The Voyage of Christopher Columbus. Story for children

We present to your attention a selection of 10 books that will tell you and your child about travel, adventure, and reveal the world and its secrets. With the help of these books, you can instill in your child a love of travel, discovery, and learning new things. The child will learn to be observant, to notice even the most inconspicuous things, since everything can be important in our world. Everything has its purpose.

Here, in fact, is the list itself. In it you will find books for both the youngest readers who are just beginning to explore the world, and for older children who already know a lot and are interested in a lot.

1. "A Mouse on the Sea" by Lucy Cousins

A book for little ones who go on a trip with their parents. This world-famous series by Lucy Cousins ​​will teach your child what to expect on their journey. This is a story from the life of a Mouse who went on vacation at sea. Bright illustrations and clear dialogues are very attractive to little readers, and also help them explore the world with fun and pleasure.

1. “Otto in the City” by Tom Champ

Tom Champ's wonderful Wimmelbook will help introduce your child to the active life of people in the city in a fun and playful way. Kitten Otto goes on a journey through the city, and you and your baby follow him.

1. World map “Travel Map Kids”

This is an unusual benefit that will open the whole world to your child! With this map, the child will learn about many amazing facts from the history and culture of different countries. "Travel Map Kids" will introduce children to the geography and unique places of our planet. This is a world map and 34 stickers and cards for it. The child just needs to place a set of stickers and cards on the maps of countries. This way, the little traveler can explore the world with great pleasure! Kits for two age categories: 6-8 and 9-12 years. For smaller children, the map will help them learn the fauna of different countries, while older children will find wonders of the world and various attractions of the world.

1. “Summer in the Village”, Zina Surova

This is a very exciting story about the adventures of four friends - Luka, Tasya, Lelik and Dasha in the village. There are a huge number of ideas for an interesting summer time in the village, and children will also discover various secrets and features of village life and nature. From the book, the child will learn how to get into a rainbow, make a hut or a nest for a stork, he will become acquainted with the structure of a Russian stove and honey extractor.

1. “Nakhodilki”, Zina Surova, Ksenia Dryzlova

This is a very interesting game book that will help make any walk or trip with children a real adventure. The book introduces the reader to what surrounds him. She will teach you to be observant and attentive.

1. “Seryozhik”, Elena Rakitina

This book is about the exciting magical adventures and travels of the little hedgehog Serezhik. This is a wise and very kind fairy tale about dreams, friendship, loyalty and responsibility. And also that the Key opens all doors if you correctly answer one single question: “What is the most important thing in the world?”

The following books are world-famous novels and stories for children of middle and high school age.

1. “Treasure Island”, Robert Louis Stevenson

An island that is lost in the ocean, hidden treasures, pirates... All this and much more will be found by the young reader in this wonderful work by Robert Stevenson.

1. “Captain Grant's Children”, Jules Verne

This is a magnificent adventure novel by the most widely read French writer Jules Verne. It will tell about the amazing adventures of heroes who set off on a very long and dangerous journey to explore the islands of the mysterious Pacific Ocean.

1. “Around the World in 80 Days”, Jules Verne

This book can probably be called the most fascinating of all that are included in the “Extraordinary Journeys” series by Jules Verne. The author, together with his funny characters, travels hundreds of roads around the globe. And all in order to win bets from members of your club.

1. Timeless Trilogy, Kerstin Geer

The girl Gwendolyn Shepherd suddenly learns that she received an unusual gift from her great-great-grandmother, namely, the time travel gene. And now every day she is transported to the past, which is full of mysteries and secrets. What is the Secret of the Twelve, who is hunting time travelers in the past, and why does everyone around her think she has some kind of “raven magic”? The Timeless trilogy is suitable for readers of all ages!

We are sure you can add to this list!

Know, O people, that, having returned after the sixth journey, I again began to live as I lived at first, having fun, having fun, having fun and enjoying, and spent some time in this way, continuing to rejoice and have fun incessantly, night and day: after all, I got a lot of money and great profit.

And my soul wanted to look at foreign countries and travel by sea and make friends with merchants and listen to stories; and I decided on this matter and tied bales of luxurious goods for a trip by sea and brought them from the city of Baghdad to the city of Basra. And I saw a ship prepared for the journey, on which there was a crowd of rich merchants, and I boarded the ship with them and became friends with them, and we set off, safe and healthy, eager to travel. And the wind was good for us until we arrived at a city called the city of China, and we experienced extreme joy and fun and talked with each other about matters of travel and trade.

And when this was so, suddenly a gusty wind blew from the bow of the ship and heavy rain began to fall, so that we covered our packs with felt and canvas, fearing that the goods would perish from the rain, and began to cry out to the great Allah and beg him to dispel what had befallen us. trouble. And the captain of the ship got up and, tightening his belt, picked up the floorboards and climbed onto the mast and looked to right and left, and then he looked at the merchants who were on the ship and began to hit himself in the face and plucked out his beard: “O captain, what’s the matter?” we asked him; and he replied: “Ask Allah for great salvation from what has befallen us, and cry for yourself! Say goodbye to each other and know that the wind has overcome us and thrown us into the last sea in the world.”

And then the captain got down from the mast and, opening his chest, took out a cotton bag from there and untied it, and poured out a powder that looked like ashes, and moistened the powder with water, and after waiting a little, he sniffed it, and then he took it out of the chest. a small book and read it and told us: “Know, O travelers, that in this book there are amazing things that indicate that anyone who reaches this land will not be saved, but will perish. This land is called the Climate of the Kings, and in it is the tomb of our lord Suleiman, son of Daud (peace be upon them both!). And in it there are snakes with huge bodies, terrible in appearance, and every ship that reaches this land, a fish comes out of the sea and swallows it with everything that is on it.”

Having heard these words from the captain, we were extremely surprised by his story; and the captain had not yet finished his speeches when the ship began to rise and fall on the water, and we heard a terrible cry, like roaring thunder. And we were frightened and became as if dead and were convinced that we would die right away. And suddenly a fish, like a high mountain, swam up to the ship, and we were afraid of it, and began to cry loudly for ourselves, and prepared to die, and looked at the fish, marveling at its terrifying appearance. And suddenly another fish swam up to us, and we had never seen a fish bigger or bigger than it, and we began to say goodbye to each other, crying for ourselves.

And suddenly a third fish swam up, even larger than the first two that swam up to us earlier, and then we ceased to understand and reason, and our minds were stunned by strong fear. And these three fish began to circle around the ship, and the third fish opened its mouth to swallow the ship with everything that was on it, but suddenly a big wind blew, and the ship was lifted, and it sank onto a large mountain and crashed, and all its boards scattered , and all the packs and merchants and travelers drowned in the sea. And I took off all the clothes that were on me, so that only a shirt remained on me, and swam a little, and caught up with a board of ship planks and clung to it, and then I climbed onto this board and sat on it, and the waves and winds played with me on the surface of the water, and I held tightly to the board, being lifted and lowered by the waves, and experienced severe torment, fear, hunger and thirst.

And I began to reproach myself for what I had done, and my soul was tired after rest, and I said to myself: “O Sinbad, oh sailor, you have not yet repented, and every time you experience disasters and fatigue, but do not give up the journey by sea, and if you refuse, then your refusal may be false. Be patient with what you are experiencing, you deserve everything you get...”

Five hundred sixty-fourth night

When the five hundred and sixty-fourth night came, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that when Sinbad the Sailor began to drown in the sea, he sat astride a wooden board and said to himself: “I deserve everything that happens to me, and it was predestined for me by Allah the Great so that I would give up my greed. Everything that I endure comes from greed, because I have a lot of money.”

“And I returned to reason,” said Sinbad, “and said: “On this journey, I repent to the great Allah with sincere repentance and will not travel and in my life I will not mention travel in my tongue or in my mind.” And I did not stop begging the great Allah and crying, remembering in what peace, joy, pleasure, delight and fun I lived. And I spent the first day and the second in this way, and finally I got out to a large island, where there were many trees and canals, and I began to eat fruits from these trees and drank water from the canals until I revived and my soul returned to me. , and my determination strengthened, and my chest expanded.

And then I walked along the island and saw at the opposite end of it a large stream of fresh water, but the current of this stream was strong. And I remembered the boat on which I was riding before, and said to myself: “I will certainly make myself the same boat, maybe I will be saved from this matter. If I am saved, what I want has been achieved, and I will repent before the great Allah and will not travel, and if I die, my heart will rest from fatigue and labor.” And then I got up and began to collect branches of trees of expensive sandalwood, the like of which cannot be found (and I did not know what it was); and, having collected these branches, I got hold of branches and grass that grew on the island, and, twisting them like ropes, tied my boat with them and said to myself: “If I am saved, it will be from Allah!”

