198* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' had Arab-themed sets for the Demoman, Sniper and Spy (One Thousand And One Demoknights, Lawrence Of Australia and Saharan Spy respectively). Out of the three, the Saharan Spy was considered [[GameBreaker overpowered]].
199* ''VideoGame/TwistedWonderland'': Being based on the world of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', the Scarabia dorm qualifies by default. The dorm building itself is located in a vast desert, and the chapter of the main story focusing on Scarabia sees the characters reenacting the last part of the movie's plot.
200* ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' has Arabian Night, a haunted Arabian town that exhibits noticeable verticality. Thus, magic carpets are necessary to traverse its buildings.
201* ''VideoGame/Wizard101'': Mirage, in a high fantasy sort of way.
202[[/folder]]
203
204[[folder:Webcomics]]
205* ''Webcomic/{{Aecast}}'': The world seems to be set in a mystical version of the greater Middle East along with [[MysticalIndia Indian influences]].
206[[/folder]]
207
208[[folder:Western Animation]]
209* ''[[WesternAnimation/OneThousandAndOneNights2011 1001 Nights]]'', a Canadian AnimatedAdaptation of ''Literature/TheArabianNights'', naturally features this trope, although given the series creator Shabnam Rezaei actually is from the Middle East and grew up hearing the original stories, this makes it stand out from most other examples.
210* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPrinceAchmed'' takes its main plot from the ''Arabian Nights'' story "The Ebony Horse", and it even has Literature/{{Aladdin}} as a supporting character.
211* ''WesternAnimation/AlfredJKwak'': The Evil Genie of Darkness originates from an ambiguously Middle Eastern kingdom which still looks to be in medieval times. This occurs in one of the early episodes that are a little more fantastical. The later episodes with more political leanings depict the Middle East in contemporary light.
212* ''The WesternAnimation/ArabianKnights'': One of the cartoon segments on ''WesternAnimation/TheBananaSplits'' show.
213* The heroic Rahmoud from the ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'' episode "The City On the Edge of Midnight" is this sort of nomad in the deserts of the Realm.
214* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantaghiro}}'': The kingdom of Ben-Bakar is a clear FantasyCounterpartCulture of the Middle East, complete with magic carpets and genies.
215* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMax'', looking for the right kind of sand for his sandbox, ended up [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w21aOvdZ_s in the land of Dinar]]. There he was mistaken for the long-lost prince, who was actually leading [[https://youtu.be/0w21aOvdZ_s?t=12m36s a band of loveable rogues]] in a ''Theatre/TheDesertSong''-like situation.
216* The heroic Gundar the Desert Hawk and his people in Creator/{{Filmation}}'s ''[[WesternAnimation/FlashGordon1979 Flash Gordon]]'' are meant to evoke the feel of Arab nomads [[FantasyCounterpartCulture on the planet Mongo.]]
217* ''WesternAnimation/MrBenn'': The outfit that Mr. Benn said reminded him of a carpet seller he'd seen while on his way out of his house in "Aladdin (Magic Carpet)". It even came with a flying carpet. The ensuing adventure took place in a very predictable locale, complete with a genie in a bottle.
218* Casbahmopolis in ''WesternAnimation/PontoffelPockWhereAreYou'' looks more or less like this. Of note is the character of Neefa Feefa, an "eyeball dancer" who performs in an outfit that covers everything except her eyes, not unlike a burka.
219* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooInArabianNights'', though the Arabian setting acts more like a background that grants place for stories set elsewhere.
220* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shazzan}}'' is about two modern children who become stranded in this sort of world, with a benevolent genie as their protector.
221* ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' was fond of [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Fantasy Counterpart Cultures]] for its alien planets, so they naturally did an episode set on the planet Zagdad where the team has to save the planet's sultan from an evil space genie.
222* Defied in ''WesternAnimation/{{Imago}}'', where instead of being a caricatural satellite to the main setting, it is the ''whole'' setting and as such receives all of the worldbuilding effort while putting new spins on the usual related tropes. Genies in bottle are in fact [[Main/{{Mon}} Mons]], flying carpets turn out to be technological rather than magical, and there are several clearly distinct ethnicities, each with their own culture, beliefs, architecture, fashion, etc.
223[[/folder]]

Top