Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ibrahim Al-Arrayedh
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| إبراهيم العريّض | |
Portrait of Ebrahim al-Arrayedh
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| Born | 8 March 1908 |
| Died | 28 May 2002 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | Bahraini |
| Occupation | Poet |
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh (born March 8, 1908 – died May 28, 2002) was a famous writer and poet from Bahrain. Many people think he was one of Bahrain's best poets ever. He also helped lead the way for new writing in Bahrain during the 1900s.
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About His Life
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh was born in Bombay, India, on March 8, 1908. His parents were from Bahrain. When he was 14, in 1922, he visited Bahrain for the first time. He started school at the Hidaya al-Khalifa school, which was the first school in Bahrain.
He went back to Bombay in 1926 and finished high school there. At school, he learned Persian, English, and Urdu. He really loved Urdu literature. Later, he studied Urdu literature more at the Aligarh Muslim University.
In 1927, Al-Arrayedh returned to Bahrain. He became an English teacher at the Hidaya al-Khalifa school for four years. After that, he worked as a deputy director at another school. He also worked as a treasurer for the government's customs service. In 1937, he led a translation team at a company in Bahrain. This job ended because of World War II.
Later, in 1943, he worked at a radio station in Delhi. He then came back to Bahrain and worked for the Bahrain Petroleum Company until he retired in 1967.
His Poetry
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh started writing poems when he was 18 years old. His first poems were published in Baghdad in 1931. He knew many languages, so he could translate poems between Persian, Urdu, English, and Arabic.
His poems were very popular in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. The American University of Beirut even asked him to give talks about Arab literature. He received a special award from the Bahraini government called the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa Order - First Class.
Some of his well-known poems include:
- "To Bethlehem": This poem shows his support for the Palestinian people.
- "Bitter Bread": This poem talks about poverty and unfairness in society.
- "The Tragedy of Being": This poem makes you think about what it means to be human.
- "Poems of Bahrain": This collection of poems helps you understand Bahrain's culture and society.
Al-Arrayedh was also a reformer. He helped set up a school. In the early 1970s, before Bahrain became fully independent from the United Kingdom, Sheikh Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa chose him to lead the Constitutional Council. This group helped create Bahrain's Constitution.
His Passing
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh passed away in May 2002 when he was 94 years old. He had problems with his breathing. He was buried in the "Manama Graveyard" next to his daughter, Layla Al-Arrayedh, who had passed away in 2001.
His Legacy
After he died, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa named an important road in Bahrain after him. This road is near the Bahrain Financial Harbour. In 2006, his old house in Gudaibiya, Manama, was turned into a cultural center. It is now called the Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh Poetry House. It is open to visitors and is a place where poets can meet.
In 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held an exhibition in his honor. This event took place at their main office in Paris, France.
