Aladdin
By Pavitraa Sundram
The story of Aladdin
The story of Aladdin originated from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of tales compiled over hundreds of years by various authors across the world. Some versions of the book include more than a thousand tales, others a few hundred, yet some only a select few [2]. It was first compiled in the Abbasid Empire in Baghdad, modern-day Iraq [1]. Hence, many of the original tales and the main frame story are of Persian origin, which in turn seemed to draw inspiration from traditional Indian literature [2]. Tales that were added into the book later are from ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Mesopotamian and Egyptian folklore and literature [1]. Therefore, the book is not entirely Arabian, but instead is a mix of various cultures and civilisations throughout ancient history.
This extraordinary piece of literature has been translated countless times and when translated into English, it is called Arabian Nights [2]. Apparently, all Arabian tales were called Arabian Nights even if they did not appear in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights [2]. In the French translation of the book by Antoine Galland, the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp were added in [3]. Antoine has said that he heard the tale from a Syrian storyteller in Damascus and something else interesting - in the story in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, Aladdin is set in China and Aladdin is a Chinese Muslim [3]. Therefore, Aladdin would have been either a Muslim immigrant living in China or Uyghur.
It is rather ironic that despite being the most widely known and retold Arabian tale today, Aladdin and its very origins are not exactly Arabian after all.
By Jessie Zhou, 2018
A whole new world
When and where did Disney’s Aladdin take place, exactly? Well, let me tell you my inference of this.
Despite bursting with cultural references, the creators of Aladdin have never stated a specific time period or setting that the movie may be based off [23]. Instead, the movie seems to be based on an entirely fictional city called Agrabah [23]. It is up to us to guess, then, where Aladdin may have taken place. While the original Aladdin in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights is set in China, Disney’s Aladdin does not seem to make any references to China. In fact, the opening song is called Arabian Nights and the opening dialogue by the merchant says, “Welcome to Agrabah. City of mystery, of enchantment, and the finest merchandise this side of River Jordan on sale today!” This implies that the city of Agrabah is located near the Jordan River which is in fact located in the Middle East!
Besides this, many other features of the movie lead me to believe that Aladdin was set in an Arab empire such as the language, stylising, architecture, and attire depicted. The language used in Aladdin, especially the use of specific words, can point us to a few empires. The names of the characters, such as Ali, Abu and Jafar, and use of the word ‘Allah’ suggest an Islamic Empire or influence from the Arabic language [4]. However, the use of the term Sultan is especially important. Referring to the ruler of the nation as Sultan instead of Shah or Shahenshah in the Mughal Empire, caliph in the Umayyad or Abbasid dynasties or even amir in the Buyid dynasty narrows us down further [1][6][7][15]. The term Sultan was used only by the Mamluk, Seljuk, Timurid and Ottoman Empires [4][5][10].
To narrow us down, even more, the clothing worn by Aladdin and his friends gives us another clue. Comparing the attire of the characters in Aladdin to these ancient empires, I came to realise that the turbans worn by the men in the movie are distinguishing features of the Ottoman Empire. The turbans worn by respected people of a higher social status in the Ottoman Empire were prominently big and white, also called Horasanis [11[12][13]. Similar turbans were portrayed on the guards and Prince Ali in Aladdin too.
Holding the highest position in society, both the Sultan in Aladdin and Sultans of the Ottoman Empire wore the largest white turbans among other men as well [11[14]. This was rather different in the other empires. In the Seljuk Empire, Sultans wore boat-shaped headdresses while the Timurid Sultans wore more fitted headgear with pointy tips [8][9].
Now, the Ottoman Empire was huge, beginning from Anatolia and at the peak of its power, reigned much of Southeast Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa [13]. Where exactly in these regions was Disney’s Aladdin?
My inference is that Aladdin lived in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically. This is because the geography shown in the movie was a vast expanse of desert. Regions such as the Balkans (also known as Southeast Europe) and the Caucasus (a region at the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia including countries Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia) are largely fertile, consisting of expansive mountainous regions [16][17]. While North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are both arid environments with huge expanses of desert such as the Sahara Desert and Middle Eastern deserts, I feel that Disney skewed towards the portrayal of a region in the Arabian Peninsula instead [18][19]. Again, the use of the word ‘Arabian’ in the movie such as in the song title and the mention of being located on ‘this side of River Jordan’ hints to the Arabian Peninsula. Otherwise, the film creators could have said ‘this side of the River Nile’ instead! However, a tiny little thing to note is that the Sultan in Aladdin lived very close to Aladdin himself, placing him in the Arabian Peninsula too. However, the Sultan in the Ottoman Empire would have lived in Constantinople, Anatolia (present-day Istanbul, Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which instead has mountain ranges and plains and valleys that are very fertile and not arid at all [20][21]. This is, therefore, a little flaw in the movie.
