"Welcome to Agrabah, city of mystery, of enchantment, and the finest merchandise this side of the River Jordan! On sale today! Come on down!"
—The Peddler
Agrabah is the central location of the 1992 Disney animated feature film, Aladdin. It is a glimmering, bustling Arabian desert kingdom, currently under the rule of a kind-hearted Sultan and his daughter, Princess Jasmine.
Background[]
Agrabah is located near the Jordan River (as the narrator tells during the first minutes of the film). The city was founded by a man named Hamed, an ancestor of the Sultan and Jasmine. The Sultan is assisted by his council, which consists of various diplomats that aid the sovereign in governing the city. One notable councilman was Jafar, who served as the Sultan's Royal Vizier for some years.
Agrabah is described as "a city of mystery, of enchantment", and as such, has had numerous encounters with the fantastical throughout its existence. Some of which include sorcerers, genies, and flying carpets.
Agrabah is a melting pot of social classes; the wealthy tend to live closer to the Sultan's palace, while the poor live closer to Agrabah's entry wall. Agrabah's less wealthy citizens are commonly known as "street rats" (fem. "street mouse") and are marginalized as a group. The city also has an infamous underworld, with one area, in particular, is known as the "Thieves Quarters". The city is protected by the Royal Guard, headed by Razoul.
Agrabah is based on classical Baghdad. However, it more broadly represents a wider classical Islamicate culture, which encompassed the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and parts of the Indian subcontinent during this period, including Islamic empires such as the Abbasid Caliphate, Ottoman Empire, Safavid Persia, and Mughal India. Agrabah's architecture (including its palace and marketplace) was inspired by Islamic architecture, which encompasses elements of Arabic , Persian and Indo-Islamic architecture. The city's royal palace appears to be directly inspired by the Indian city of Agra's Taj Mahal, which was a product of Indo-Islamic Mughal architecture.
According to the Aladdin animated TV series, Agrabah is one of seven neighboring sovereign nation-states known as the Seven Deserts. Each one occupies a section of the desert that, collectively, forms a large circle shaped by the borders of each nation."The Citadel" Throughout the series, the other six are stated to be Quirkistan, Getzistan, Upanistan, Ghanistan, and the real-world nations of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Outside of their jurisdiction lie other desert kingdoms, such as the Land of the Black Sand, the subterranean kingdom of the Al Muddy, and the ancient city of Mesmaria. Beyond the Seven Deserts lie even more far off lands, such as the Frozen North, the barbarian kingdom of Odiferous, a tropical rain forest, and the home nation of both Mechanicles and Hercules, Greece.
Places of Interest[]
- The Sultan's Palace: The home of the Sultan and Jasmine. Following his marriage to the princess, Aladdin and his friends took up residence in the palace. At night, the palace is illuminated.
- Bazaar: The marketplace where Aladdin and his sidekick Abu were usually found when scrapping for food and ducking from guards before they became royal. Now it is a popular destination for Aladdin, Jasmine, and the others to browse and sightsee.
- Aladdin's home: A rundown hovel where Aladdin spent most of his young life, with his monkey Abu. It is located far from the palace, but its elevated placement provides a stunning view of the city.
- The Royal Academy: A small but roomy one room school where Sharma and Jasmine teach.
- Thieves Quarters: A seedy part of the city, where crooks and rogues gather to fraternize.
- Desert: A large landscape located right outside Agrabah's gates. It is widely known as the Seven Deserts and holds many of the mysteries Agrabah is famous for along with various other neighboring kingdoms.
- Cave of Wonders: A large and mysterious cave in the shape of a tiger found in the middle of the desert. The cave holds many treasures and magical items, most notable Genie's magic lamp and the Magic Carpet.
Trivia[]
- The technical name for a country ruled by a Sultan is a Sultanate. However, the narrator also described it as being in a place where the "caravan camels roam," which is less frequent near the Jordan River and is more frequent in the Arabian countries of Morocco and Algeria
- Agra and Bah are two neighboring cities in the non-Arabian country of India. Ironically, the Agrabah Sultan's palace also resembles the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, despite being supposedly based in an Arabian country.
- The original Arabic folk tale of Aladdin was originally set in China, specifically an Islamic city in China (most likely an Uyghur kingdom in the Xinjiang region).
- As revealed in "Do the Rat Thing", the Sultan rarely leaves the palace.
- In the Aladdin animated TV series, it is stated multiple times that the adjective term used to refer to something of or pertaining to Agrabah is "Agrabanian".
- In Ralph Breaks the Internet, one of the pavilions in Oh My Disney was themed after Agrabah.
- In the original movie and derived productions, Agrabah is in the middle of the desert. In the live-action adaptation, its location is moved on the shore, partially filmed in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan. However, like in the 1992 original film, the Arabian Night lyrics in the 2019 live-action film still described Agrabah as as being in a place "where the caravan camels roam." Algeria and Morocco previously had Sultans, with Morocco's current kingdom even being known as a Sultanate until 1957. Historically, however, Sultanates have not been known to based near the Jordan River, or even the country Jordan for that matter, with the closest control being Egyptian Sultanates which ruled over land in Syria.
Gallery[]
.png "Aladdin 2019 (6).png (1.88 MB)")
