The sage and the simpleton, the cunning and the unmercenary, the philosopher and the joker - all this is Khoja Nasreddin, a semi-legendary personality (historians are still arguing about whether a person with that name really lived in the 13th century, or whether Nasreddin is some kind of collective image ), perhaps the most popular folklore character throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. Such are the anecdotes about him - sometimes subtle and sarcastic, sometimes simple and even rude, but always filled with wonderful Eastern wisdom.