Nabati poetry (الشعر النبطي, al-shi‘r al-nabati) is verse composed in the vernacular Arabic of the Arabian Peninsula rather than formal literary Arabic. Its subjects range from longing and loyalty to riddles, leadership and the desert. In the UAE, it belongs to living literary culture: something to compose, recite, remember and answer, not simply preserve. It is also a regional tradition, shared beyond the country’s borders.
Spoken language, carefully crafted
The distinction between Nabati and classical Arabic poetry concerns language, not quality. Nabati draws on dialect rather than الفصحى, al-fusha, the formal Arabic associated with literary writing. Yet poetry is not a transcript of ordinary conversation: its vocabulary can be elevated, old-fashioned or highly local. Knowing conversational Arabic does not necessarily make every poem easy to understand.
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism traces the tradition to the Bedouin communities of the Arabian Peninsula and notes its appearance in the fourteenth-century writings of Ibn Khaldun. That is evidence of an established tradition, not a precise date of invention.
For a newcomer, it helps to treat Nabati as both literature and speech. Read for meaning, then listen for the choices a performer makes: where the voice rests, which words receive emphasis and how the final sound returns. Our guide to Emirati traditions and crafts places it alongside other forms of knowledge passed between generations.
How a Nabati poem is built
A common form is the قصيدة, qasida, an ode or sustained poem. Its verse-line, the بيت, bayt, divides into two half-lines. Metre provides a recurring rhythm, while rhyme gives the listener a returning sound. Some poems maintain one end-rhyme; others use separate recurring rhymes for the first and second half-lines.
Poets also exchange verse through مراسلة, murasala, poetic correspondence. A reply follows the original’s metre and rhyme scheme, making the exchange a technical challenge as well as a conversation. Nabati therefore includes both individual compositions and poems written in response to someone else.
On a first hearing, do not try to identify every formal feature. Choose one: the repeated ending, the pause between half-lines or a phrase the poet stresses. Then listen again for how the thought develops. Does the second half complete an image, contradict an expectation or sharpen a complaint? That question can be more useful than memorising a list of metres.
Love, wisdom and the world around the poet
Nabati’s established themes include love and separation, pride, solidarity, praise, advice and wisdom. Poems may celebrate a leader, express attachment to family or country, pose a riddle or describe desert life. These subjects overlap with classical Arabic poetry; vernacular language gives them a different voice.
Rather than treating every landscape image as decoration, ask what it does within the poem. Is distance separating two people? Does a description prepare the listener for advice? Who is being addressed, and what response does the speaker want?
For background reading, pair a poem with a subject it actually names. Our guides to the majlis and Arabic coffee and pearl diving offer context for social settings and coastal livelihoods. They are starting points, not a codebook: an image’s meaning depends on the particular poem.
Emirati poets to begin with
Al-Majidi Ibn Dhaher
Often written as al-Mayidi ibn Zahir in English scholarship, Ibn Dhaher is a foundational figure in the poetry of the region that became the UAE. His biography is uncertain, and stories about his life belong partly to oral lore; exact dates should be treated cautiously.
His work offers a particularly rich starting point. Wisdom and romance sit beside clouds, rain, migration, seafaring and pearl diving. Read the poems and the stories about their author as related but distinct material: a memorable tale is not automatically a verified biographical record.
Ousha Al Suwaidi
Al Ain-born Ousha Al Suwaidi (1920–2018) was a major twentieth-century Nabati poet. Her place in the tradition matters both for the work itself and for any account of Emirati poetry that might otherwise overlook women. Her verse has also inspired contemporary visual art, including mixed-media calligraphy by Rawdha Al Ketbi.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Sheikh Zayed, the UAE’s founding president, was also a Nabati poet. His work appears in the scholarly anthology by Clive Holes and Said Salman Abu Athera described below. Reading it alongside other poets lets you explore a range of voices rather than approaching the tradition through one celebrated name alone.
Poetry on television and online
شاعر المليون, Sha‘ir al-Milyun, usually called Million’s Poet in English, brings Nabati composition and recitation to a televised competition. Produced by Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, its twelfth season was broadcast from Al Raha Beach Theatre in Abu Dhabi through Abu Dhabi TV and Baynounah TV, with live coverage also available through the programme’s YouTube channel.
That season had concluded by February 2026; it should not be mistaken for an event still running in September. The official programme website provides season recordings. Begin with the Million’s Poet episode archive rather than an isolated repost: the introduction and judges’ discussion give a beginner more context for the performance.
You do not need to follow a whole competition. Select one poet, listen to the complete recital and note a question to investigate afterwards. If you understand Arabic, pay attention to the judges’ explanations as well as their verdicts.
For an in-person evening, use our heritage festivals guide to start exploring, then check the organiser’s current programme for an explicitly advertised poetry session. Festival dates and programmes vary between editions. Confirm the language, admission arrangements and recording policy before travelling; a heritage event is not automatically a Nabati recital.
Nabati and UNESCO: an important distinction
Do not assume that an inscription for a particular poetry performance covers Nabati poetry as a whole. UNESCO inscribed العازي, Al Azi, a group recital of poetry expressing praise, pride and fortitude, on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2017.
Al Azi is performed without musical or rhythmical instruments and involves a poet, performers, chorus and audience. Its UNESCO entry describes that specific practice. It is not a blanket designation for every form of Emirati or Gulf verse.
How to start reading and listening
Two books offer different entry points. The Nabati Poetry of the United Arab Emirates, by Clive Holes and Said Salman Abu Athera, presents selected poems with English translations, annotations and Arabic texts. Love, Death, Fame: Poetry and Lore from the Emirati Oral Tradition, edited and translated by Marcel Kurpershoek, concentrates on Ibn Dhaher. The Library of Arabic Literature’s bilingual edition brings his poetry together with tales about him.
Take your time with them rather than reading straight through:
- Choose one complete poem. Prefer an attributed text with a named translator over an anonymous quotation on an image.
- Read for the situation first. Identify the speaker, the person addressed and the central concern before looking up every unfamiliar word.
- Keep Arabic and translation together. Even without Arabic, you can compare line divisions and notice repeated words. Do not expect an English version to reproduce every sound effect.
- Find a recording where possible. Check that it is the same poem, and distinguish the poet from the person performing it.
- Keep a small reading notebook. Record the poet, book or broadcast, translator and any questions. This makes it easier to return to a poem without losing its attribution.
Our reading list of books, archives and digital libraries offers routes into wider Emirati heritage research. For a first encounter, one poem read attentively and heard twice is a better goal than trying to master the entire tradition.