The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor

In the great city of Baghdad, during the golden age of the Abbasid Caliphate, there lived a young man named Sinbad, the son of a wealthy merchant. When his father died, leaving him a considerable inheritance, young Sinbad found himself torn between the comfortable life of a city merchant and an irresistible longing for adventure that seemed to call to him from beyond the horizon.

“The world is vast,” Sinbad would say to himself as he gazed toward the river that led to distant seas, “and life is short. What stories might the winds and waves tell to one brave enough to listen?” Against the advice of his more cautious friends, Sinbad sold much of his inheritance, purchased goods suitable for trade, and set sail on his first voyage.

The First Voyage

Sinbad’s first ship carried him to distant lands where he traded successfully with foreign merchants, marveling at their strange customs and exotic wares. The profits were good, and the journey seemed blessed by fortune until the day their ship approached what appeared to be a beautiful green island.

“Captain,” called the lookout from the crow’s nest, “there lies a perfect island for taking on fresh water and stretching our legs!” The island seemed to beckon them with its lush vegetation and peaceful appearance, promising respite from the cramped conditions aboard ship.

The crew anchored near the shore and made their way onto what they believed to be solid ground. They lit cooking fires, spread their belongings, and began to prepare a feast to celebrate their successful trading. But as the fires grew hot and the flames burned bright, the “island” beneath them began to tremble and shift.

“By Allah!” cried Sinbad as he felt the ground moving beneath his feet. “This is no island at all!” Too late, they realized they had landed on the back of an enormous whale, so vast that generations of wind and storm had deposited soil upon its back, allowing trees and plants to take root and grow.

The whale, disturbed by the fires burning on its hide, began to dive toward the depths. In the chaos that followed, most of the crew managed to reach their ship, but Sinbad found himself thrown into the churning waters as the creature disappeared beneath the waves.

For hours he struggled in the vast ocean, his strength failing as waves tossed him like a piece of driftwood. Just when exhaustion threatened to drag him down forever, he glimpsed a large wooden tub floating nearby—part of the ship’s cargo that had been thrown overboard in the confusion.

Clinging to this makeshift raft, Sinbad drifted for a day and a night until the currents carried him to the shore of a real island. He dragged himself onto the beach, grateful to feel solid earth beneath his feet, and began to explore his new surroundings.

The island was indeed paradise—fresh streams bubbled down from mountain peaks, fruit trees hung heavy with ripe offerings, and the air was sweet with the scent of flowers. As Sinbad wandered deeper inland, he discovered magnificent horses grazing in a meadow, their coats gleaming like silk in the sunlight.

Soon he encountered the island’s people, who proved to be as hospitable as their land was beautiful. They were ruled by a wise king who listened with fascination to Sinbad’s tale of adventure and misfortune. “You have traveled far and suffered much,” the king said kindly. “Remain here as our guest until you can find passage home.”

Sinbad’s gratitude knew no bounds, and he served the king faithfully, sharing stories of Baghdad and the wider world. In time, a trading ship arrived at the island, and Sinbad discovered to his amazement that it was the very vessel from which he had been separated. His fellow merchants had mourned him for dead and were overjoyed to find him alive and well.

When Sinbad finally returned to Baghdad, he found that his adventures had made him wiser and his trading more successful than ever. Yet even as he enjoyed his comfortable life, his heart yearned once more for the call of distant horizons.

The Second Voyage

Unable to resist the lure of adventure, Sinbad soon set sail again, joining a company of merchants bound for the Far East. This second voyage took him to an uninhabited island where he wandered away from his companions to explore alone—a decision he would soon regret.

When he returned to the shore, he found that his ship had sailed away without him. Whether through oversight or misadventure, he had been left behind on the deserted island with no apparent hope of rescue.

As Sinbad explored his prison, he discovered a massive white dome rising from the center of the island, smooth as marble and larger than any building he had ever seen. He walked around its entire circumference but could find no door or opening of any kind.

As evening approached, the sky suddenly darkened as if eclipsed by an enormous cloud. Looking up, Sinbad saw descending toward the island the largest bird he could ever have imagined—its wings blotted out the sun, and its talons were the size of ship’s masts.

“The Roc!” Sinbad whispered in awe, remembering the legendary bird from sailors’ tales. The creature landed directly beside the white dome, and Sinbad realized that what he had taken for a strange building was actually the Roc’s egg.

