A Caliph, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, of Damascus, is speaking with his Sultans, Kings and Grandees and their conversation turn to Solomon, who was lord over all kinds of beings. Solomon imprisoned and commanded Jinns and Marids with his ring. One man, Talib bin Sahl, tells the Caliph about how his grandfather once travelled to an island of Sikiliyah, where fishermen regularly caught copper bottles with the seal of Solomon. Each time one was opened, a Jinn emerged, shouted to the heavens for forgiveness, and vanished, as they had been imprisoned in their bottles by Solomon and are still seeking forgiveness, not knowing he is dead.
At the Caliph's request, Talib has his brother write to Musa bin Nusayr, the governor of Morocco. They form a group and set off into the desert in order to try to find the City of Brass. On a hill, they find a horseman made of brass. On the horseman's lance is an inscription inviting travellers to rub the horseman's hand. The travellers do so, and the horseman turns to point the way to the City of Brass. Later, they encounter a black stone pillar, in which an Ifrit named Dahish, son of Al-A’amash, is imprisoned. Dahish worked against Solomon but was captured by Al-Dimiryat, the king of the Jinn, and imprisoned and chained in the pillar by Solomon.
Dahish tells the group that they can find more Jinns in brass bottles in the sea of Al-Karkar, and that the City of Brass is nearby. They find the city walls, but also marble tablets covered in warnings. They build a ladder to get over the wall, but as soon the first man goes up, he seems to go mad and throws himself down into the city to his death. This continues eleven more times, with each climber, until Emir Musa decides to go up. Reaching the top, he sees ten maidens in the city, calling him towards them. By reciting verses from the Qur'an, he is able to avoid falling under the spell of the ten maidens, who had caused the men to throw themselves to their deaths.
Musa explores along the wall and finally opens the gate. Investigating, they find the corpses of the city's inhabitants. In a palace, they find the embalmed body of Tadmurah, an Amalekite princess, guarded by mummified salves. Although there is an inscription next to the princess warning not to take any treasure off her, Talib greedily tries to take some of her jewellery. The slaves begin to move and kill him by cutting off his head.
They take the treasure from the city, not belonging to the princess, and leave. They reach the coast of Al-Karkar where they are greeted by a black king. Upon inquiry, they are given twelve brass bottles, along with some mermaids that the Caliph may find fascinating. They arrive back in Damascus and tell the Caliph everything that has occurred. He frees the Jinns from their bottles, and puts the mermaids into a pool of water, but they die of heat. He divides the treasure from the City of Brass among the Faithful.