Against a tapestry painted with images from the Thousand and One Nights, we HEAR the opening NARRATION, while we SEE the accompanying CRAWL:

“1000 A.D. AFTER THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF KING ISHTAR, THE CROWN OF THE ARAB KINGDOM IS PASSED DOWN TO THE MONARCH′S ONLY SON, THE CRUEL AND WICKED SARRAT AMIN. WITH THE HELP OF THE SORCERER JAFFAR, THE NEWLY CROWNED KING PROCEEDS TO EXTORT, ENSLAVE, AND MASSACRE THE POOR PEOPLE OF ARABIA, CARING FOR NOTHING BUT THE ATTAINMENT OF EVER MORE WEALTH AND POWER FOR HIMSELF AND HIS CRONIES.

BUT THE KING IS MORE THAN JUST VENGEFUL AND BLOODTHIRSTY, HE IS QUITE INSANE AS WELL. HE LIVES IN CONSTANT, IRRATIONAL FEAR OF ALL FOREIGNERS SEEKING TO ENTER HIS KINGDOM WITHOUT PROPER INTRODUCTION. INDEED, THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN EASE HIS FRAYED NERVES AND BATTERED PRIDE, SAVE FOR THE STORIES TOLD TO HIM EACH NIGHT BY HIS BETROTHED, THE DAUGHTER OF THE GRAND VIZIER, THE YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL SCHEHERAZADE. HER TALES, PASSED DOWN TO HER BY HER OWN MOTHER, TELL OF WILD AND WEIRD ADVENTURES SPANNING THE LENGTHS OF THE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN WORLDS -- TALES SCHEHERAZADE BELIEVES IMPLICITLY,

EVEN THOUGH SHE HERSELF HAS NEVER SET FOOT BEYOND THE PALACE GATES, SO KNOWS NOTHING OF THE WORLD WITHOUT.”

面对着一个画有来自《一千零一夜》的图像画面，我们边听开场白场边看字幕:“公元1000年，伊师塔国王的离奇驾崩后，帝王的独生子Sarrat Amin继承了阿拉伯的王位，Sarrat Amin 是一个十恶不赦的暴君，在男巫Jaffar的怂恿下，新登基的国王开始奴役，抢虐，残害阿拉伯的贫苦人民，只想着怎样给自己和密友谋得更多的利益和更大的权利。

国王不仅残忍复仇心强，而且还精神不正常。他时刻处在极度恐惧之中，生怕外来人士不经有经过正常的引见程序而试图进入他的统治范围。事实上，他受损的神经和自尊心已无法恢复，除了他的王后(维齐尔的女儿)每晚给他讲故事外，年轻貌美的谢赫拉莎德将从她的母亲那里听来的离奇古怪的故事也讲给他听，这些故事贯穿于已知与未知世界之中，连她自己也半信半疑。因为她从来没有踏出皇宫半步，所以对外面的世界一无所知。”