Thinking quickly, Sinbad unwound his turban and used the long cloth to tie himself securely to one of the great bird’s massive legs. When the Roc took flight at dawn, it carried Sinbad high above the clouds to a valley surrounded by mountains so steep and treacherous that no human could climb them.

The valley floor glittered with an incredible sight—diamonds of enormous size lay scattered everywhere like pebbles on a beach. But Sinbad soon discovered he was not alone in this treasure trove. Enormous serpents, each one large enough to swallow an elephant, slithered among the gems, their eyes glowing like evil stars.

Terror gave way to wonder as Sinbad watched a strange spectacle unfold. From the mountains above, local diamond hunters dropped huge pieces of fresh meat into the valley. The meat would stick to the diamonds, and eagles would swoop down to carry the meat—and the valuable stones attached to it—back to their nests on the mountain peaks, where the hunters could safely retrieve their treasure.

Sinbad realized this was his chance for escape. He filled his pockets with the finest diamonds he could find, then lay down with a large piece of meat positioned over his back. When an eagle seized the meat in its talons, it carried Sinbad with it up to the mountain peak.

The diamond hunters were amazed to find a man delivered with their harvest, but when Sinbad shared some of his diamonds with them and told his incredible story, they welcomed him as a brother. They guided him to a port city where he was able to book passage back to Baghdad, his pockets still heavy with enough diamonds to make him wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

The Third Voyage

Wealth and comfort could not quench Sinbad’s thirst for adventure, and soon he was at sea again. This third voyage seemed cursed from the beginning—their ship was attacked by savage ape-like creatures that swarmed aboard in such numbers that resistance was futile.

These beings, though resembling men in form, were covered in coarse hair and possessed strength far beyond that of humans. They seized control of the ship and marooned Sinbad and his companions on an island that seemed pleasant enough until they discovered its terrible secret.

The island was ruled by a giant of monstrous appearance—his single eye glowed like a burning coal in the center of his forehead, his teeth were like the tusks of a wild boar, and his appetite was for human flesh. Each night, the giant would select one of the sailors for his dinner, roasting the poor victim over a fire and devouring him with obvious relish.

“We must escape this horror,” Sinbad urged his remaining companions, “or we shall all end as this monster’s meals.” But the giant was too large and powerful to fight directly, so Sinbad devised a cunning plan.

The sailors spent their days gathering materials and secretly constructing a raft sturdy enough to carry them to sea. Meanwhile, they observed the giant’s habits and noted that each evening, after his gruesome meal, he would fall into a deep sleep.

On the night they had chosen for their escape, Sinbad and his companions heated iron spits in the fire until they glowed red-hot. Then, working together, they plunged the burning metal into the giant’s single eye, blinding him permanently.

The giant’s roars of pain and rage shook the entire island, but in his blindness, he could not catch the sailors as they rushed toward their hidden raft. They launched themselves onto the turbulent sea just as the enraged monster reached the shore, hurling enormous boulders in their direction.

Most of the stones fell short, but one struck their raft, killing several of Sinbad’s companions and nearly sinking their fragile vessel. Still, the survivors managed to paddle away from the cursed island and were eventually rescued by a passing merchant ship.

The Fourth Voyage

By now, Sinbad’s reputation as both an adventurer and a successful trader had spread throughout Baghdad, and many merchants sought his partnership. On his fourth voyage, he joined an expedition to the spice islands, but once again, fate had different plans.

Their ship was wrecked in a terrible storm on the shores of an island inhabited by cannibals who captured the survivors. These people had a diabolical method of preparing their victims—they fed them a special herb that clouded the mind and increased the appetite, making the prisoners eat constantly until they grew fat enough for slaughter.

Most of Sinbad’s companions succumbed to the herb’s influence and began eating ravenously, their minds dulled by the drug. But Sinbad, suspicious of his captors’ generosity, refused the herb and ate only the minimal amount of plain food necessary to survive.

This decision saved his life, for while his companions grew fat and content in their drugged stupor, Sinbad remained thin and alert. The cannibals, preferring their meat well-marbled with fat, ignored the lean sailor while they waited for his companions to reach the proper size for cooking.

When the first of his fellow sailors was taken away for slaughter, Sinbad knew he had to act. That night, he slipped away from the compound and fled into the wilderness, surviving on wild fruits and stream water as he searched for a way off the island.

