Turkish Folktale

Use this story for Narrative Play! Check out our store for Story Sparks Tales of Valuable Virtues for the storytellers’ summary and children’s activity pages.

Retold by The Legendary Connection

TLC#00082

Once upon a time, there was a servant named Hassan who worked for Sultan Ahmet in his grand palace for twenty-five years. Hassan had served faithfully, but now he wanted to return to his home and asked the Sultan for a small pension to help him live.

The Sultan asked, “Haven’t you saved any money after all these years?”

Hassan explained, “I had to take care of my large family, so I wasn’t able to save anything.”

This made the Sultan very angry. He couldn’t believe that one of his servants, who had worked for so long, had no money. Thinking Hassan was not telling the truth, the Sultan decided to make an example of him. He ordered that Hassan should leave the palace exactly as he had arrived twenty-five years ago, with nothing. So, Hassan’s fine clothes and belongings were taken away, and he was left with nothing but the simple clothes from his home.

With no money and no belongings, Hassan began his long journey back to his village. He walked for many days and nights until he reached a town in Asia Minor. Tired and hungry, Hassan sat down by the side of the road, where he saw some boys playing a game.

The boys were pretending to be important leaders. One boy acted as the Sultan, another was the Vizier (the Sultan’s helper), and the rest played as Ministers. Some boys pretended to be prisoners waiting for the Sultan’s judgment. The boy who was playing the Sultan, named Ali, sat on a throne made of branches and stones.

Ali noticed Hassan watching and called him over. “Where have you come from?” he asked.

“I have come from the Sultan’s palace in Stamboul,” replied Hassan.

Ali frowned and said, “That’s not true! No one from the Sultan’s palace would look like you. You must be from a faraway village. If you don’t admit it, I’ll have my Ministers punish you!”

Hassan, wanting to join in their game and feeling sad, decided to share his story with the boys. He told them everything—how he had worked for the Sultan for twenty-five years and how he was sent away with nothing.

When Hassan finished his story, the boy Sultan, Ali, asked, “Did the Sultan give you back your twenty-five years?”

Hassan, confused, said, “No, he gave me nothing.”

“That’s not fair,” said Ali. “You should go back to the Sultan and ask for your twenty-five years. Then, you can work and save for the future when you can’t work anymore.”

Hassan was amazed by the boy’s wise words. He thanked Ali and promised to follow his advice. The boys, happy with their game, went home, not knowing that one of them had just changed Hassan’s life.

Hassan decided to return to the palace. When he arrived, he asked to speak with the Sultan again. He said, “Your Majesty, I have thought about my service, and I ask that you give me back my twenty-five years so I can work and save for my old age.”

The Sultan listened carefully and said, “That is a fair request. I cannot give you back your years, but I will give you enough money to live on for the rest of your life. But tell me, who gave you this wise idea?”

Hassan told the Sultan about meeting the boy Ali on his journey. The Sultan was so impressed by the boy’s wisdom that he sent for him. The Sultan made sure Ali received a good education, and in time, Ali became a great doctor known as Hekim Ali Pasha.

And so, Hassan lived happily, and Ali grew up to be a wise and respected man, all because of a clever idea shared during a simple game.

The end.

“The Story of Ali Pasha” as told here is a part of a larger story “The Wise Son of Ali Pasha,” as told in the book by Cyrus Adler and Allan Ramsay Told in the Coffee House: Turkish Tales.

Source: Adler, Cyrus, and Allan Ramsay. “Told in the Coffee House: Turkish Tales.” Https://Www.gutenberg.org/Files/30577/30577-h/30577-H.htm, 2 Dec. 2009, www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/30577/pg30577-images.html#THE_WISE_SON_OF_ALI_PASHA. Accessed 11 May 2024.