Therefore, these key clues give us the best fit with the Arabian Peninsula during Ottoman rule. There are many other cultural similarities of Aladdin and the Ottoman Empire too - a few being the mention of baklava and the presence of a Grand Vizier. With this understanding, the cultural and historical significance of Disney’s Aladdin becomes much more interesting. Which aspects of the Ottoman Empire did Disney nail in their film and which aspects were a miss? Also, what can we learn, understand and further explore about the historical narrative of the Ottoman Empire through the movie?
What can we learn about Ottoman culture from the movie?
The Culture of the Ottoman Empire
Perspectives of the filmmakers
While elements of the Ottoman material culture have been incorporated in the movie, I felt that the cultural beliefs and values shown in the movie were more Westernised. In the plot of the story, Jasmine refuses to marry who her father chooses for her. This shifts away from the placement of greater value for collectivism, tradition and family values, moving towards an emphasis on independence and individualism instead. The movie also teaches that the ultimately correct motivation and purpose for marriage is only romantic love. Jasmine says at the start of the movie, “If I do marry, I want it to be for love”. While romantic love plays an important role and is considered to be the only proper basis for marriage in Western society, the ideas of love and marriage are completely different for other cultures [22]. Marrying someone of their parent’s choice may be the basis for marriage in some cultures, highlighting instead the important values of respect, familial relationships, and cooperation in this culture.
There are a couple of reasons why Disney might have done this. Disney may have wanted to cater to their audience whom they assumed to be largely from Westernised cultures. In the 90s, watching a movie with foreign beliefs and practices may have put off or come across as a culture shock to some audiences. This could have deterred Disney from incorporating Islamic values and beliefs in the movie. According to Disney, the movie was supposed to be set in Baghdad but this was changed due to the start of the Gulf war and America’s relationship with Saddam Hussein and the Middle East during this time [23]. The lack of understanding and stigma towards Islam during this time may have also played a part in Disney’s decision to exclude deeper Islamic values in the movie and Westernise it instead. Lastly, Disney may have simply portrayed the values and beliefs they felt were right as Americans themselves. Disney caters to a large audience of children and, being a substantial influence on them, Disney may feel the need to teach children what they think is right. Fittingly so, the movie ends with Jasmine and Aladdin being able to marry and living happily ever after.
References
[1] Wikipedia, Abbasid Caliphate, 11 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate#cite_note-arabianNights-71
[2] Wikipedia, One Thousand and One Nights, 4 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights#cite_note-Marzolph2007-3
[3] Wikipedia, Aladdin, 11 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin
[4] Anwar G. Chejne, The Arabic Language: Its Role in History, 1969, Google Books, https://books.google.com.my/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hl9dkjb9r6QC&oi=fnd&pg=PA253&dq=arabic+language+history&ots=VrD3sXU_ki&sig=X_ovNJoufKqRzUMzbrv4FfdVvlo&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=arabic%20language%20history&f=false
[5] Knut S. Vikor, Between God and the Sultan: A history of Islamic Law, 2005, Google Books, https://books.google.com.my/books?
[6] Wikipedia, Buyid Dynasty, 07 October 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buyid_dynasty#Buyid_rulers
[7] Wikipedia, Mughal Empire, 13 October 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empire#Akbar_to_Aurangzeb_(1556%E2%80%931707)
[8] Wikipedia, Timurid Dynasty, 01 October 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timurid_dynasty
[9] Wikipedia, Seljuk Empire, 11 October 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seljuk_Empire
[10] Wikipedia, Mamluk Sultanate, 08 October 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk_Sultanate_(Cairo)hl=en&lr=&id=I9d7Jw8c5v4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=history+use+of+word+sultan&ots=bNIjwN_MA1&sig=4o5Bmp4q3xvm3AUlxzaCntNuZvw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
[11] Sumiyo Okumura, Garments of the Ottoman Sultans, no date, Turkish Cultural Foundation, http://www.turkishculture.org/textile-arts-159.htm
[12] Wikipedia, Ottoman Clothing, 11 June 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_clothing
[13] Wikipedia, Ottoman Empire, 10 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire
[14] Donald Quataert, Clothing laws, state and society in the Ottoman Empire, 1997, International Journal of Middle East Studies, http://home.ku.edu.tr/~mbaker/hist103/QuataertClothingLawsOttoman.pdf
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_Caliphate
[16] Wikipedia, Balkans, 12 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkans
[17] Wikipedia, Caucasus, 10 November 2018, WIkipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus
[18] Wikipedia, North Africa, 13 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Africa
[19] Wikipedia, Arabian Peninsula, 11 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Peninsula
[20] BBC, Ottoman Empire, 4 September 2009, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/ottomanempire_1.shtml
[21] Wikipedia, Geography of Turkey, 11 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Turkey
[22] Henslin, J. M., Possamai, A. M., Possamai-Inesedy, A. L., Marjoribanks, T., & Elder, K., Sociology: A down to earth approach., 2015, I have the book.
