'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves': an allusion to Abbasid organised crime

摘要

The twelfth-century Abbasid Caliphate was riddled with criminal gangs, corrupt officials and shadowy figures who spanned both, with underworld figures such as the notorious Karahanli family able to operate with virtual impunity. In this context, rather than being a fable in which good triumphs over evil, 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves' one of the later narratives of The Arabian Nights, depicts organised crime in Baghdad during the twelfth century and how a more cohesive gang can replace another, using ruthlessness and guile. As such, a close analysis of the tale and also those issues it does not discuss suggests striking continuities between medieval and modern organised crime.