Shoes of Abu Kassim: An Arabian Folktale

The tale of "The Shoes of Abu Kassim ", from "The Arabian Nights", is still as fast moving and hilarious today as it was centuries ago.

Abu Kassim, a wealthy but miserly man, is renowned throughout the city of Baghdad for his ancient patched and stained shoes. Everyone in the city recognizes the footwear and knows their owner. Men raise their eyebrows when he passes, women gossip, and laughing children chase after him. When Abu Kassim decides to dispose of the shoes, he finds it an impossible task. To his dismay, each attempt to rid himself of the infamous footwear: flinging them into the river, burying them, or tossing them into the public toilet, all backfire. The shoes repeatedly reappear in surprising and comical episodes, heaping trouble, losses and fines on their owner.