Al Kharareef STORYTELLING CLUB The tradition of storytelling in this region is as ancient as its sands and seas. Zayed University s Al Kharareef Storytelling Club celebrates this heritage by preserving, retelling and with this collection of forty-eight stories, creating original Emirati fables and fairytales featuring traditional characters from the UAE s rich past. Take a journey across the four corners of the Emirates with the characters of the Story Mile. Re-discover the jinn from the bygone days of childhood as they honor the traditional heritage, culture and values of this land of many blessings. Step into a world crafted from the imaginations of our sixty young Emirati writers and illustrators as their characters guide you on a voyage of acceptance, respect, honesty and so many other universal values that we all strive to instill in our children. Come celebrate the best of the oral storytelling tradition and visual arts in these sumptuous tales that will make you laugh, cry and most importantly, remember.
The door opened and I was pulled inside. Illustration by: Aysha Saif Al Hamrani & Reem Naser Mohamed Matar Abu Namer Al Mazrouei
Written by: Afra Hamad Mubarak Al Junaibi One day, I went with my father to my grandfather s house. As I was playing among the palm trees outside, I saw an old door in the sand. It opened and I was pulled inside. When I opened my eyes, I saw a wooden box and an old envelope, which I opened. Inside, a letter said, I am Abdullah bin Salem. This wooden box contains a pearl necklace I made in 1949. You will also find a dark, green notebook (19th May, 1955). I opened the box, found them inside and began reading the notebook. Suddenly, I found myself at sea. There were lots of men onboard, in old-fashioned clothes, diving for pearls. One man looked familiar. I remembered my grandfather s photo. Grandpa Abdullah is that you? The men could not hear me. I realized I was invisible. After dinner, they all went to sleep except Grandpa. As he sat counting his pearls, he composed a poem about a young girl called Shamma bint Saif. The wind got stronger and stronger. The sailors woke to the sound of a loud, devilish laugh. Then a large, ghostly white sail appeared. It s Khattaf Raffay. Be careful! Try to control the ship! shouted someone. As soon as one sailor caught the sail s rope, the sea became calm because ghosts cannot live without rope. When the sailors burnt the rope to ensure Khattaf Raffay would never return, I found myself back with the notebook. The page read I made this necklace from the deep waters of the Gulf for Shamma bint Saif. Her father promised I could marry her. But when I returned, she was married to a wealthier man. Abdullah my son, can you give it to her for me? I then found myself back with my father. When we arrived home, I went to my mother and asked if we could visit grandmother. When my grandma entered her room to pray, I went with her. Granny what was your father s name? I asked. Saif she replied. I held out the necklace and said, So Grandpa made this for you. 1
If we overeat on the first day of Eid, he will surely eat us! Illustration by: Aysha Saif Al Hamrani
Written by: Sara Ibrahim Mohamed Hasan Al Ali Many years ago, two boys lived in the desert with their parents in a village called Ajman. During Eid Al Fitr, the boys always ate too many sweets such as algimat, kanfroosh and alaseeda, which gave them stomach pains. Their parents were desperate to solve this problem. Near the house was an extremely fat camel with long legs and a long neck. The parents told their kids that in the morning of Eid Al Fitr, this camel, Nagat Al Eid, would come and eat all the boys who ate too much. On hearing this, Ahmed, the fat older brother, said, Really, then I will not eat more than one gimat. Ali, his smaller brother, whose stomach was as long as a fat goat s, laughed, Let him eat me then! But that night Ali told Ahmed, I can t sleep. I m afraid. What if Nagat Al Eid really exists? If we overeat on the first day of Eid, he will surely eat us. We better not eat too much. In the morning the boys heard a weird noise. They went outside and saw a big fat camel called Nagat Al Eid. They ran away, screaming, Please don t eat us! We will not eat a lot of food. At breakfast, the boys just ate one meal and didn t have any sweets. Their father laughed, That really worked! Now we don t have to worry about their health. Ahmed went outside to play, but Ali was afraid. What if Nagat Al Eid eats me? he said, so he stayed inside all day. His parents thought it wasn t fair for Ali to be at home during Eid Al Fitr, so they sent the camel away. When Ali saw this, he shouted, Woo hoo! Finally, I can go outside. He put on his shoes and ran out of the house. When the boys returned and didn t find the Nagat, they were happy and said, Finally, the Nagat won t eat us! That night the boys went to bed happy and comfortable, and their parents felt happy too. 5
Illustration by: Nauf Abdulrahman Abdulla Abdulrahman Al Shaikh A pair of big, red eyes were coming towards him surrounded by sand.
Written by: Noor Abdoulhamid Bagher Zadeh In winter as temperatures fell, Bu Rashid and his family, like many Emiratis, celebrated their traditions and camped in the desert. He found the perfect place to camp for his wife and sons Rashid and Ahmed. One morning, while Um Rashid made breakfast, the boys played outside. Bu Rashid warned them not go out in the afternoon because Donkey Noon would eat them. Ahmed, the youngest, started laughing. Yeah! Right! Donkey Noon will come after me, he giggled. I m not joking, Ahmed, said his father. If you go out, don t be surprised when Donkey Noon finds you. Bu Rashid was using the old myth to protect his sons from the dangers of the desert. A few hours later, the parents and Rashid fell asleep and Ahmed left the tent to explore. Suddenly, a sand storm appeared and Ahmed couldn t see anything. He began looking for the tent, but the storm pushed him farther and farther away from their campsite. All of a sudden, Ahmed saw a pair of big, red eyes coming towards him surrounded by sand and his whole body started shaking with fear. The sand began to take the shape of a donkey. Why are you outside? Donkey Noon asked. Don t you know what happens to children who don t listen to their parents? Ahmed was so terrified the only thing he could do was to shake his head instead of saying no. I eat them! Donkey growled ominously. But..., Donkey Noon paused thoughtfully, if you promise to listen to your parents, and never again leave without their permission, I won t eat you now! Ahmed quickly promised and Donkey Noon led him safely back to his family. As soon as he arrived, Ahmed ran to his father to tell him that he had seen Donkey Noon. Bu Rashid laughed and told his son to pack up his things. Ahmed was about to interrupt his father when he remembered his promise to Donkey Noon about listening to his parents. On the way home, Ahmed saw Donkey Noon in the distance and vowed to never to forget the mysterious beast. 9