And I got into the boat and rode along the canal and reached the other end of the island, and then I moved away from it and, leaving the island, sailed the first day and the second day and the third day. And I still lay there and did not eat anything during this time, but when I was thirsty, I drank from the stream; and I became like a stupefied chicken due to great fatigue, hunger and fear. And the boat sailed with me to a high mountain, under which a river flowed; and, seeing this, “I was afraid that it would be the same as the last time, on the previous river, and I wanted to stop the boat and get out of it onto the mountain, but the water overpowered me and pulled the boat, and the boat went downhill, and, seeing This, I was convinced that I would die, and exclaimed: “There is no power and strength like Allah, the high, the great!” And the boat went a short distance and came out to a spacious place; and suddenly I see: in front of me is a large river, and the water is making noise, emitting a roar like the roar of thunder, and rushing like the wind. And I grabbed the boat with my hands, afraid that I would fall out of it, and the waves played with me, throwing me right and left in the middle of this river; and the boat went down with the flow of water along the river, and I could not hold it back and was not able to direct it towards land, and finally the boat stopped with me near a city of great appearance, with beautiful buildings, in which there were many people. And when the people saw me going down in a boat in the middle of the river, they threw a net and ropes into my boat and pulled the boat onto land, and I fell among them as if dead, from severe hunger, insomnia and fear.

And a man, old in years, a great sheikh, came out to meet me from the crowd and said to me: “Welcome!” - and threw on me many beautiful clothes with which I covered my shame; and then this man took me and went with me and took me to the bathhouse; he brought me a reviving drink and beautiful incense. And when we left the bathhouse, he took me to his house and brought me there, and the inhabitants of his house rejoiced at me, and he sat me in a place of honor and prepared sumptuous dishes for me, and I ate until I was satisfied, and glorified the great Allah for your salvation.

And after that his servants brought me hot water, and I washed my hands, and the slave girls brought silk towels, and I dried my hands and wiped my mouth; and then the sheikh at that same hour got up and gave me a separate, secluded room in his house and ordered the servants and slaves to serve me and fulfill all my desires and deeds, and the servants began to take care of me.

And I lived in this way with this man, in the house of hospitality, for three days, and ate well, and drank well, and smelled wonderful smells, and my soul returned to me, and my fear subsided, and my heart calmed down, and I rested my soul. And when the fourth day came, the sheikh came to me and said: “You have made us happy, O my child! Glory to Allah for your salvation! Do you want to come with me to the river bank and go down to the market? You will sell your goods and receive money, and maybe you will buy something with it that you will trade.”

And I was silent for a while and thought to myself: “Where did I get the goods and what is the reason for these words?” And the sheikh continued: “Oh my child, don’t be sad and don’t think, let’s go to the market; and if we see that someone gives you a price for your goods that you agree to, I will take them for you, and if the goods do not bring anything that would please you, I will put them in my storerooms until until the days of buying and selling come.” And I thought about my business and said to my mind: “Obey him, to see what kind of goods it will be”; and then said: “I hear and obey, O my uncle Sheikh! What you do is blessed, and it is impossible to contradict you in anything.”

And then I went with him to the market and saw that he had dismantled the boat on which I had come (and the boat was made of sandalwood), and sent a barker to shout about it...”

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred sixty-fifth night

When the five hundred and sixty-fifth night came, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that Sinbad the sailor came with the sheikh to the river bank and saw that the sandalwood boat on which he arrived was already untied, and saw the mediator who was trying to sell the tree.

“And the merchants came,” said Sinbad, “and opened the price gates, and they increased the price for the boat until it reached a thousand dinars, and then the merchants stopped adding, and the sheikh turned to me and said: “Listen, oh my child, this is the price of your goods on days like these. Will you sell it for this price, or will you wait and I will put it in my storerooms until the time comes for its price to increase and we will sell it?” “O lord, the command belongs to you, do what you want,” I answered; and the old man said: “O my child, will you sell me this tree with a premium of one hundred dinars in gold over and above what the merchants gave for it?” “Yes,” I answered, “I will sell you this product,” and I received money for it. And then the elder ordered his servants to carry the tree to their storerooms, and I returned with it to his house. And we sat down, and the elder counted out the entire payment for the tree and ordered me to bring wallets and put the money there and locked them with an iron lock, the key to which he gave me.

And after a few days and nights the elder said to me: “O my child, I will offer you something and I want you to listen to me on this.” - “What kind of business will this be?” - I asked him. And the sheikh replied: “Know that I have become old in years and I do not have a male child, but I have a young daughter, beautiful in appearance, the owner of a lot of money and beauty, and I want to marry her to you so that you stay with her.” in our country; and subsequently I will give you possession of everything that I have and everything that my hands hold. I have become old, and you will take my place.” And I remained silent and did not say anything, and the elder said: “Listen to me, oh my child, in what I tell you, because I wish you well. If you listen to me, I will marry you to my daughter, and you will become like my son, and everything that is in my hands and belongs to me will be yours, and if you want to trade and go to your country, no one will interfere with you , and now your money is at your fingertips. Do as you wish and choose.” “I swear by Allah, O my uncle Sheikh, you became like my father, and I experienced many horrors, and I had no opinion or knowledge left! - I answered. “The command of everything you want belongs to you.” And then the sheikh ordered his servants to bring the judge and witnesses, and they were brought, and he married me to his daughter, and made for us a magnificent feast and a great celebration. And he brought me to his daughter, and I saw that she was extremely charming and beautiful and slender in figure, and she was wearing many different ornaments, clothes, expensive metals, headdresses, necklaces and precious stones, the cost of which was many thousands of thousands of gold, and no one can give their price. And when I went to this girl, I liked her, and love arose between us, and I lived for some time in the greatest joy and fun.

And the girl’s father reposed to the mercy of the great Allah, and we gave him ceremonies and buried him, and I laid my hand on everything that he had, and all his servants became mine! servants under my hand who served me. And the merchants appointed me in his place, and he was their foreman, and not one of them acquired anything without his knowledge and permission, since he was their sheikh, - and I found myself in his place. And when I began to communicate with the inhabitants of this city, I saw that their appearance changes every month, and they have wings on which they fly up to the clouds of heaven, and only children and women remain to live in this city; and I said to myself: “When the beginning of the month comes, I will ask one of them, and maybe they will take me to where they themselves are going.”

And when the beginning of the month came, the color of the inhabitants of this city changed, and their appearance became different, and I came to one of them and said: “I adjure you by Allah, take me away with you, and I will look and return with you.” “This is an impossible thing,” he answered. But I did not cease to persuade him until he did me this favor, and I met the man and grabbed hold of him, and he flew through the air with me, and I did not inform any of my household, servants or friends about it.

And this man flew with me, and I sat on his shoulders until he rose high into the air with me, and I heard the praise of the angels in the dome of the sky and marveled at this and exclaimed: “Praise be to Allah, glory be to Allah!”

And before I finished singing the praises, fire came down from heaven and almost burned these people. And they all went down and threw me onto a high mountain, being extremely angry with me, and flew away and left me, and I was left alone on this mountain and began to reproach myself for what I had done, and exclaimed: “There is no power and strength.” except with Allah, the high, the great! Every time I get out of trouble, I find myself in worse trouble.”

And I remained on this mountain, not knowing where to go; and suddenly two young men, like moons, passed by me, and in the hand of each of them was a golden cane on which they leaned. And I approached them and greeted them, and they returned my greeting, and then I said to them:

“I adjure you by Allah, who are you and what is your business?”

And they answered me: “We are from the servants of the great Allah,” and they gave me a cane made of red gold that was with them, and they went their way, leaving me. And I remained standing on the top of the mountain, leaning on my staff, and thought about the business of these young men.

And suddenly a snake crawled out from under the mountain, holding a man in its mouth, whom it swallowed up to the navel, and he shouted: “Whoever frees me, Allah will free him from all trouble!”

And I went up to this snake and hit it on the head with a golden cane, and it threw this man out of its mouth..."

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred sixty-sixth night

When the five hundred and sixty-sixth night arrived, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that Sinbad the Sailor struck the snake with the golden cane that he had in his hands, and the snake threw the man out of its mouth.

“And the man came up to me,” said Sinbad, “and said: “Since my salvation from this snake was accomplished by your hands, I will no longer part with you, and you will be my comrade on this mountain.” - "Welcome!" - I answered him; and we walked along the mountain. And suddenly some people came up to us, and I looked at them and saw the man who carried me on his shoulders and flew with me.

And I went up to him and began to make excuses and persuade him and said: “Oh my friend, this is not how friends act with friends!” And this man answered me: “It was you who destroyed us, glorifying Allah on my back!” “Don’t charge me,” I said, “I didn’t know this, but now I will never say it.”

