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This legend is about a far and beautiful kingdom in the majestic Arabic Lands, a place rich in nature, water, flowers, birds and happiness. And even more charming than the kingdom itself is its young princess, who is considered to be the most beautiful in the whole land. The story tells us that one day, when the princess was taken to a tour in the market, a wise old man whispered her a secret. This secret completely changed her perception of the world and her life, as it revealed to her the true meaning of beauty. Up until then, the princess had always behaved like any other young princess of her age, but from that moment on she started to show new great compassion and love towards the poor and the sick, and she began to help the needy and the common people. Her unusual behaviour soon started to bother and worry her mum, the queen, and the other members of the palace. Only the princess' father, the good-hearted Sultan, showed understanding towards his daughter's new ways and allowed her to live her life the way she chose to. As the years went by, the kingdom was attacked by a neighbouring country. The rival ruler wanted to conquer the small beautiful kingdom and make it his own. The war was hard, many died in battles and the Sultan, the princess' father, was left hopeless. Feeling desperate, he asked for advice from his young daughter, for, despite the great fear and confusion all around, it seemed that she was the only one who was able to find peace within herself. Her presence was even encouraging the injured and the sufferers. And so it happened that the princess was called to advise her father in a face-to-face meeting with his bitter opponent, the king of the conquering kingdom. Was the true secret of beauty, which was whispered to her many years ago, and changed her life, strong enough to establish peace between two fighting kingdoms? You're invited to join our little princess in that crucial meeting and discover the answer yourself…

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Many years ago, far away in an Arab land, there was a splendid kingdom overflowing with good and plenty.
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It was a kingdom full of flowers of every hue, where clear, sweet water rushed in the rivers and the people lived in happiness and joy.

The kingdom's young princess was the most beautiful maiden in the land. So great was her beauty that the poets wrote: "If our kingdom is the crown of the east, our princess is the jewel in that crown."
Artists tried to capture her beauty in paint on canvas, likening it to the full moon that illuminates the dark night sky. She truly was the most beautiful of princesses.

One day, on the order of her father the Sultan, the princess was taken for a tour outside the palace and its grounds, so that, for the first time in her life, she could see for herself what the country looked like up close, and how the simple people lived.
As they walked through the marketplace, at a moment when the guards were busy looking at all the colorful wares on display, a man stepped out of the crowd and approached the princess. He was an old hobo, dressed in rags. But he was a wise man and his bright eyes shone. He whispered a few secret words in the princess's ear and in a moment he had vanished back into the throng. But his words etched themselves so deeply into her heart it was as if they had been engraved there, and they changed her life forever.

A short time later, the princess's mother, the queen, noticed a change in her daughter's behavior. The princess began to lose interest in the pleasures of palace life and to dress in simple clothes. She neglected her dancing lessons, her music lessons, and her lessons in royal etiquette, and preferred to spend her time feeding the birds in the courtyard and tending to the flowers. She even asked permission to leave the palace from time to time and wandered through the streets and alleyways of the marketplace, wearing rough-hewn fabrics and a veil that covered her face.

Concerned, the queen sought out the princess.
"Most precious and beloved daughter of mine," she said, "as your mother, who knows you so well, I sense that something is troubling you. Why else would you forego the pleasures of palace life and choose to dress like a simple country girl? Have you forgotten that you are the most beautiful young woman in the land? What is it that weighs so heavily on your heart? Why would you hide your extraordinary beauty, extolled by the greatest poets, in this way?"

"My dearest mother," the princess replied, "Don't you know that beauty is fleeting? Consider your niece for example, the esteemed queen of the western kingdom. In her youth, wasn't she also considered the most beautiful of women? And now think of her. Time has robbed her not only of her loveliness, but also of the joy that was in her heart. Beauty alone is certainly not the source of happiness."

When the queen heard her daughter's words she too sank deep in thought. Troubled by the significance of what the princess had said the queen hurried to consult her husband, the Sultan.

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