ਅਲੀ ਬਾਬਾ ਅਤੇ ਚਾਲੀ ਚੋਰ
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Bilingual Punjabi + English One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) Ages 4-8
ਅਲੀ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ । -ਪੋਸ਼ਣ ਜੰਗਲ ।
In a small village lived a good, hardworking man named Ali Baba. He chopped wood in the forest to care for his family.
ਇਕੱਠੀਆਂ ਸਮੇਂ ਅਲੀ । ਲੁਕ ਗਿਰੋਹ ਚੱਟਾਨ ਜਾਂਦੇ ।
One day, while gathering sticks, Ali Baba heard hooves. He hid behind a tree and watched a band of forty thieves ride up to a great rock.
ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ , " ਸਿਮ ਸਿਮ!" ਚੱਟਾਨ ਦਰਵਾਜ਼ੇ ਗਈ। ਖਜ਼ਾਨਾ ਆਏ , " ਸਿਮ ਸਿਮ!" ਗਏ।
Their leader called out, "Open Sesame!" The rock split wide and opened like a door. The thieves carried their stolen treasure inside, then said, "Close Sesame!" and rode away.
ਅਲੀ ਫੁਸਫੁਸਾਇਆ, " ਸਿਮ ਸਿਮ!" ਚੱਟਾਨ ਗਈ! । ਅਲੀ ਚਲਾ ।
When all was quiet, Ali Baba stepped out and whispered, "Open Sesame!" The rock opened! Inside lay glittering gold. Ali Baba took only a little, just enough for his family, and hurried home.
ਏਹੇ ਲੱਗਾ ਉਹੋ । ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਲਈਆਂ। ਜਾਦੂਈ !
His greedy brother heard the secret and rushed to the cave alone. He grabbed sack after sack of gold. But in his greed, he forgot the magic words and could not get out!
ਆਏ ਉਹੋ ਹੋਇਆ । ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਡਰਾਇਆ ਮਿੰਨਤ ਹੋਣ । ਸਿਖਾ ।
The thieves found him trapped inside. They gave him a great fright, but he begged and promised to never be greedy again. They let him run home, and he learned his lesson well.
ਆਏ ਅਲੀ ਚਾਹੁੰਦੇ । ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਅਲੀ | ਲੁਕਾਇਆ ਹੋਇਆ ।
The angry thieves now wanted to find Ali Baba. Their leader sneaked into Ali Baba's house disguised as a merchant, hiding his men in big oil jars.
ਅਲੀ ਕੋਲ । ਹੋਇਆ ! , ਬੁਲਾਉਣ ।
But Ali Baba had a clever servant girl named Morgiana. She peeked into the jars and saw the thieves hiding! Quick as a wink, she ran to fetch the town guards.
ਗਏ ਗਏ ।
The guards came at once and caught every last thief, jars and all. They were marched away, and the village was safe again.
ਅਲੀ ਹਮੇਸ਼ਾ ਨਾਲ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ।
Ali Baba thanked brave Morgiana with all his heart, and they lived in peace and happiness ever after.
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A public-domain One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) tale, retold and translated into Punjabi (Gurmukhi) for diaspora families by Maastarji. Read together to build Punjabi reading confidence.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" written in Gurmukhi?
- Yes. The full story is written in Punjabi (Gurmukhi script) as “ਅਲੀ ਬਾਬਾ ਅਤੇ ਚਾਲੀ ਚੋਰ”, with the English shown alongside so you can read both together. You can hide the English to read in Gurmukhi only.
- Can my child read this if they are still learning Punjabi?
- Yes. Keep the English on so a new reader can follow the meaning while they sound out the Gurmukhi. As they grow more confident, switch to “Gurmukhi only” for reading practice.
- Is this story free to read?
- Yes — every story on Maastarji is free to read online, with no sign-up. “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” is a public-domain One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) tale, retold and translated into Punjabi for diaspora families.