After days of wandering, he reached the coast and found a group of civilized people gathering pepper for trade. They were amazed by his story and welcomed him aboard their ship, which eventually brought him to the kingdom of a generous ruler who appreciated Sinbad’s knowledge of foreign lands and customs.

The Fifth Voyage

Sinbad’s fifth voyage began when he purchased his own ship and recruited a crew of experienced sailors. He planned to captain the vessel himself, choosing their destinations and trade routes. But even his growing wisdom and experience could not prepare him for the wonders and terrors that lay ahead.

The voyage proceeded smoothly until they anchored near an uninhabited island to take on fresh water. While exploring, Sinbad discovered what appeared to be a large white dome—another Roc’s egg, even larger than the one he had encountered on his second voyage.

Despite Sinbad’s warnings about the dangers of disturbing such a creature, his crew broke open the egg and killed the young Roc inside, roasting it for their dinner. Sinbad watched the sky anxiously, knowing that the parent birds would soon return.

His fears proved justified when two enormous Rocs appeared on the horizon, their cries of grief and rage echoing across the water as they discovered their destroyed offspring. The giant birds flew away, but Sinbad knew they would return for revenge.

“Quickly!” he urged his crew. “We must sail immediately, or we shall all perish!” But before they could weigh anchor, the Rocs returned, each carrying a massive boulder in its talons.

The first stone struck the water beside their ship, creating a whirlpool that nearly capsized them. The second boulder hit the vessel directly, shattering it into pieces and sending everyone into the churning sea.

Sinbad managed to cling to a piece of the wreckage and was eventually washed ashore on yet another unknown island. This land was ruled by a kindly old man who sat by a stream, his legs apparently too weak to support his body.

“Good traveler,” the old man called out in a feeble voice, “I am too frail to cross this stream alone. Would you be so charitable as to carry me on your shoulders to the other side?”

Sinbad, moved by compassion, agreed to help. He knelt down so the old man could climb onto his back, but the moment the stranger’s legs wrapped around his neck, Sinbad realized his terrible mistake. The old man’s legs were as strong as iron bands, and his grip was unbreakable.

“Now you shall carry me wherever I wish to go,” the old man cackled, revealing his true evil nature. “You are my slave, and I am your master!” Sinbad had fallen victim to the Old Man of the Sea, a demon who trapped travelers in this manner and rode them until they died of exhaustion.

For days and weeks, Sinbad was forced to carry his tormentor wherever the creature wished to go, never allowed to rest except when the Old Man himself chose to sleep. Sinbad grew thin and weak, and he began to fear that his adventures had finally come to their end.

But Sinbad’s wit had not deserted him entirely. One day, he gathered wild grapes and fermented them into wine. When the Old Man demanded to know what he was drinking, Sinbad offered him some of the sweet liquid.

The demon had never tasted wine before, and he drank so greedily that he soon became thoroughly intoxicated. His iron grip loosened, and he swayed unsteadily on Sinbad’s shoulders. Seizing his chance, Sinbad threw the Old Man to the ground and quickly crushed his skull with a large stone, finally freeing himself from the terrible bondage.

The Sixth Voyage

By now, Sinbad might have been expected to remain safely in Baghdad, enjoying his accumulated wealth and telling tales of his adventures to eager listeners. But the call of the unknown remained strong, and he set sail once more, joining a trading expedition bound for the Far East.

This voyage brought him to an island where the inhabitants had discovered a remarkable treasure—a mountain of precious ambergris that had washed ashore during a great storm. The material was worth a fortune in the perfume markets of the civilized world, and the local people were eager to trade it for goods they could not produce themselves.

Sinbad negotiated successfully for a large quantity of the ambergris, but as their ship prepared to depart, they were attacked by pirates who had learned of their valuable cargo. In the battle that followed, Sinbad’s ship was captured and he was taken as a slave to a distant land.

His new master was a wealthy merchant who discovered that Sinbad was skilled with a bow and arrow. “You shall be my elephant hunter,” the man declared. “Each day you will go into the forest and bring me ivory tusks. The work is dangerous, but the rewards are great for those who prove successful.”

Sinbad was given a powerful bow and a quiver of arrows, then taken deep into a jungle where wild elephants roamed in great herds. The work was indeed perilous—the elephants were intelligent creatures who remembered those who hunted them, and they would attack on sight anyone they recognized as a threat.

For weeks, Sinbad stalked the great beasts, bringing back ivory tusks to his master and earning a reputation as a skilled hunter. But the elephants were growing increasingly hostile, and Sinbad knew that his luck could not last forever.

