Christian Arabic and Garšūnī Versions of Sindbad the Sailor: An Overview
Christian Arabic and Garšūnī Versions of Sindbad the Sailor: An Overview

Summary/Abstract: Although the story of ‟Sindbad the Sailor” is one of the best-knownn tales of the Arabian Nights, many readers are still unaware of the fact that this story was not originally part of the Arabian Nights and the oldest Arabic versions we know were preserved in independent manuscripts often circulated within the Arabic Christian milieu. This article aims to present six Garšūnī (Arabic Christian) versions of Sindbad hitherto neglected (i.e. MSS Mardin CFMM 306, ff. 65b–109a; Gotha HB 2652, ff. 8b–35b; Aleppo SOAA 124 M, ff. 85b–162a; Birmingham Mingana syr. 146, ff. 45a–65a; Birmingham Mingana syr. 463, ff. 79a– 121b; and London British Library Or. 4437, ff. 109–169), as well as an overview of the Arabic corpus of the independent versions of the story. The study is part of the research project entitled ‟La formazione del romanzo in area vicino-orientale nel periodo post-classico (1200–1800): i Sette Viaggi di Sindbād il marinaio”, carried out at the University of Turin.

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