One of the most famous collections of ancient tales is Alf 

Laylawa Layla, the Arabic name of One Thousand and One Nights, commonly known in English as The Arabian Nights. These tales are believed to have their origins in the 9th century A.D. 

The basic story is about a king named Shahryar, whose disappointment in womankind causes him to marry a new woman every night then kill her in the morning. This habit continues every day until he marries a young woman, Shahrazad, a daughter of one of his loyal followers. Shahrazad tries to use her talent to delay her imminent death. Each night she tells the sultan Shahryar a suspenseful tale promising to finish it in the morning. Her goal is to keep the king so entertained by her stories that he will spare her life. Each time Shahryar agrees to keep his wife, Shahrazad, alive for one more night for the sake of finishing the story.  During this period Shahrazad gives birth to three male children by the king, and when her storytelling finally ends he offers to grant her a wish. She asks the king to spare her life for the sake of their young children, which he willingly agrees to do, and they live happily ever after.

The 1001 tales vary widely; they include historical tales, love stories, tragedies, comedies, poems, burlesques and Muslim religious legends. The individual stories were created over many centuries, by many people and in many styles, and they have become famous in their own right. Notable examples include Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor.