The Original Aladdin Story: China, Two Genies and a Mystery from Aleppo
The original Aladdin story is set in China, has two genies and first appeared in French, told by a Syrian storyteller. Here is the full tale and its true history.
In this article
The original Aladdin story, "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp," is set in a city in China, features two genies (one in a ring and one in a lamp) and an evil sorcerer from the Maghreb in North Africa. It first appeared in print in French, in Antoine Galland's translation of One Thousand and One Nights (in volumes published around 1710–1712), and Galland heard it in 1709 from Hanna Diyab, a Syrian storyteller from Aleppo. No Arabic manuscript of Aladdin from before Galland's version is known.
The Original Aladdin: Story Summary
The lazy boy
Aladdin is the son of a poor tailor in a city in China. He's lazy and spends his days playing in the streets. His father dies of grief over his son's idleness, leaving Aladdin and his mother in poverty.
The sorcerer
A sorcerer from the Maghreb arrives, pretending to be Aladdin's long-lost uncle. He showers the family with gifts, then takes Aladdin outside the city to a hidden cave. Through magic, he knows that only Aladdin can enter it and retrieve a magic lamp. He gives Aladdin a ring for protection.
The cave
Aladdin passes through halls of treasure and gardens with trees bearing jewels, and finds the lamp. At the entrance, he refuses to hand the lamp over until he's helped out. In a fury, the sorcerer seals him in the cave.
The genie of the ring
Trapped and despairing, Aladdin rubs his hands together in prayer and accidentally rubs the ring. A genie appears and offers to serve him. Aladdin asks to go home.
The genie of the lamp
When his mother tries to clean the old lamp to sell it, a much more powerful genie appears. With its help, Aladdin and his mother become wealthy.
The princess
Aladdin glimpses the sultan's daughter, Princess Badroulbadour, and falls in love. Using the genie's riches, he wins the sultan's approval despite the grand vizier's scheming to marry her to his own son. Aladdin's genie builds a magnificent palace overnight.
The sorcerer returns
The sorcerer learns Aladdin survived. Disguised as a lamp seller, he offers "new lamps for old." A servant trades Aladdin's lamp, and the sorcerer has the genie transport the palace and princess to Africa. The furious sultan threatens to execute Aladdin.
Aladdin's revenge
Using the ring genie, Aladdin finds the princess. Together they poison the sorcerer and recover the lamp, returning the palace to China.
The second sorcerer
The sorcerer's even more evil brother disguises himself as a holy woman, Fatima, to get into the palace. The lamp genie warns Aladdin, who kills him. Aladdin eventually becomes sultan.
Why Is Aladdin Set in China?
To European and Middle Eastern audiences of the time, China represented a faraway, exotic land, the edge of the known world. Galland's text calls it China, but the culture described is essentially Middle Eastern: there are mosques, a sultan, a vizier and Muslim characters. "China" functions more like "a faraway kingdom" than a real place.
Hanna Diyab: The Storyteller Behind Aladdin
For centuries, Hanna Diyab was a footnote. Thanks to his memoir, written in Arabic in 1763 and rediscovered in the 20th century, we know much more about him. A young Maronite Christian from Aleppo, he traveled to Paris with a French collector. There, in 1709, he met Galland and told him several stories. Galland's diary records Aladdin and other tales.
Scholars now see Diyab as an important storyteller in his own right, not just an informant. His memoir has been published in English as The Book of Travels (2021).
The Fake Arabic Manuscripts
In the 19th century, two Arabic manuscripts of Aladdin surfaced, and for a time scholars thought they proved the story had an Arabic source. Research showed both were later productions: one copied by Dionysios (Denis) Chavis, a Syrian priest working in Paris, and another by Mikhail Sabbagh. Both appear to have been written after Galland's French version, possibly translated back into Arabic.
Aladdin: Original vs. Disney
| Original (Galland, c. 1710–1712) | Disney (1992) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | A city in China | Agrabah, a fictional Arabian city |
| Genies | Two: ring and lamp | One (plus a magic carpet) |
| Number of wishes | Unlimited | Three |
| Aladdin's family | Mother alive | Orphan |
| Princess | Badroulbadour | Jasmine |
| Villain | Maghrebi sorcerer and his brother | Jafar |
What Is the Moral of Aladdin?
- Fortune favors those who seize opportunity. Aladdin isn't especially virtuous, but he's resourceful.
- Wealth must be guarded with wisdom. Aladdin nearly loses everything through a servant's careless trade.
- The "rags to riches" dream. Its broad appeal helped make it one of the most adapted tales in the world.
For the larger story collection Aladdin was added to, read our guide to One Thousand and One Nights, and for genies' origins, read about jinn in folklore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Aladdin from originally?
The story is set in a city in China. It was first published in French by Antoine Galland, based on a tale told by Hanna Diyab of Aleppo, Syria.
Is Aladdin an original Arabian Nights story?
It wasn't part of any known Arabic manuscript of the Nights before Galland added it in the 18th century.
How many genies are in the original Aladdin?
Two: the genie of the ring and the genie of the lamp.
Does Aladdin get three wishes?
No. In the original, the genies serve him without a limit on wishes.
Who was Hanna Diyab?
A Syrian Maronite storyteller from Aleppo who told Galland the story of Aladdin in Paris in 1709.
