Abdullah bin Ali bin Jabber Al Zayed

Who is Abdullah bin Ali bin Jabber Al Zayed?

Abdullah bin Ali bin Jabber Al Zayed was born on 1 January 1899 in Muharraq, the son of a pearl merchant who traded across the Persian Gulf. A writer of poetry and plays from a young age, he was politically exiled to India between 1929 and 1932, and while there he established what is regarded as the first modern printing press in the Gulf states, an experience that shaped his later career. On returning to Bahrain he founded a cultural club in Muharraq to promote literature and public debate, and in 1939 he launched the newspaper Al-Bahrain, the first locally produced newspaper in the country, which he ran until his death in 1945. His poems, including works such as "War and Freedom" and "Renaissance of Youth," won recognition abroad, including a prize in a London poetry competition. He died on 5 May 1945. His family home in Muharraq was restored in 2003 as the Abdullah Al Zayed House for Bahraini Press Heritage, a museum honoring his role as a founding figure of Bahraini journalism.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Abdullah bin Ali bin Jabber Al Zayed" · Shaikh Ebrahim Bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa Center for Culture and Research, "Abdulla Al Zayed House for Bahraini Press Heritage"