And this man agreed to take me with him, but set a condition for me that I would not remember Allah and glorify him on his back. And he carried me and flew with me, as the first time, and brought me to my home; and my wife came out to meet me and greeted me and congratulated me on my salvation and said: “Beware of going out with these people in the future and do not make friends with them: they are brothers of the devils and do not know how to remember Allah the great.” - “Why did your father live with them?” - I asked; and she said: “My father was not one of them and did not act as they did; and, in my opinion, since my father died, sell everything that we have, and take the goods with the proceeds and then go to your country, to your relatives, and I will go with you: I do not need to sit in this city after death mother and father."

And I began to sell this sheikh’s things one after another, waiting until someone left this city so that I could go with him; and when this was so, some people in the city wanted to leave, but could not find a ship for themselves.

And they bought logs and made themselves a large ship, and I hired it with them and gave them the full payment, and then I put my wife on the ship and put everything we had there, and we left our possessions and estates and left. .

And we rode across the sea, from island to island, moving from sea to sea, and the wind was good throughout the journey, until we arrived safely at the city of Basra. But I did not stay there, but hired another ship and carried everything that was with me there, and went to the city of Baghdad, and went to my quarter, and came to my home, and met my relatives, friends and loved ones. I put all the goods that were with me into storerooms; and my relatives calculated how long I was away on my seventh journey, and it turned out that twenty-seven years had passed, so they stopped hoping for my return. And when I returned and told them about all my affairs and what happened to me, everyone was very surprised at this and congratulated me on my salvation, and I repented before Allah the Great to travel by land and sea after this seventh journey, which put an end to travel, and it stopped my passion. And I thanked Allah (glory and greatness to him!) and glorified and praised him for returning me to my relatives in my country and homeland. Look, O Sinbad, O land-man, what happened to me, and what befell me, and what my deeds were!”

And Sinbad the landman said to Sinbad the seafarer: “I conjure you by Allah, do not punish me for what I did to you!” And they lived in friendship and love and great fun, joy and pleasure, until the Destroyer of pleasures and the Destroyer of gatherings came to them, who destroys palaces and endows graves, that is, death... May there be glory to the living who does not die!

It also came to my attention that in ancient times and past centuries and years there was a king from the caliphs in Damascus in Syria, named Abd-al-Melik ibn Mervai. And he was sitting one day, and he had with him the nobles of his kingdom from among the kings and sultans, and they began to talk about the traditions of former peoples and remembered the stories about our lord Suleiman, the son of Daud (peace be upon them both) and about what was given to him Allah has great power and authority over people and jinn and birds and animals and other creatures, and they said: “We have heard from those who were before us that Allah

(glory to him and greatness!) He did not give to anyone what he gave to our lord Suleiman, and that Suleiman achieved what no one had achieved: he even imprisoned the genies, marids and shaitans in jugs of copper, which he filled with lead and sealed with its stamp..."

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred sixty-seventh night

When the five hundred and sixty-seventh night came, she said: “It came to me, O happy king, that the Caliph Abd-al-Melik ibn Mervaya talked with his assistants and nobles of his kingdom, and they remembered our lord Suleiman and the power granted to him by Allah , and someone said that he had achieved something that no one had achieved before him: he even imprisoned the marids and shaitans in copper jugs and filled them with lead and sealed them with his seal.

And Talib ibn Sahl said that a certain man was traveling on a ship along with a crowd of people, and they went down to the countries of India and rode without ceasing until the wind rose against them. And this wind directed them to one land from the lands of Allah the Great, and it was in the darkness of the night. And when the day began to shine, people came out to them from the caves in this land, black in color with naked bodies, like animals and who did not understand speech. And they had a king of their own breed, and none of them knew Arabic except their king. And when they saw the ship and those who were on it, the king came out to them in the crowd of his entourage and greeted them and said to them: “Welcome!” - and asked them what faith they were, and the travelers told him about themselves, and the king said: “No harm will happen to you!” And when they asked them about their faith, each of them professed one of the religions that existed before the advent of Islam and before the embassy of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him!), and those traveling on the ship said: “We do not know what you you say, and we don’t know anything about the pen.”

And then the king said to them: “None of the sons of Adam came to us before you,” and then he treated them to the meat of birds and animals and fish, and they had no other food except this. And then the people who were on the ship went for a walk around this city, and they saw that one fisherman had lowered his net into the sea to catch fish, and pulled it out, and suddenly there was a jug made of earth in it, filled with lead and sealed with the seal of Suleiman, son of Daud (peace be upon them both!). And the fisherman took out the jug and broke it, and blue smoke began to come out from there, which reached the clouds of heaven, and a terrifying voice was heard saying: “Forgiveness, forgiveness, O Prophet Allah!” And this smoke turned into a creature of a terrible appearance and frightening appearance, whose head reached the top of the mountain, and then it disappeared from sight. As for those traveling on the ship, their hearts almost lost their lives, but the blacks didn’t even think about it. And one man returned to the king and asked him about this, and the king said: “Know that this is one of the genies whom Suleiman ibn Daoud, when he was angry with them, imprisoned them in such jugs and filled them with lead and threw them into the sea, and when the fisherman casts his net, he mostly pulls out such jugs, and if they are broken, gin comes out of them. And the thought appears to him that Suleiman is alive, and he repents and says: “Forgiveness, O prophet of Allah!”

And the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Melik ibn Merwan, marveled at such speeches and exclaimed: “Praise be to Allah! Great power has been granted to Suleiman!”

And among those who were present at this meeting was an-Nabiga al-Zubyani, and he said: “Talib spoke the truth in what he said, and the words of the First Sage indicate this:

But Suleiman, when his god said to him:

“Rise up and be caliph and rule with zeal!

And those who are subdued, you are almost for their obedience,

And those who rejected you, you will imprison forever."

And he put them in copper jugs and threw them into the sea." And the Commander of the Faithful found these speeches beautiful and exclaimed: “I swear by Allah, truly, I want to see one of these jugs!” And then Talib ibn Sahl said to him: “O Commander of the Faithful, you can do this while remaining in your country. Send an order to your brother Abd al-Aziz ibn Merwan so that he can deliver them to you from the land of the west. Let him write to Musa so that he goes to the countries of the west, to the mountain that we mentioned, and brings you the jugs that you require. The farthest end of his country adjoins this mountain.”

And the Commander of the Faithful approved his opinion and said: “O Talib, you were right in what you said, and I want you to be my ambassador to Musa ibn Nasr with this matter. You will have a white banner and whatever wealth and honor you want, etc., and I will be your successor for your family.” “With love and pleasure, O Commander of the Faithful,” replied Talib. And the caliph said: “Go, with the blessing of Allah the great and with his help!”

And then he ordered that a letter be written to his brother Abd al-Aziz, the governor in Egypt, and another letter to Musa, his governor in the countries of the West, with the order that Musa go personally to look for Suleiman's jugs and leave his son as ruler in the country and so that he takes guides with him and spends money and recruits more people, and let him not allow delay in this and not excuse himself with arguments. And the Caliph sealed both letters and gave them to Talib ibn Sahl and told him to hurry. And he placed banners over his head and gave him money and people, horse and foot, so that they would be his assistants on his journey, and ordered that everything that was needed be assigned to the maintenance of his house.

And Talib set out, heading to Egypt..."

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred sixty-eighth night

When the five hundred and sixty-eighth night arrived, she said: “It has come to my attention, O happy king, that Khalib ibn Sahl and his companions set out from Syria, crossing countries, and entered Egypt. And the emir of Egypt met Talib and settled him and showed him the greatest respect while he stayed with him, and then he sent a guide with him to Upper Egypt, and they arrived at the emir Musa ibn Nasr. And, having learned about this, the emir came out to him and met him and rejoiced at him, and Talib gave him the letter, and Musa took it and read it and understood its meaning and put the letter on his head and said: “I listen and obey the Commander of the Faithful.”

And then their opinion came together to call the nobles of his kingdom, and when they appeared, Musa began to question them about what he saw in the letter. And the nobles said: “O emir, if you want someone to guide you on the road to this place, then call Sheikh Abd-as-Samad ibn Abd-al-Qaddus as-Samudi; he is a knowledgeable man, and he has traveled a lot and is knowledgeable about deserts, steppes and seas and their inhabitants and wonders and about lands and countries. Call him to you, he will guide you to what you want.”

And the emir ordered Abd-as-Samad to be called, and he appeared before him, and it turned out that he was a very old man, decrepit from the change of years and years. And Emir Musa greeted him and said to him: “O Sheikh Abd-as-Samad, our lord, the ruler of the faithful Abd-al-Melik ibn Mervaya, told us this and that, and I know little about this land. They told me that you know these countries and roads.

