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North African Folktales

Traditional folktales from North African Folktales, passed down through generations.

A clever Moroccan tailor in Marrakesh uses storytelling to outwit a greedy vizier.

The Tailor of Marrakesh

by Elizabeth Fabowale

African Folktales·Moroccan Folktales·North African Folktales

In the bustling heart of Marrakesh, where the narrow streets curved like threads in a great woven cloth, there lived a tailor. He was poor, his shop was small, and his clothes were simple, but his wit was sharper than the needle he carried in his hand. People came to him not only to have their garments mended but also

Berber bride in Matmata holding a glowing drum as ancestral spirits appear around her under the desert night sky

African Folktales·North African Folktales·Tunisian Folktales

The Drum of the Desert Bride

In the sunbaked village of Matmata, where homes are carved deep into the earth to escape the heat of the desert, there once lived a young woman named Yamina. She was known for her quiet nature and the gentle songs she sang while working clay pots beside her mother. Her

Tunisian girl gazing into a glowing blue mirror by the sea in Sidi Bou Said, showing truth and inner beauty

The Girl Who Lost Her Reflection

Long ago, in the seaside village of Sidi Bou Said where the

Clever Tunisian fox watching villagers reclaim olive jars under El Kef Mountain

The Fox of El Kef Mountain

In the highlands of northern Tunisia, where the mountains of El Kef

The Hyena’s Secret – Somali Version

African Folktales·Inspired Tales·North African Folktales

Hyena padded along the Guban plain where thorn trees lean like tired sentries and the wind keeps everyone’s business. His ribs showed like a comb, his eyes shone like

Parchment-style illustration of Middle Eastern Halfman climbing iron tower as ogres build fire below in desert.

The Story of Halfman

African Folktales·Algerian Folktales·North African Folktales

In a prosperous town where justice was dispensed and laws upheld, there lived a judge of great renown. He had wealth, respect, and influence, yet his heart remained heavy,

Three siblings beneath an ancient glowing olive tree symbolising ancestral unity

The Ancestor of the Monastir Grove

African Folktales·North African Folktales·Tunisian Folktales

In the warm golden hills of Monastir where the sea breeze carried the scent of salt and olives there stood a great olive tree older than any living soul.

A potter in ancient Carthage shaping clay with the help of a glowing wind spirit.

The Potter and the Wind of Carthage

African Folktales·North African Folktales·Tunisian Folktales

In the ancient city of Carthage, where the sea met the desert winds, there lived a humble potter named Ammar. His home stood near the ruins of old temples,

Princess Amira walking humbly through the red dunes of Douz as rain clouds gather above, with a shepherd offering her water

The Princess of the Red Dunes

African Folktales·North African Folktales·Tunisian Folktales

In the heart of the Douz desert, where the sands burn crimson beneath the evening sun, there once lived a princess named Amira. She was known across the southern

a glowing golden camel leading a Bedouin nomad across the Chott el Jerid desert under a starry sky

The Camel of the Burning Sand

African Folktales·North African Folktales·Tunisian Folktales

In the endless stretch of the Chott el Jerid, where the horizon blurs between sky and sand, there lived a wandering nomad named Youssef. He had spent his entire

a Tunisian farmer sitting beneath a glowing date palm under a full moon in the Tozeur Oasis

The Date Palm That Spoke at Midnight

African Folktales·North African Folktales·Tunisian Folktales

In the heart of the Tozeur Oasis, where the sand glows gold by day and silver by night, lived a poor farmer named Hafid. His life was simple and

Magical gazelle with golden horns by a spring in the High Atlas Mountains, watched by hunters and a shepherd boy

The Gazelle with Golden Horns

African Folktales·Moroccan Folktales·North African Folktales

In the high valleys of the Atlas Mountains, where the peaks touched the sky and the winds carried whispers of old legends, there lived a gazelle unlike any other.

An Amazigh princess in colorful traditional dress stands by a mountain cave as a hidden spring flows into the valley

The Amazigh Princess and the Hidden Spring

African Folktales·Moroccan Folktales·North African Folktales

In the rugged valleys of the Atlas Mountains, where snow touched the peaks in winter and sun scorched the rocks in summer, there lived an Amazigh princess whose beauty

In a Moroccan marketplace, villagers line up to touch a donkey’s tongue, while a nervous thief avoids touching it, revealing his guilt

The Donkey’s Tongue Moroccan Folktale of Truth and Cleverness

African Folktales·Moroccan Folktales·North African Folktales

In a bustling Moroccan town where merchants called out their wares and children played between rows of colorful stalls, there lived a merchant who owned a strong gray donkey.

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