[23] Zach Johnson, Disney Myths Debunked by Ron Clements and John Musker, Directors of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, 15 October 2015, E News, https://www.eonline.com/news/706200/disney-myths-debunked-by-ron-clements-and-john-musker-directors-of-the-little-mermaid-aladdin-and-hercules
Images
Anonymous Ottoman artist, Sultan Suleiman II in profile, half figure, 1495 - 1566, Kunsthistorisches Museum, http://www.khm.at/objektdb/detail/2427/
Anonymous Ottoman artist, Istanbul Observatory, 1577, Wikimedia Commons, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Istambul_observatory_in_1577.jpg
Anonymous Ottoman artist, Ottoman Miniature Painters, 1595 - 1603, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ottoman_miniature_painters.jpg
Images from the movie have been screenshotted from my Netflix account and have been used entirely for educational purposes :)
References for the video
Clips
All clips of the movie were screen recorded from the movie through my Netflix account. Clips did not last longer than 20 seconds. All clips and images have been used purely for educational purposes.
Music
Transition titles: Disney Magic Soundtrack by ROGERTHAT from jamendo.com
Background: A Whole New World by TeknoAXE from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqrVEACfuT8
Information
Sumiyo Okumura, Garments of the Ottoman Sultans, no date, Turkish Cultural Foundation, http://www.turkishculture.org/textile-arts-159.htm
Wikipedia, Ottoman Clothing, 11 June 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_clothing
Donald Quataert, Clothing laws, state and society in the Ottoman Empire, 1997, International Journal of Middle East Studies, http://home.ku.edu.tr/~mbaker/hist103/QuataertClothingLawsOttoman.pdf
Raqs, Male headwear, 28 August 2017, Raqs, https://www.raqs.co.nz/me/clothing_headwear_male.html
Anahita al-Qurtubiyya bint 'abd al-Karim al-hakam al-Fassi, Ottoman Women’s Clothing, 2 May 2005, http://home.earthlink.net/~al-qurtubiyya/Otto_Fem_Cloth/ottofemcloth.html
Wikipedia, Bedlah, 9 June 2017, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedlah
Sumiyo Okumura, Women’s Garments, no date, Turkish Cultural Foundation, http://www.turkishculture.org/textile-arts-159.htm
World4eu, The Grand Vizier Ottoman Empire 1800, 6 October 2013, Wikipedia, http://world4.eu/ottoman-empire-costume-grand-vizier/
Wikipedia, Ottoman Empire, 10 November 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire
Wikipedia, Grand Vizier, 17 June 2018, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_vizier
Images
Museum of Applied Art, Prijepolje Slippers, 1800 - 1899, Creative Commons, https://www.europeana.eu/portal/en/record/2048214/5456.html?q=ottoman+empire
Antiller, Istanbul Constantinople Turkey Men smoking water pipe, 1880s, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/45641734@N08/5919051025/in/photostream/
Urrabietta, Costumes of the Ottoman Empire, Wikimedia Commons, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Urrabietta_-_Costumes_of_the_Ottoman_Empire.jpg
Wikimedia Commons, Mehmed III, 15 September 2013, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mehmed_III.jpg
Workshop of Titian, Portrait of Roxelana, 1515 - 1520, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Obtained from Wikimedia Commons, http://emuseum.ringling.org/emuseum/objects/24004/portrait-of-a-woman?ctx=58f0b43d-c6c8-4c05-843a-f456a9ca7f7d&idx=3
Jean-Étienne Liotard, A Woman in Turkish Dress, Mid-18th century, Pera Museum, Obtained from Wikimedia Commons, https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/VwFN4ePQflg46A
Albert Richard Smith, A Month at Constatinople, 1850, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ya%C5%9Fmak-ferace.png
Wellcome Images, A man selling medicinal drugs to a woman in a bazaar in Constantinople, 1857, Wellcome Images, https://wellcomecollection.org/works?query=L0002916&wellcomeImagesUrl=/indexplus/image/L0002916.html
Antoine-Laurent Castellan, 1812, The Ottoman Sultan and the Great Vizier, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ottoman_Sultan_and_the_Great_Vizier_-_Castellan_Antoine-laurent_-_1812.jpg
Wikimedia Commons, Gran Visir Mehmed Köprülü of the Ottoman Empire, no date, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mehmedpasha.jpg
Anonymous Greek Artist, The Sadrazam, 1809, V&A Collections, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O916998/sadrazam-or-grand-vizier-watercolour-anonymous-greek-artist/
Constantin Barbu, The Blue Mosque at Sunset, 6 June 2006, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Blue_Mosque_at_sunset.jpg
Adli Wahid, The Blue Mosque, 5 November 2018, Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/3-QB-YKxTKY
Atharva Tulsi, Taj Mahal, July 15 2018, Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/Ekh10MbFvPg by Atharva Tulsi on Unsplash
Mircea Ostoia, Topkapi Palace Istanbul, 15 October 2008, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Topkapi_Palace_Istanbul_-_Imperial_Hall.jpg
Gryffindor, Iznik Tiles in Enderun Library, August 2007, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enderun_library_Topkapi_42.JPG
Meriç Dağlı, Topkapi Palace, 10 July 2018, Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/OGeo---MqbU by Meriç Dağlı on Unsplash
Miwok, Topkapi Palace, 4 March 2018, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/miwok/40002279564