Do you have a desire to carry out the order of the Commander of the Faithful? “And the elder said: “Know, O Emir, that this is a steep road, far away for absence, where there are few beaten paths.” And the emir asked: “What is the distance there?” “The distance is two years and several months there and the same amount back,” answered the elder, “and on this road there are disasters, horrors, wonders and miracles. And you are a man fighting the infidels, and our countries are close to the enemy; Maybe the Christians will come out in your absence, and you should leave someone in the kingdom to rule it.” And Musa replied: “Okay!” And he left his son Harun in his place in his kingdom, and swore the soldiers to him and ordered them not to contradict, but, on the contrary, to obey their son in everything that he commanded them.

And the warriors listened to his words and obeyed him, and his son Harun was a man of great rage, a valiant leader and an undaunted brave man.

And Sheikh Abd-as-Samad explained to the emir that to the place where what the Commander of the Faithful needs is four months' journey, and it is located on the seashore, and there are watering holes everywhere, which are adjacent to each other, and there are grass and streams. “Allah will make this easier for us out of His goodness, O Deputy of the Commander of the Faithful,” he said. And Emir Musa asked him: “Do you know that any of the kings entered this land before us?” “Yes, O Commander of the Faithful,” answered the sheikh, this land belonged to the king of Iskandaria, Daran the Rumiy.”

And then they set off and walked until they reached one palace, and the sheikh said: “Let us go to this palace, in which there is edification for all who learn.” And Emir Musa approached the palace along with Sheikh Abd-as-Samad and his especially close companions, and they reached the gates of the palace and saw that the gates were open. And at the gate there were high columns and steps, two of which were especially wide, and they were made of multi-colored marble, the likes of which had never been seen, and the ceilings and walls were painted with gold, silver and precious alloys. And on the gate there was a board on which something was written in Greek, and Sheikh Abd-as-Samad asked: “Shall I read this, O emir?” - “Come and read, may Allah bless you! We have been blessed with goodness on this journey only because of your goodness!” - Emir Musa answered. And the sheikh read the inscription, and suddenly it turned out to be these verses:

“...And those people - that after their deeds

They mourned and abandoned their power.

But the palace - he will give the last news

About those kings who are all gathered in the earth.

The evil death destroyed them, separating them,

In the dust everything that was collected perished.

And it seems that they threw away the luggage

For rest, but quickly moved again."

And Emir Musa cried until he was covered with unconsciousness, and exclaimed: “There is no god but Allah, the living, existing without ceasing!” - and then he entered the palace and was taken aback, seeing how beautiful and well built it was. And he looked at the images and paintings that were there and suddenly saw poems written on other doors. “Come, O Sheikh, and read them,” said Emir Musa, and the Sheikh came and read, and the verses were as follows:

“How many of them lived under the vaults

In the past centuries and years, and everything is gone!

Look what they did to others

The vicissitudes when troubles struck them down.

They shared everything that they collected for themselves,

But, having abandoned all joy, they left.

How they were dressed and how they ate!

And now a worm eats them in the grave.”

And Emir Musa wept bitterly, and the world turned yellow before his eyes, and he exclaimed: “Truly, we were created for a great cause!” And they examined the palace and saw that it was free of inhabitants and devoid of people and inhabitants, and its courtyards were deserted, and its rooms were deserted, and in the middle of it stood a tall building with a dome going up, around which there were four hundred graves. And Emir Musa approached these graves and saw among them a grave built of marble, on which the following verses were carved:

“How often have I hesitated, how often have I rushed about,

How many different people I have seen!

How much I ate and how much I drank,

How many singers I have heard in my life!

How many prohibitions, how many orders

I gave, and how many palaces are impregnable

I put it under siege, then searched it,

And I kidnapped many singers from there.

But, fool, I have crossed the limit,

Trying to achieve something that doesn't last forever.

Be numbered, O husband, with your soul

Before I drink the cup of death to you!

After all, they will soon be covered with grave soil

You, and you will lose your life forever."

And Emir Musa and those who were with him wept, and then he approached the building, and it turned out that it had eight doors of sandalwood with golden nails, and they were strewn with silver stars and decorated with noble metals and various precious stones, and on The following verses were written on the first doors:

“What I left was not given with generosity,

But fate and fate are governed by the law of people.

After all, for a long time I knew joy and for a long time I was blissful,

Keeping what is reserved like a bloodthirsty lion.

He knew no rest and did not give a grain

Out of greed, even if I were thrown into the fire,

Until predestined fate struck me down

It was sent down to me by God, the creator and creator.

And if I am destined to die soon,

I am unable to reflect it with abundance.

The warriors I recruited are of no use,

Neither my friend nor my neighbors will help me then.

All my life I was tired, walking my way,

Under the shadow of destruction, both in easy and difficult ways.

She will return to another before dawn,

The porter and the gravedigger will come to you when.

During the parade you will see Allah alone,

Under the burden of your sins, atrocities and misdeeds,

So don’t let life deceive you with its luxury

It depends on what she does with her family and neighbor.”

And when Emir Musa heard these verses, he cried a bitter cry, so that he was covered with unconsciousness, and when he came to, he entered under the dome and saw there a long grave, terrifying in appearance, and on it a board made of Chinese iron. And Sheikh Abd-as-Samad approached this board and began to read, and suddenly he saw it written on it: “In the name of Allah, eternal, endless, without end! In the name of Allah, who does not give birth and is not begotten, and no one is equal to him! In the name of Allah, the owner of greatness and power!

In the name of the living who does not die!..”

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred sixty-ninth night

When the five hundred and sixty-ninth night came, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that Sheikh Abd-as-Samad read what we mentioned, and saw that after that it was written on the board: “And after the doxology: Oh, having reached these places, learn from seeing the vicissitudes of time and the blows of chance, and do not allow yourself to be deceived by life with its luxury, lies, slander, deceit and decorations; she is flattering, cunning, and deceptive, and everything that is in her is borrowed. She takes away what is occupied from the borrower, and she is like the wisps of visions of a sleeper and the dreams of a dreamer, and she is like a haze in the plain, which a thirsty person considers to be water. Shaitan decorates it for a person until his death. These are the properties of earthly life; do not trust her and do not have an inclination towards her: she deceives those who rely on her and rely on her in their affairs. Do not fall into her snare and cling to her hem. I possessed four thousand red horses and a palace and married a thousand girls from the daughters of the king, full-breasted maidens like the moon, and left me a thousand sons like gloomy lions, and I lived my life for a thousand years, tender in mind and heart, and collected money to get who are the powerless kings of the earth, and I thought that happiness would last endlessly, but before I had time to wake up, the Destroyer of pleasures and the Destroyer of gatherings descended upon us, devastating homes and destroying inhabited houses, destroying large and small, children, sons and mothers. And we lived in this palace calmly until the verdict of the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth struck us, and the cry of obvious truth struck us, and two of us began to die every day, until a great multitude of us perished. And when I saw that death had entered our houses and settled with us and drowned us in the sea of ​​destruction, I called a scribe and ordered him to write these verses and edifications and exhortations and wrote them out, with a compass, on these gates, boards and graves. And I had an army of a thousand thousand reins and strong men with spears and chain mail, iron swords and strong arms, and I ordered them to put on flowing chain mail, and tie cutting swords, and attach terrifying spears, and mount hot horses, and when I struck the verdict of the lords of the worlds, the lords of the earth and the heavens, I said to them: “O people, warriors and soldiers, can you repel what has come down to me from the conquering king?” And the warriors and soldiers did not have the strength for this, and they said they: “How will we fight with someone who is not blocked by a barrier, with the owner of a gate that has no gatekeeper?” And I said: “Bring me the money!” “(And there were a thousand wells of them, in each well there were a thousand quintars of red gold, and there were various pearls and jewelry and the same amount of white silver and treasures, which the kings of the earth are powerless to collect). And they did this, and when the money was brought to me, I asked: “Can you save me with all this money and buy me one day with it that I will live?” And they could not do this and submitted to fate and predestination, and I was patient, for the sake of Allah, to judgment and trial, until Allah took my soul and placed me in a tomb. And if you ask about my name, then I am Cush, son of Sheddad, son of Ad the Elder.”

And on this road the following verses were written:

“If you remember me after many years,

The vicissitudes when they replace each other,

Then I am the son of Sheddad, the ruler of the people,

And the whole earth with every country.

Powerful troops of enemies are obedient to me,

And Sham and Misr, all the way to the land of Adnan

I was great, I humiliated their kings,

And the inhabitants of the earth were afraid of me.

I saw tribes and troops in my hands,

And I instilled fear in cities and people.

And, sitting on horseback, I could see that my soldiers

There are thousands on the backs of horses.

I owned money beyond counting,

I saved them in case of change,

And I thought that I would redeem with all my wealth

I will assign a new term to my spirit and life.

The Lord rejected everything, and he only fulfilled his will,

And now I am alone, deprived of friends and brothers,

And death, the homewrecker, came to me and carried me away

From the house of glory to the womb of humiliation.

