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The Agrabah merchant is a fictional character featured in the 1992 animated adventure film Aladdin by Walt Disney Productions. He makes a cameo appearance in the very beginning of the film and he is voiced by actor Robin Williams. The character opens the film as a narrator and performs the song "Arabian Nights". The character also makes brief appearances in the film's direct-to-video sequels The Return of Jafar in 1994 and Aladdin and the King of Thieves in 1996 where he performs a reprise of "Arabian Nights".

The Agrabah merchant is the first character seen in the film. As he traverse the rough desert terrain, he introduces the viewer to the kingdom of Agrabah by way of the song "Arabian Nights". After dismounting from his camel, he addresses the viewer directly, beckoning them to come closer. The camera zooms in and presses up against his face, to which the merchant then replies, "Too close, a little too close".

Once the camera resumes a more practical distance, the merchant goes on to desribe the mysteries of Agrabah. He gets sidetracked however by his own business acumen as he unzips a supply pack from his camel, which instantly unfolds into his portable bazaar stand. He showcases some of his wares which includes a device that he claims is a combination hookah and coffeemaker that also makes julienne fries. He then claims how sturdy and unbreakable the device is, but upon tapping it on his table, it falls apart. Another item he had for sale was the famous Dead Sea Tupperware. The merchant claimed that he had never seen on intact before.

As the viewer loses interest and turns to leave, the merchant chases after them, noting that they are only interested in the exceptionally rare. He pulls from his sleeve a familiar looking oil lamp, and asserts how it once changed the course of a young man's life. He harkens that one should not be fooled by it's commonplace appearance in that, like so many things, it is the outside appearance that matters, but what is inside the counts the most - a diamond in the rough.
 * The merchant was voiced by Robin Williams, who also provided the voice for the Genie in both Aladdin and Aladdin and the King of Thieves.


 * It is known that the Agrabah merchant will eventually come into possession of the magic lamp that once housed the genie. It is unclear how he comes to acquire it and how long after the events of the three films that he takes possession of it.


 * This character earned himself no small bit of controversey from the the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee due to a bit of dialogue from the song "Arabian Nights". The theatrical version of the song from Aladdin includes the line "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face...", which the ADC felt portrayed Arabs in a negative stereotypical light. For home video releases of the film, the line was changed to "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense..."

"Welcome to Agrabah - city of mystery, of enchantment. And the finest merchandise this side of the River Jordan, on sale today! Come on down."

- Agrabah merchant

Agrabah is a fictional kingdom city-state located somewhere in the Middle East, possibly even Saudi Arabia or North Africa. It was the primary setting of the 1992 animated feature film Aladdin. It was also featured in the 1994 direc-to-video sequel, The Return of Jafar and the 1996 film Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

Description & History
Agrabah is an arid desert environment ruled by a Sultan, who lives in a grand palace with his daughter, the Princess Jasmine, and his Grand Vizier, Jafar. The areas surrounding the palace consist close-quartered housing and a busy marketplace where merchants ply various wares ranging from everything from fertilizer to sugar dates to the fabled Dead Sea Tupperware.

Despite the wealth of the sultanate, the people of Agrabah are largely poor. Children run the streets begging for food and street rats steal from the local merchants, oftentimes earning themselves the attention of the palace guards. One such individual was a young man named Aladdin who, along with his monkey friend Abu, caught the attention of some surly sword-wielding enforcerers after stealing a loaf of bread.

When it was announced that the princess was to take a husband, in accordance with Agrabah law, many potential suitors came to the kingdom to pledge their worthiness. An entourage made their way through the central thoroughfare up to the gates surrounding the palace. This was an important spectacle, for it meant that whomever Princess Jasmine chose for a husband, would become the new Sultan.

Shortly thereafter, Jafar concocted schemes of his own to take control of the sultanate. He learned about one of Princess Jasmine's suitors - a "diamond in the rough" named Aladdin and took from him the magic lamp that contained the essence of a powerful genie. Once Jafar had possession of the lamp, he forced the genie to make him the new Sultan, as well as the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Aladdin tricked Jafar into becoming a genie himself, thus enslaving him inside the magic lamp. With Jafar out of the way, rulership over Agrabah returned to the previous Sultan.

Princess Jasmine wanted to marry Aladdin, but according to law, she could only marry a prince. The Sultan decided to exorcise his supreme power to overturn the law and thus, Aladdin and Jasmine were allowed to marry.

Later, Aladdin and Abu found the cave hideout of a bandit named Abil Mal and his cronies, who had managed to squirrel away some sizeable riches. Aladdin fell back upon his old thieving days and took their loot and redistributed it amongst the poor in Agrabah.

It was around this time that the Genie returned to Agrabah after taking some time to see the world after gaining his freedom as per Aladdin's third wish.

Points of interest

 * Cave of Wonders: The Cave of Wonders was a mystical subterranean region located some miles outside the main population center of Agrabah. The cave cannot be seen or accessed by ordinary mortals, but must in fact be summoned, by connecting to pieces of an insect-shaped medallion together. Upon doing so, the desert sands coalesce into the shape of a mountain-sized tiger's head, which can speak. The cave is filled with various treasures including a magic flying carpet and the magic lamp containing the genie. Only those whom the cave deems worthy may enter it's confines - a "diamon in the rough".


 * Sultan's palace: The palace of the Sultan is the grandest and most opulant structure in all of Agrabah. It is the residence of the Sultan, his daughter the Princess Jasmine, her pet tiger Rajah as well as his Grand Vizier, Jafar, and Jafar's pet parrot Iago. When Jafar became Sultan, he forced the genie to tear the palace up from the desert sands and raise it high into the sky. After Jafar was defeated, all of the effects that the genie had performed on his behalf were reversed and the palace was returned back to normal.

Films that take place in

 * Aladdin (1992)
 * Return of Jafar, The (1994)
 * Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)