Prominent UAE poet Mubarak Bin Qathlan Al Mazrouei passes away

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Mubarak Bin Qathlan Al Mazrouei, one of the most prominent Nabati poets in the UAE died at the age of 85. Al Mazrouei was known for being a glorious poet who wrote poems in all fields and about historical events, and fields which elaborated the ancient past.

A number of the most prominent cultural figures in the UAE mourned the late poet, including the Minister of Culture, Sheikh Salem Bin Khalid Al Qasimi, who tweeted on his account on (X) platform: “The UAE lost the glorious poet Mubarak Bin Qathlan Al Mazrouei, who passed away after a life full of creativity in which he enriched Nabati poetry with a large number of poems. He left unforgettable marks on the Emirati poetic scene, may Allah Al Mighty have mercy on him, place him in spacious paradise, and inspire his family, relatives and lovers with patience and solace.”

The late poet was born in the 1930s, with a talent for inventing popular games and imitating characters. At the age of five, he wrote his first poetic attempts and then his talent developed through contact with poets. He later wrote poems defending his family and the people of his area. His life was filled with situations and occasions which sparked his poetic talent.

The late poet got through a difficult period during which he was forced to do some hard jobs. He allegedly travelled for 6 years in search of a living and later worked for several private companies in the Western Region, and for Abu Dhabi Transport, for a long period. Then he returned to Liwa, where he settled until his death.

In 2016, Abu Dhabi Poetry Academy issued a collection of Al Mazrouei’s poems, entitled “Mubarak Bin Qathlan Al Mazrouei’s poetry book (Diwan),” which were collected and prepared by his son Obaid. The book had 128 diverse poems, including patriotic poems, in addition to a large number of personal poems, advice poems, some religious poems, and beautiful poetic debates with a number of Emirati poets, besides an appendix of his personal photos on various occasions and a number of poems in his handwriting.