I saw everything that I had accomplished before, and now

I am the pledge for this and I am the culprit for everything.

Take care of yourself when you are on the edge of your graves,

Beware of the path of vicissitudes."

And Emir Musa cried and was overcome with unconsciousness when he saw how these people died. And then they walked around the palace and looked at the halls and places of walking, and suddenly they saw a table on four legs made of marble, on which was written: “A thousand one-eyed kings and a thousand kings with healthy eyes ate at this table, and they all left this the world and settled in graves and tombs.” And Emir Musa wrote all this down and left, taking nothing with him from the palace except this table.

And the warriors moved, and Sheikh Abd-as-Samad walked ahead of them and showed the way, and all that day passed, and the second, and the third, and suddenly they found themselves at a high hill. And they looked at him and saw on him a horseman made of copper, and at the end of his spear there was a wide sparkling point that almost stole the eye, and on it was written: “O he who came to me, if you do not know the way, leading to the city of copper, rub the hand of this rider: he will turn and stop. Whichever direction he turns, go that way, and let there be no fear or embarrassment on you. This road will lead you to the copper city..."

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Night complementary to five hundred and seventy

When night came, completing five hundred and seventy, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that when Emir Musa rubbed the hand of the angelica, he turned, like stealing lightning, and turned in the wrong direction in which they were going. And they turned in this direction and walked, and it turned out that there was a real road there. And they followed it and walked all day and all night, and distant countries came. And one day they were walking and suddenly they saw a pillar of black stone and in it a creature that had sunk into the ground up to the armpits, and it had two large wings and four hands, two of them like the hands of people, and two like the paws of a lion, with claws . And on his head he had hair like a horse's tail, and he had two eyes like coals, and a third eye on his forehead, like the eye of a leopard, and fiery sparks sparkled in his eyes, and this creature was black and long, and it shouted: “Glory to my Lord, who judged this great trial and painful torture until the day of resurrection!”

And when the people saw him, their minds flew away, and they were dumbfounded at the sight of the appearance of this creature and turned around, taking flight, and then Emir Musa said to Sheikh Abd-as-Samad: “What is this?” “I don’t know what it is,” answered the sheikh. And the emir said to him: “Come closer to him and investigate what’s wrong with him. Maybe he’ll explain what’s wrong with him, and maybe you’ll find out what his story is.” - “May Allah guide the emir! We are afraid of him,” answered the sheikh. And the emir said: “Do not be afraid of him; what happened to him keeps him away from you and from others.”

And Sheikh Abd-as-Samad approached the creature and said to him: “O man, what is your name, what is the matter with you and who put you in this place in this form?” “As for me,” the creature answered, “I am an ifrit from the genies, and my name is Dahish, the son of al-Amash. God's majesty holds me here; and I am imprisoned by omnipotence and will be tortured as long as Allah, the great and glorious, wants it!” “O Sheikh Abd-as-Samad, ask him why he is imprisoned in this pillar,” said Emir Musa. And the sheikh asked the ifrit about this.

And he said: “My story is amazing. One of the children of Iblis had an idol made of red carnelian, and I was put in charge of it. And he was worshiped by a king from the kings of the sea, of high rank and great importance, who led a thousand thousand soldiers from the jinn, and they fought with swords before him and answered his call in times of disaster. And the jinn who obeyed him were under my authority and obeyed me, following my word when I commanded them, and they were all disobedient to Suleiman, the son of Daud (peace be upon them both!). And I went inside the idol and ordered and forbade them. And the daughter of that king loved this idol, often prostrated herself before it and indulged in worship of it, and she was the most beautiful of the people of her time, the owner of beauty, charm, brilliance and perfection. And I described her to Suleiman (peace be upon him!), and he sent to her father, telling him: “Give me your daughter in marriage, break your carnelian idol and testify that there is no god but Allah, and Suleiman is the prophet of Allah. If you do this, you will have what we will have, and what will be against us will be against you, and if you refuse, I will come to you with troops against which you will have no strength. Prepare the answer to the question and put on the vestment for death. I am coming to you with armies that will fill the desert and make you like yesterday that is past.”

And when the messenger of Suleiman (peace be upon him!) came to the king, the king became impudent and arrogant and became exalted in his soul and became proud and asked his viziers: “What do you say about the case of Suleiman, son of Daud? He sent to me, demanding my daughter, and wants me to break my carnelian idol and accept his faith.” “O great king,” answered the viziers, “can Suleiman do this to you when you are in the middle of this great sea?” If he comes to you, he will not be able to defeat you: troops of genies will fight for you, and you will call for help your idol, which you worship; he will help you against Suleiman and give you support, and it will be right if you consult your Lord about this (and they meant an idol made of red carnelian) and listen to what his answer will be. If he advises you to fight Suleiman, fight him, and if not, then no.”

And then the king went at the same hour and minute and entered his idol, first making a sacrifice and slaughtering the animals, and fell prostrate before the idol and began to cry, saying:

“Oh Lord, I know your strength,

And Suleiman wants to break you,

Oh Lord, I'm looking for your support!

Give orders - I obey orders!

And the ifrit, half of which was in the pillar, spoke to Sheikh Abd-as-Samad, and those around him listened: “And I entered the inside of the idol, out of my stupidity and little intelligence, without thinking about the case of Suleiman, and began to speak the following verses:

“As for me, I’m not afraid of Suleiman,

After all, I am aware of all matters.

If he wants war, then I go out,

And I intend to steal his spirit."

And when the king heard my answer, his heart was encouraged, and he decided to fight Suleiman, the prophet of Allah (peace be upon him!), and fight with him, and when Suleiman’s messenger came, the king beat him with a painful fight and answered him with a disgusting answer and sent to Suleiman threats, telling him through a messenger: “Your soul has inspired dreams in you! Will you threaten me with false words? Either you come to me, or I will come to you.” And the messenger returned to Suleiman and informed him of everything that happened to him and got to him.

And when the prophet of Allah Suleiman heard this, he was seized with strong anger, and determination rose in him, and he gathered his troops from the jinn, people, animals, birds and reptiles and ordered his vizier ad-Dimirint, the chest of the jinn, to gather the marid jinn from all places, and he collected six hundred thousand devils for him. And Suleiman ordered Asaph, the son of Barahiah, to gather his troops from the people, and their number was a thousand or more. And he prepared armor and weapons and sat down at the head of his troops of genies and people on the carpet, and birds flew over his head, and animals ran under the carpet, until he descended into the king’s possessions and surrounded his islands, filling the land with troops...”

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred and seventy-first night

When the five hundred and seventy-first night came, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that the ifrit said: “When the prophet of Allah Suleiman (peace be upon him!) settled down with his troops around the island, he sent to our king, telling him :

“Here I have come, reflect from yourself what has befallen you, or come into submission to me, admit that I am God’s messenger, break your idol, pray to the only one who is worshiped, give your daughter to me legally and say yourself and those who are with you: “I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Suleiman is the prophet of Allah.” If you do this, you will have mercy and prosperity, and if you refuse, the fact that you have fortified yourself on this island will not protect you from me, for Allah (blessed and exalted be he!) commanded the wind to obey me and ordered him to bring me to you on the carpet, and I will make you an edification and example for others.”

And a messenger came to our king and told him the words of the prophet of Allah Suleiman (peace be upon him!), and the king answered him: “There is no way to what he demands from me! Notify him that I am coming out to him.” And the messenger returned to Suleiman and gave him this answer. And then the king sent to the inhabitants of his land and collected a thousand thousand from the jinn who were under his rule and added others to them - the Marids and the Shaitans, who were on the sea islands and on the tops of the mountains; and equipped his troops and opened the storehouses of weapons and distributed them to them. As for the prophet of Allah Suleiman (peace be upon him!), he deployed his troops and ordered the animals to split into two parts and stand to the right of the people and to the left of them and ordered the birds to be on the islands, ordering them to gouge out people’s eyes with their beaks when attacking and hit them in the faces with his wings, and he ordered the animals to tear their horses, and everyone answered him: “Attention and obedience to Allah and to you, O prophet of Allah!”

And then Suleiman, the prophet of Allah, set up for himself a bed of marble, decorated with precious stones and lined with stripes of red gold, and placed his vizier Asaph, the son of Barakhiya, on the right side, and his vizier ad-Dimvriyat on the left side and the kings of people - from ourselves, and the kings of the jinn - from ourselves to the left, and the beasts, vipers and snakes - in front of us, and they attacked us with a single attack, and we fought with Suleiman on a wide field for two days, and trouble fell on us in the third day, and the judgment of Allah the great was fulfilled over us.

