Arabian Nights was the first expansion produced for Magic: The Gathering. It was released in December of 1993 and was sold in 8-card booster packs for $1.45 per pack. Each pack contained two uncommon cards and six commons (there were no rares). The booster display boxes contained sixty packs each.
Note that the proposed new card back appeared on the booster box, indication that it was indeed a last-minute decision to print the set using standard Magic backs.