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Gulf folklore

Parchment-style artwork of Mai and Ghaylan by the moonlit sea in Qatar, symbolising love and hope.

Mai and Ghaylan: A Qatari Folktale of Love

October 17, 2025

In the coastal village of Al Khor, where love for the sea shaped every heart, lived a girl named Mai. She was known for her gentle spirit and deep affection for the waves that whispered along the shore. Her closest companion was Ghaylan, the son of a humble fisherman. Together, they spent their days chasing seagulls, collecting shells, and listening

Parchment-style artwork of Kuwaiti merchant and golden talking fish at the seashore

Asian Folktales·Western Asian Folktales

The Merchant’s Son and the Talking Fish: Kuwaiti Folktale

In the bustling coastal markets of Kuwait City, where traders called out prices of pearls and spices glimmered under the sun, there once lived a wealthy merchant and his only son. The father was known for his honesty and skill in trade, while the son was known for the opposite,

Parchment-style illustration of the Qatari merchant exposing the thief using a riddle in a desert folktale scene.

The Merchant and the Thief: Qatari Folktale

The old desert road stretching between Al Zubarah and Doha had witnessed

Parchment-style artwork of the gazelle tricking the hyena in a Qatari desert fable.

The Clever Gazelle: A Desert Animal Tale from Qatar

In the sun-baked deserts of Qatar, where golden dunes roll endlessly beneath

Parchment-style illustration of Dhalilah selling a camel in an Emirati souq.

The Legend of Dhalilah and the Many Sales of the Camel: An Emirati Folktale

December 23, 2025

Asian Folktales·Western Asian Folktales

In the age when caravans stitched the desert together and the souq was the heart of every town, there lived a woman whose name traveled faster than the camels themselves. She was called Dhalilah. Some spoke her name with admiration, others with caution, and a few with quiet resentment. She

Parchment-style artwork of two brothers serving coffee in Manama souq, Bahraini folktale.

The Two Brothers and the Magic Coffee Pot: A Bahraini Folktale

December 21, 2025

Asian Folktales·Western Asian Folktales

In the bustling souq of Manama, where merchants called out their wares and the aroma of roasting beans drifted through narrow lanes, there once stood a small coffee shop owned by two brothers. It had been their father’s livelihood, a modest place where traders paused to rest and travelers shared

Parchment-style artwork of Dhalilah with a camel in an Emirati Gulf market folktale.

The Legend of Dhalilah: Emirati Gulf Folktale

December 16, 2025

Asian Folktales·Western Asian Folktales

In the bustling markets of the Gulf, where the scent of incense mingled with dust and the cries of merchants rose with the heat of the day, stories were traded as freely as goods. Among these stories, none was repeated with more amusement, and more caution, than the tale of

Gulf folklore

Mai and Ghaylan: A Qatari Folktale of Love

The Merchant’s Son and the Talking Fish: Kuwaiti Folktale

The Merchant and the Thief: Qatari Folktale

The Clever Gazelle: A Desert Animal Tale from Qatar

The Legend of Dhalilah and the Many Sales of the Camel: An Emirati Folktale

The Two Brothers and the Magic Coffee Pot: A Bahraini Folktale

The Legend of Dhalilah: Emirati Gulf Folktale

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