And the first who attacked Suleiman was me, at the head of my troops. And I said to my comrades: “Stay in your places, and I will go out to them and demand a fight with ad-Dimiriyat.” And suddenly he came towards me, like a great mountain, and his fires blazed, and his smoke rose upward. And he came up and threw a fiery arrow at me, and his arrow overpowered my fire, and he shouted at me with a great short cry, and it seemed to me that the sky had fallen on me, and the mountains trembled at his voice. And then he ordered his people, and they rushed at us as one man, and we rushed at them, and we began to shout at each other, and the lights went up, and the smoke rose up, and hearts almost broke, and the battle began legs, and the birds began to fight in the air, and the animals fought on the ground, and I fought with ad-Dimariyat until he weakened me and I weakened him.

And after that I weakened, and my people and warriors left me, and my squads fled, and the Prophet of Allah Suleiman shouted: “Take this great oppressor, unfortunate and vile!” - and people rushed against people, and genies against genies, and defeat fell on our king, and we became prey for Suleiman. And his troops attacked our warriors, surrounded by beasts on the right and left, and birds flew over our heads, tearing out people’s eyes with their claws or beaks, or hitting them in the face with their wings, and the beasts tore horses and tormented people until most of them died. turned out to be on the ground, and they were like palm trunks. As for me, I flew in front of ad-Dimiriyat, and he pursued me at a distance of three months’ journey until he caught up with me, and I fell, as you can see...”

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred and seventy-second night

When the five hundred and seventy-second night came, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that the genie who was in the flask told his story from the beginning until he was imprisoned in the pillar. And they asked him: “Where is the road leading to the city of copper?” And he showed the way to the city, and it turned out that between them and the city there were twenty-five gates, but not one of them was visible, and no trace of them could be found, and in appearance they were like a piece of a mountain or an iron poured into a mold. And the people dismounted, and Emir Musa and Sheikh Abd-Samad got off their horses, and they began to try to find a gate in the city or discover the way there, but they did not achieve it.

And then Emir Musa said: “O Talib, what is the trick to enter this city? We must certainly find out where the gate is in order to enter it.” - “May Allah guide the emir! - Talib exclaimed. “Let the emir rest for two or three days, and if Allah the Great wants, we will come up with a trick to penetrate this city and enter there.” And then Emir Musa ordered one of his servants to mount camels and ride around the city: maybe he would find the trace of the gate or the location of the palace in the place where they stopped, and one of the Emir's servants sat down and rode around the city for two days with at night, accelerating and not resting, and when the third day came, he approached his comrades, dumbfounded by the fact that he saw how long and high the walls were, and said: “O emir, the easiest place is the place where you you are."

And Emir Musa took with him Talib ibn Sahl Sheikh Abd-as-Samad, and they climbed the mountain opposite the city, which towered above him, and, having climbed this mountain, they saw a city larger than which the eyes had never seen.

Its palaces were high, and the domes in it soared up, and the houses were well built, and the rivers flowed, and the trees were fruitful, and the gardens bloomed, and it was a city with strong gates, empty, extinct, where there was no noise or person. Everywhere in it owls whistled, and birds reigned over its courtyards, and crows cawing in the city streets and squares, crying for those who were there.

And Emir Musa stopped, grieving that the city was devoid of inhabitants and had no inhabitants and population, and exclaimed: “Glory to the one who is not betrayed by fate and time, who creates creatures according to his power!”

And when he praised Allah (great and glorious is he!), he suddenly glanced in some direction and saw seven boards of white marble that glittered from afar. And he approached them, and it turned out that they were cut up and covered with inscriptions. And then the emir ordered to read what was written on them, and Sheikh Abd-as-Samad came up and peered at the inscriptions and read them, and it turned out that these were admonitions and edifications and warnings for those who have insight. And on the first board was written in Greek handwriting: “O son of Adam, how careless are you of what is before you! Summer and years have distracted you from this, but don’t you know that the cup of destruction is full for you and soon you will swallow it? Look after yourself before you enter the grave. Where are those who reigned over the lands and humiliated slaves and led armies? I swear by Allah, the Destroyer of pleasures and the Separator of gatherings, the Destroyer of inhabited dwellings, struck them down, and carried them from the vastness of palaces to the ravines of graves.”

And at the bottom of the board it was written:

“Where are the kings now and what they built in the world,

They abandoned what they built on the earth.

In the grave they lie as a pledge for their work,

And they smolder in the ground, ingloriously dead.

Where is the army that cannot defend, is powerless?

Where is what has been accumulated and gathered on earth?

A swift command came to them from their lord

Wealth will not save them; they have no support in anything.”

And Emir Musa became unconscious, and tears flowed down his cheeks, and he exclaimed: “I swear by Allah, truly, in refusing the blessings of the world, the extreme degree of God will support the limit of righteousness!” And he ordered to bring an inkwell and paper and wrote down what was on the first board, and then he went to the second board, and suddenly it turned out that it was written on it: “O son of Adam, let not the eternal originlessness seduce you and force you forget about the deadline! Don’t you know that this world is an abode of destruction and no one can stay in it forever, but you look at it and indulge in its pleasures. Where are the kings who inhabited Iraq and reigned over the horizons, where are those who inhabited Isfahan and the lands of Khorasan? The messenger of destruction called them and they answered him, and the messenger of destruction called to them, and they exclaimed: “We are here!” What they built and erected did not help them, and what they gathered and prepared did not protect them.”

“Where are now those who built and erected

These upper rooms, which have no like?

They gathered warriors and soldiers, afraid to taste

Humiliation from their master, and they humiliated themselves.

Where are the Khosroes now, whose fortresses are so impregnable?

They left the world as if they never existed."

And Emir Musa cried and exclaimed: “I swear by Allah, we were created for a great cause!” - and then he wrote down what was on the board and approached the third board...”

And the morning overtook Shahrazad, and she stopped her permitted speech.

Five hundred seventy-third night

When the five hundred and seventy-third night came, she said: “It has come to me, O happy king, that Emir Musa approached the third board and saw what was written there: “O son of Adam, you indulge in love for this world and neglect the command of your Lord ! Every day of your life passes, and you are satisfied and content with it. Prepare a supply for the day of return and prepare to give an answer between the hands of the master of slaves!”

And at the bottom of the board the following verses were written:

“Where is now the one who once built up all the lands,

And Sind and Hind, and was the enemy-oppressor?

The Abyssinians, the Zijs, were obedient to his words,

And the Nubians too, he was proud and arrogant.

Don’t wait for news about what’s in the grave with him:

You won't find a messenger about this!

He was struck by the disastrous vicissitudes of death,

The palace that was built for him did not save him.”

And Emir Musa began to weep loudly, and then he approached the fourth board and saw that it was written on it: “O son of Adam, how long will your lord grant you respite when you are immersed in a sea of ​​entertainment? The good of every day is yours until you die. O son of Adam, do not let the days and nights and hours of entertainment deceive you with their carelessness! Know that death lies in wait for you and climbs onto your shoulders; not a day goes by without her greeting you in the morning and wishing you good evening; Beware of her attack and prepare for it. It’s as if I see you when you ruined your life and exhausted the pleasures of existence; listen to my words and rely on the lord of lords! Earthly life has no stability, and it is like the home of a spider.”

And at the bottom of the board he saw these verses:

“Where is the builder of the heights of the earth, who raised them,

And built a series of strong walls and raised them up?

Where are the people who lived in the fortress before?

They left like travelers who parted.

And they lie in the ground as a pledge until the minute,

When the secrets of the heart will be tested.

Our Lord alone will be eternal (great is he!)

And all graces are inherent in him forever."

And Emir Musa cried and wrote it all down and came down from the mountain, and earthly life appeared before his eyes.

And when he came to his soldiers, they spent that day coming up with a trick to enter the city, and Emir Musa said to his vizier Talib ibn Sahl and the entourage surrounding him: “What trick will be so that we can enter this city and look at his curiosities? Perhaps we will find something in him that will bring us closer to the desire of the Commander of the Faithful? And Talib ibn Sahl said: “May Allah make the Emir’s blessings eternal! We will build a ladder and climb up it; maybe we can reach the gate from the inside.” - “This occurred to me, and such an opinion is wonderful!” - Emir Musa answered.

And then he called carpenters and blacksmiths and ordered them to level the logs and make a ladder covered with iron plates. And they made it, and made it properly, and sat at work for a whole month, and the people gathered around the ladder and set it up and pushed it close to the wall, and it fit just level with it, as if it had been made for this purpose before. And Emir Musa was surprised and exclaimed: “May Allah bless you! It was like you were trying it on the wall, you did it so well!” And then Emir Musa

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An interesting and funny story about the adventures of children who dreamed of great travels. A story for primary school and middle school age children.

Great travelers.

But Styopka, the owner’s son, with whose parents we lived at the dacha, explained to me what the Earth is. He said:

- The earth is a circle. And if you go straight, you can go around the entire Earth and still end up in the very place you came from.

