The old storyteller, Altair, tells little Analykah-Ley about the origins of her rather unusual name (Prelude):

Princess Analykah was the young daughter of Sultan Azhar and Queen Luloah of the once mighty and peaceful Kingdom of Ubar which had become very wealthy by trading Frankincense.  From the earliest age Analykah possessed a most beautiful singing voice.  It was said that she could bring tears to the eyes of even the toughest of men when they heard her magical tones.  As she had brought such joy to many a people, the gods decided to grant her a special gift.  On her tenth birthday, they quietly bestowed upon her the ability to bring water to the driest of fountains when singing straight from the heart.  The gods somehow knew that the peace and tranquility of Ubar would not last forever. 

On one unusually dark and stormy night, everything was to change.  Sultan Azhar's own cousin and Head of Cabinet, Sheik Ahmed Wazir, organized a coup d'état with his newly formed army to forever oust Azhar and his family from the kingdom. Sheik Wazir crowned himself king and then sent Azhar to the cold and dark underground prison to spend the rest of his life to rot in isolation. The Kingdom of Ubar was now under military rule and the people lived in a constant state of fear.

Sultan Azhar's long-time friend Bedouin Akram, managed a close escape for Princess Analykah and Queen Luloah.  To disguise their identities, they dressed in desert attire and then Akram took them as far into the desert as he possibly could. For the next five years they moved from camp to camp always in search of fresh supplies of water.  From the sadness she felt in leaving her home in Ubar, Analykah's singing voice had become silent.  Eventually, however, she would feel something within herself which would inspire her to sing again.

Akram and the rest of his Bedouin community arrive at a desert water well at the abandoned Camp of Shisura only to discover that the well was bone dry.  Thirsty and tired, he advises his people to go to sleep so they will have the strength to continue their search for water in the early morning.  A special feeling comes over Analykah which brings her to sing (Long ago when Time stood still), something she had not been able to do since she and her mother left Ubar.  Suddenly the dry well begins to bubble over with a plentiful supply of fresh, cool water (The Wonder of Shisura.  The community awakes and everyone is overwhelmed with joy. 

Over the next several months, the new village of Shisura quickly begins to thrive.  Many tents are built, vegetables and trees are planted and irrigation systems are developed.  The news of water in the middle of the desert spreads like wild fire throughout the region.  Travelers in transit stop by in Shisura to refresh themselves; markets are formed and traders are attracted to this new economy.  But as water is in short supply in all other parts of the desert, word gets back to Ubar about this sensation.   The self-crowned monarch of Ubar, King Ahmed Wazir, realizes immediately that this “wonder of Shisura” is none other than Princess Analykah, the daughter of the fallen Sultan Azhar.  Wazir was one of few who knew about this special gift from the gods.  Without delay he sends Mahmuud and Amal to Shirura to find, capture and bring Princess Analykah back to Ubar. As all of the fountains in Ubar are nearly completely dry, Wazir wants the princess to sing for an everlasting supply of water.  He would then take control of the water for himself and his followers and then sell it to those who would pay large amounts of gold for the precious resource.

Mahmuud and Amal carry out King Wazir’s orders.  They arrive in Shisura, go into Analykah’s tent, gently carry her into the camel-driven caravan, and quietly make their way into the desert.  Though hardly louder than the desert wind, Siraj hears the caravan as it pulls away from their camp.  Quick to realize that Analykah has been taken he runs after the caravan and jumps into the back without being noticed.

The next morning, Akram calls a meeting of the villagers (To the People of the Desert) asking for any information as to the whereabouts of Analykah.  A young boy says that he saw Analykah being taken away and that Siraj went after her.  Mustafa, Siraj’s father, feels very proud of his son (From the Moment first we met).  Suspecting Wazir of having engineered the plot to take advantage of Analykah’s singing gift, Akram and Luloah decide to go to Ubar with the hopes of finding and saving the princess.

While Mahmuud and Amal are taking a break in the sun-lit desert morning, Analykah gets out of the caravan and immediately recognize the two “kidnappers” as old friends of her parents.  They explain that they were commanded to capture her and bring her back to Ubar to sing for the water demanded by King Wazir.  They speak about the desolate conditions of Ubar (On this land we’ve learned to survive). Analykah asks about the destiny of her father and she is told that Sultan Azhar is presumed alive in the dark prison at Ubar.  They have heard, however, that he is very ill and has gone blind.

The noise of a loud yawn comes from the caravan.  Siraj, who had fallen asleep, gets out of the caravan.  He has a sword over his head and threatens to attack Mahmuud and Amal.  After a rather comical dance (Siraj’s Sword Dance), Analykah explains everything to him.  To his amazement Siraj learns that Analykah is the true princess of Ubar.

Amal and Mahmuud proceed to deliver the “captured” princess to the arrogant and cruel King Wazir (“I am the greatest the World has ever known”.  In the meantime, however, the four had come up with a plan of action.  Siraj had gotten out of the caravan before the arrival to the palace in order to secretly locate the whereabouts of Anaykah’s father.  Shortly thereafter he meets up with Luloah and Akram who had made very good time arriving in Ubar.  After Siraj explained their risky plan, the three wasted no time in searching for and locating Alzar. 

The old storyteller Alair explains the clever plan to the young Analykah-Ley: From her childhood, Princess Analykah remembered her father telling her about the great mystery of ‘Umm al Samim’.

And what is ‘Umm al Samim’? asks Analykah-Ley.

Altair continues: ‘Umm al Samim’ is a very unique reaction which happens when hot, dry sand comes into sudden contact with lots of water.  This causes a violent whirling effect and anything on the surface is swallowed up by the deep sands of the desert.

And so it came to be that Analykah, with the help of the gods and her friends, sang like she had never sung before.  Great amounts of  water came down from the heavens with a tremendous might.  As if by the powers of Allah himself, the kingdom of Ubar sank deep down into the desert sands, never to be seen again.  This forever ended the regime of King Wazir and became a lesson for those with such evil ambitions.

With just enough time before the storm Amal and Mahmuud had passed on messages to Ubar’s citizens to pack up their belongings and quickly make their way towards Shisura.  Mustafa, Siraj’s father, gave the signal and guided the people in the right direction.

With the worst behind them Analykah, Queen Luloah, Sultan Azhar and their friends could then live the rest of their lives in peace (Friends we will always be) with a plentiful supply of precious water.

Libretto
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