One day, as he sat hidden in a tree waiting for a suitable target, an entire herd of elephants surrounded his hiding place. To his amazement, instead of attacking him, they seemed to be trying to communicate. The largest elephant, clearly the herd’s leader, gestured with its trunk toward a distant part of the forest.

Curious and having little choice in the matter, Sinbad followed where the elephants led. They brought him to a hidden valley filled with the bones of elephants who had died natural deaths over many years. Ivory tusks lay scattered everywhere—more than any hunter could collect in a lifetime.

Sinbad realized that the intelligent creatures were offering him a bargain: take all the ivory he wanted from those who had died naturally, but stop killing the living members of their herds. It was an arrangement that benefited everyone, and Sinbad’s master was delighted with the sudden abundance of tusks.

So pleased was the merchant with Sinbad’s success that he eventually granted him his freedom and provided him with passage back to Baghdad, along with a generous share of the ivory profits.

The Seventh Voyage

Sinbad’s final voyage came about when the Caliph of Baghdad himself requested that he undertake a diplomatic mission to the King of Serendib, carrying gifts and messages between the two rulers. The honor of being chosen for such an important task filled Sinbad with pride, and he accepted immediately.

The journey to Serendib proceeded without incident, and Sinbad successfully delivered the Caliph’s gifts and messages. The King of Serendib was impressed by both the magnificent presents and Sinbad’s eloquent diplomatic skills, and he sent return gifts of even greater value back to Baghdad.

But on the return voyage, their ship was attacked by pirates who killed most of the crew and took the survivors as slaves to be sold in distant markets. Sinbad found himself once again in bondage, this time to a master who lived on an island where the primary occupation was digging for precious gems.

Each day, Sinbad and the other slaves were lowered by rope into deep caves where they searched for diamonds, rubies, and other valuable stones. The work was dangerous—cave-ins were common, and many slaves lost their lives in the dark tunnels beneath the earth.

But Sinbad’s luck and intelligence served him well even in these dire circumstances. He discovered a particularly rich vein of gems and, more importantly, found a tunnel that led to the sea. Working secretly over many days, he widened the passage until it was large enough for a man to crawl through.

On a dark night when the guards were careless, Sinbad made his escape through the tunnel, taking with him a bag of the finest gems he had found. He managed to signal a passing ship, whose captain was moved by his story and agreed to provide passage to the nearest friendly port.

From there, Sinbad made his way back to Baghdad, where the Caliph received him with great joy. The diplomatic mission had been successful despite the hardships, and the Caliph rewarded Sinbad handsomely for his service and suffering.

The End of Adventure

By the time Sinbad returned from his seventh voyage, he was no longer the young man who had first set sail in search of adventure. His hair had turned gray from his experiences, his face bore the lines of one who had seen wonders and terrors beyond imagining, and his heart had grown wise with the knowledge that came only through surviving great trials.

“I have sailed the seven seas,” Sinbad would tell his friends as they gathered to hear his tales, “and I have learned that the greatest treasures are not gold or gems, but the wisdom that comes from experience and the joy of sharing one’s stories with those who care to listen.”

He settled into a comfortable life in Baghdad, using his accumulated wealth wisely and sharing his good fortune with those in need. The young merchants of the city would come to him for advice about trade and travel, and he would counsel them with the voice of experience.

“Adventure calls to every young heart,” he would say, “and it is right that it should. But know that the true value of any journey lies not in the treasures you might find, but in the person you become along the way. The sea teaches harsh lessons, but for those who survive them, it also grants the greatest gift of all—stories that will outlive us all.”

And indeed, the tales of Sinbad the Sailor were told and retold throughout the lands of the East, inspiring new generations of adventurers to seek their own fortunes among the waves, while serving as a reminder that courage, wisdom, and a good heart are the most valuable cargo any traveler can carry.

In his later years, Sinbad would sometimes walk down to the harbor of Baghdad and watch the ships preparing for distant voyages. His eyes would follow their sails until they disappeared beyond the horizon, and those who knew him well could see that part of his heart sailed with them still, forever drawn to the endless possibilities that lay beyond the edge of the known world.

But Sinbad was content now to let others write new chapters in the great book of adventure, secure in the knowledge that his own story had been well and truly told, and that the legacy of his seven voyages would inspire wonder and wanderlust in sailors yet unborn.