And when I didn’t believe it, Styopka hit me on the back of the head and said:

“I’d rather go on a trip around the world with your sister Lelya than take you.” I have no interest in traveling with fools.

But I wanted to travel, and I gave Styopka a penknife. Styopka liked my knife and agreed to take me on a trip around the world.

Styopka organized a general meeting of travelers in the garden. And there he told me and Lelya:

- Tomorrow, when your parents leave for the city, and my mother goes to the river to wash clothes, we will do what we have planned. We will go straight and straight, crossing mountains and deserts. And we will go straight until we come back here, even if it took us a whole year.

Lelya said:

- What if, Styopochka, we meet Indians?

“As for the Indians,” answered Styopa, “we will take the Indian tribes prisoner.”

- And those who don’t want to go into captivity? - I asked timidly.

“Those who don’t want to,” answered Styopa, “we won’t take them prisoner.”

Lelya asked:

- Will three rubles be enough for this trip? I'll take it from my piggy bank.

Styopka said:

“Three rubles will certainly be enough for us for this trip, because we will only need money to buy seeds and sweets.” As for food, we will kill various small animals along the way and fry their tender meat over a fire.

Styopka ran to the barn and brought back a bag of flour. And in this bag we

put bread and sugar. Then they put in various utensils: plates, glasses, forks and knives. Then, after thinking, they put in a magic lantern, colored pencils, a clay washstand and a magnifying glass for lighting fires. And besides, they stuffed two blankets and a pillow from the ottoman into the bag.

In addition, I prepared three slingshots, a fishing rod and a net for catching tropical butterflies.

And the next day, when our parents left for the city, and Styopka’s mother went to the river to rinse clothes, we left our village of Peski.

We followed the road through the forest. Styopka’s dog Tuzik ran ahead. Styopka walked behind her with a huge bag on his head. Lelya followed Styopka with a skipping rope. And I followed Lelya, with three slingshots, a net and a fishing rod.

We walked for about an hour.

Finally Styopa said:

— The bag is devilishly heavy. And I won’t carry it alone. Let everyone take turns carrying this bag.

Then Lelya took this bag and carried it.

But she didn’t carry it for long because she was exhausted.

She threw the bag on the ground and said:

- Now let Minka carry it!

When they put this bag on me, I gasped in surprise: this bag was so heavy.

But I was even more surprised when I walked along the road with this bag. I was bent to the ground, and like a pendulum, I swung from side to side. Until finally, after walking ten steps, he fell into a ditch with this bag.

And first the bag fell into the ditch, and then I fell on the bag. And although I was light, I nevertheless managed to crush all the glasses, almost all the plates and the clay washstand.

We sadly pulled the shards out of the bag. And Styopka hit me on the back of the head and said that people like me should stay at home and not go on a trip around the world.

Then Styopka whistled for the dog and wanted to adapt it to carry weights. But nothing came of it, because Tuzik did not understand what we wanted from him.

Moreover, we ourselves didn’t really understand how we could adapt Tuzik to this.

Then Styopka ordered us all to carry this bag together.

Grabbing the corners, we carried the bag. But it was awkward and difficult to carry. Nevertheless, we walked for another two hours. And finally they came out of the forest onto the lawn.

Here Styopka decided to take a break. He said:

“Whenever we rest or when we go to bed, I will stretch my legs in the direction in which we need to go.” All great travelers did this and thanks to this they did not stray from their straight path.

And Styopka sat down by the road and stretched his legs forward.

We untied the bag and started snacking.

We ate bread sprinkled with granulated sugar.

Suddenly, wasps began to circle above us. And one of them, wanting to taste my sugar, stung me on the cheek.

This made my cheek swell up like a pie. And I wanted to return home. But Styopka didn’t let me think about it. He said:

“I will tie anyone who wants to return home to a tree and leave it to be eaten by the ants.”

I walked behind everyone, whining and whining. My cheek burned and ached.

Lelya was also not happy about the trip. She sighed and dreamed of returning home.

We continued walking in a bad mood.

And only Tuzik was in a wow mood. With his tail raised, he chased the birds and with his barking brought unnecessary noise into our journey.

Finally it began to get dark. Styopka threw the bag on the ground. And we decided to spend the night here.

We collected brushwood for the fire. And Styopka took a magnifying glass out of the bag to light a fire.

But, not finding the sun in the sky, Styopka became depressed. We were upset too. And, having eaten bread, they lay down in the dark.

Styopka solemnly lay down feet first, saying that in the morning it would be clear to us which way to go.

Styopka immediately began snoring. And Tuzik also began to sniffle. But Lelya and I couldn’t sleep for a long time. The dark forest and the noise of the trees scared us.

Lyolya suddenly mistook a dry branch under her head for a snake and screamed in horror.

And a falling cone from a tree scared me so much that I jumped on the ground like a ball.

Finally we dozed off.

I woke up because Lelya was tugging at my shoulders. It was an early morning. And the sun hasn't risen yet.

Lelya whispered to me:

- Minka, while Styopka is sleeping, let’s turn his legs in the opposite direction. Otherwise he will lead us where Makar never drove his calves.

We looked at Styopka. He slept with a blissful smile.

Lelya and I grabbed his legs and in an instant turned them in the opposite direction, so that Styopka’s head described half a circle.

But Styopka did not wake up from this.

He just groaned in his sleep and waved his arms, muttering: “Hey, here, to me...”

He probably dreamed that he was capturing the Indians, but they did not want to and resisted.

We began to wait for Styopka to wake up.

He woke up with the first rays of the sun and, looking at his feet, said:

“We’d be fine if I lay down with my feet anywhere.” So we wouldn’t know which way to go. And now, thanks to my legs, it’s clear to all of us where we need to go.

And Styopka waved his hand in the direction of the road along which we walked yesterday.

We ate some bread, drank some water from the ditch and hit the road. The road was familiar from yesterday's trip. And Styopka kept opening his mouth in surprise. Nevertheless he said:

— A trip around the world differs from other trips in that everything repeats itself, since the Earth is a circle.

There was a squeak of wheels behind me. It was some guy riding in an empty cart. Styopka said:

“For the speed of travel and to quickly circle the Earth, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for us to sit in this cart.”

We started asking for a ride. A good-natured man stopped the cart and allowed us to sit in it.

We drove quickly. And the drive took no more than two hours.

Suddenly our village of Peski appeared ahead.

Styopka, his mouth open in amazement, said:

— Here is a village exactly similar to our village of Peski. This happens when traveling around the world.

But Styopka was even more amazed when we approached the river and drove up to the pier.

We got out of the cart.

Indeed, this was our Pesky pier, and a steamer had just approached it.

Styopka whispered:

- Have we really circled the Earth?

Lelya snorted, and I laughed too. But then we saw our parents and our grandmother on the pier - they had just gotten off the ship.

And next to them we saw our nanny, who was crying and telling them something. We ran to our parents. And the parents laughed with joy that they saw us.

Nanny said:

- Children, I thought you drowned yesterday.

Lelya said:

- If we had drowned yesterday, we would not have been able to go on a trip around the world.

Mom exclaimed:

- What do I hear? They need to be punished.

Grandmother, tearing off a branch, said:

- I propose to flog the children. Let Minka be spanked by her mother. And I’ll take Lyolya on myself. And I will give her, as the eldest, at least twenty rods.

Dad said:

— Spanking is an old method of raising children. And it doesn't do any good. Even without spanking, the children realized what a stupid thing they had done.

Mom sighed and said:

- Oh, I have stupid children! Going on a trip around the world without knowing geography and the multiplication tables - well, what is this!

Dad said:

— It’s not enough to know geography and the multiplication table. To go on a trip around the world, you must have a higher education of five courses. You need to know everything they teach there, including cosmography. And those who set off on a long journey without this knowledge come to sad results.

With these words we went home. And they sat down to dinner. And our parents laughed and gasped as they listened to our stories about yesterday's adventure.

Dad said:

- All is well that ends well.

And he did not punish us for our trip around the world and for the fact that we lost the ottoman pillow.

As for Styopka, his own mother locked him in the bathhouse, and there our great traveler sat the whole day with his dog Tuzik.

And the next day his mother let him out. And we started playing with him as if nothing had happened.

Kir Bulychev How to become a science fiction writer...I try never to reflect my own memories or experiences in prose. Awkward......I belong to that broad category of Russian citizens whose families were created by the revolution, and whose genealogy was destroyed. In the normal course of events, my parents would not have been able to meet, but I would have known the biographies of my grandparents, aunts and uncles. ...At that time, all worthy citizens of Moscow were born in the Grauerman maternity hospital on Arbat Square.... The distrust of communists towards communists... was widespread. The first books that I read contained a fantastic element. Today I know that they are fantastic. I didn’t even suspect it then. "Doctor Aibolit" is a science-fiction thriller, "Domino" by Setton-Thompson is a fantasy about the life of animals. And then my mother brought “The Adventures of Karik and Valya”....where there was a bookstore that sold books that caused physiological awe in me. ...it was that summer that I saw a real writer and fell in love with the process of writing.... Somewhere in the fifth or sixth grade I was fabulously lucky. My introduction to science fiction went quickly. Mom found the Red Cross library on Arbat Square, which for some reason was not captured by the censorship purges of recent years.... At that time I had already started writing science fiction, but this type of creativity went beyond the limits of my dad’s imagination, he never guessed that I almost a real writer....I never joined the party and never shaved my beard. I did not join the Writers' Union, because I considered it indecent to be a member of an organization whose ideals, in particular the method of socialist realism and party literature, I did not accept....I could not write realistic prose. It didn’t work out... our reality was always more fantastic than fiction!... But I was firm in one thing - and if you don’t believe me, look through my books of the seventies and eighties: I did not believe in the triumph of communism and in its benefits. Not only did I not want to join the party, but also my heroes living in the future did not know about this party. I did not participate in campaigns, seminars or battles, I did not vote or expel. But it was impossible to expel me from anywhere... In the sixties, seventies, eighties, readers turned to Russian science fiction in search of answers to pressing, painful questions, carefully reading between the lines what was hidden from censorship. Any alternative reality was hostile to communist reality... We thought that our Soviet reader was the smartest, most prudent and intelligent in the world. It turned out that post-Soviet man is a creature slightly ahead of the Neanderthal in development, and wants to read only “cool” thrillers.... I do not believe that beauty will save the world, or in the transformative role of art and literature. Every year the percentage of people on Earth who, at least theoretically, can be positively influenced by literature, decreases.

(42 pages)
The book is adapted for smartphones and tablets!

Text only:

Lion cub Ryan lived in the large New York Zoo with his father Samson, Bridget the giraffe, Nigel the koala bear, Larry the python and many other animals, and Benny the squirrel came to visit them.
Ryan was born in a zoo and had never been in the wild, but he really wanted to become as fearless and strong as his father. Ryan tried to imitate his father's powerful roar, but all he could manage was a faint squeak.
Well, isn't it a shame?
Ryan's father often told incredible stories about the times when he lived in freedom. Ryan had heard them so many times that he remembered them all by heart.
I wish I could grow up quickly and become as strong a lion as Samson! If he lived in freedom, he would probably very quickly learn to growl as menacingly as his father. However, Samson did not want to hear about it.
“Here we have everything we need,” he said.
Living in the zoo was not bad at all. When visitors left and the zoo closed for the night, the animals showed their true characters.
That evening all the animals went to the penguins to play one of their favorite games...
They left their homes and had fun as best they could.
This game was called turtle curling!
Samson and his team were against the penguins.
Samson's team, despite all the tricks of the penguins, led the score.
This time it was decided to use Larry as a giant slingshot to better disperse the turtles across the ice. How could the penguins resist such an onslaught!
Meanwhile, Ryan went to play with his buddies Duke and Gig. Ryan tried to keep them from playing pranks, but these mischievous people persuaded him to tease the gazelles. They scared the gazelles so much that they ran away in horror.
Could Ryan have foreseen
that frightened gazelles will jump over the fence straight onto the playing field, spoiling the teams' game. What a misfortune!
Ryan felt small and miserable.
Oh, how bad it turned out with these gazelles!.. He will probably never become as strong and brave as his father. “If only I could go into the jungle!” - he thought.
“There I would quickly become a large and formidable lion!”
Suddenly Ryan noticed a pile of boxes in a van on the other side of the fence.
He remembered that the pigeons once said that these boxes would be taken to a ship, and that ship would go into the wild. Ryan looked at the empty boxes, and then it dawned on him: he had to hide in one of them - and he could get into the jungle! And then, when he returns home as a big and brave lion, his father will be proud of him.
Ryan jumped over the fence and quickly climbed
But later, as the van pulled away, Ryan began to feel uneasy.
- What have I done? - The lion cub was scared. He didn’t even think about what it would be like for him all alone, without his father.
- Dad, help! - desperately
he shouted.
— Samson heard his son’s cries for help and immediately rushed
to the rescue.
- I have to save Ryan! - he exclaimed. -He can't survive alone in the jungle!
Without wasting any time, Samson, Nigel, Benny, Larry and Bridget set off after the lion cub.
The friends had to travel through the entire city to get to the port. Without thinking twice, they climbed into a garbage truck that was transporting waste from the zoo.
Benny was absolutely sure that he would not get lost in the huge city.
Soon the garbage truck stopped, and the animals found themselves on the streets of New York. The sight seemed terrifying to them. There were only tall skyscrapers all around!
They had never seen anything higher. And getting through the huge city turned out to be much more difficult than the friends expected.
They ran along streets and alleys, even took advantage of underground sewer pipes and finally...
They reached the port just as the ship with Ryan on board set sail.
- Hurry up, catch up! - Samson cried.
The animals jumped onto the deck of the small boat, horrifying the captain.
The friends did not immediately figure out how to control the boat.
But finally, the rescuers set off after the ship taking Ryan into the jungle.
For the inhabitants of the zoo, this was the first trip in their lives.
After a long, eventful voyage, the boat sailed to a small island. The friends looked at Samson expectantly. What should they do now?
But Samson himself didn’t know. After all, he had never been to the jungle and made up all his stories in order to produce
impress others. Especially Ryan.
The zoo's inhabitants panicked.
- We want to go home! - they shouted and rushed to the boat. And Samson, having gathered his courage, set out alone in search of his son.
didn’t want to leave his best friend, and he persuaded the others to help Samson find Ryan. But where did Samson go?
Troubles rained down on the animals as if from a cornucopia. Before the friends had time to go deeper into the forest, they were surrounded by evil wildebeest with sharp horns. Vile creatures drove the travelers to a terrible, dark cave.
To everyone's surprise, the antelopes installed Nigel on the throne as king. What would that mean?
Kazar, the leader of the antelopes, declared Nigel his deity and added that they were tired of serving food to lions, and from now on they themselves would begin to eat lions! And Larry and Bridget will eat it as a test!
“But first we’ll fry you,” Kazar reassured them.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Samson, hearing Ryan's cries for help, found his son.
Ryan was attacked by vultures.
However, as soon as Samson appeared, they immediately scattered.
- Dad! What a blessing that you are here! - Ryan was delighted.
How good it is to be together!
- Let's run, son! - Samson shouted.
- Why do you have to run, dad? — Ryan was confused. - After all, you are the king of beasts! Drive them away!
“Then I’ll explain everything... if there’s an opportunity,” said Samson,
placing his son in a tree, away from the sharp horns of antelopes.
But then they were overtaken by antelopes led by Kazar.
“I’m sorry I deceived you, Ryan,” Samson said, looking at his son. - I've never been to the jungle. I was born in a circus, and my father was always angry with me because I couldn't roar loudly and wasn't as brave as him. My father was born in the jungle, and I wanted to be like him. And I dreamed that you would be proud of me!
Ryan was disappointed by his father's confession.
Samson and Ryan began to run at full speed, but the antelopes were faster. Soon the evil pursuers overtook them. Samson was dragged off a cliff, and poor Ryan was surrounded and driven towards a cave.
Finally the antelopes pushed Ryan, Larry and Bridget into a large cave where Nigel sat on a throne.
The antelopes were preparing to feast on the inhabitants of the zoo, and Nigel did not know how to stop the massacre.
Fortunately, Samson found the entrance to the cave and sneaked inside unnoticed, hoping to save Ryan and the others.
- Dad! - Ryan shouted enthusiastically at the sight of his father. - Let's show these weaklings who's food here!
Father and son stood shoulder to shoulder against the angry antelopes.
At that moment the formidable Kazar appeared. Stretching out his horns, he rushed at Samson and knocked him to the ground. Little Benny, looking at his defeated friend, shouted to his friends:
- We must help Samson!
The inhabitants of the zoo looked at each other and instantly figured out what to do. Just like in a game of curling, they pulled Larry between two protruding rocks. Then, using this living slingshot, they fired Ryan at Kazar. The lion cub knocked the enemy to the ground.
Samson soon came to his senses. Now the time has come to prove that, although he is not from the jungle, he has enough strength and courage.
And Samson let out a roar so powerful that Kazar fell onto his back, and stones fell on him from the ceiling of the cave. Fortunately, the others managed to escape in time.
- Ugh! - Ryan said, puffing. - Now this will be your best story, dad!
Finally everyone was on board the boat to sail home to New York. Ryan was proud of his father. Samson proved that you don't have to be born in the jungle to be brave. Any lion with a truly courageous heart is capable of roaring terrifyingly loudly. And of course, Samson, as never before, was pleased and proud of his son.