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Sheikh Mohammed's 'Poems from the Desert'
Published in: Book Review
Dubai hosts the Dubai International Poetry Festival, which has brought to Dubai poets from all the corners of the globe under the motto "A Thousand Poets, One Language". Like many other unique cultural and other ventures for which Dubai has become well-known, the festival is the brainchild of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.
As the festival proceeds the poets from different cultures and languages will be pleasantly surprised by the release of Sheikh Mohammed's new book "Poems from the Desert" which contains an English translation of a selection of twenty seven of his Arabic 'nabati' (or vernacular) poems. Sheikh Mohammed is a prolific poet and very well-known for his nabati poetry not only in the UAE but also in the whole Gulf and the Arab World.
Paulo Coelho in his foreword to the collection "Poems from the Desert" states: "Reading his Highness's poems, I try to imagine the inner conflict between being a poet and a ruler. But when I give a second thought to it, I understand that there is no conflict at all: when a ruler has the soul of a poet, he understands better the needs of his people."
In fact Sheikh Mohammed is like a bird that needs two wings to fly, one is the wing of creativity and poetry, and the other is the wing of wisdom and leadership. Sheikh Mohammed is a leader with a vision which he elaborated in his well-known book "My Vision" which has been translated into many languages.
The poems of the book are quite varied in subject. The first poem in the book "A Mother's Lament" depicts the humanistic touch in several of Sheikh Mohammed's poems. There are many love poems in the collection in which Sheikh Mohammed expresses his appreciation of the beauty of the beloved, but also how he is tormented by the fire of unrequited love.
Sheikh Mohammed has dedicated many of his poems to his mentor, our great late leader Sheikh Zayed, may Allah rest his soul in Paradise. In his long poem "Zayed" in this collection, Sheikh Mohammed expresses his great admiration for that outstanding and popular Arab leader, and also his deep loyalty to him.
As the festival proceeds the poets from different cultures and languages will be pleasantly surprised by the release of Sheikh Mohammed's new book "Poems from the Desert" which contains an English translation of a selection of twenty seven of his Arabic 'nabati' (or vernacular) poems. Sheikh Mohammed is a prolific poet and very well-known for his nabati poetry not only in the UAE but also in the whole Gulf and the Arab World.
Paulo Coelho in his foreword to the collection "Poems from the Desert" states: "Reading his Highness's poems, I try to imagine the inner conflict between being a poet and a ruler. But when I give a second thought to it, I understand that there is no conflict at all: when a ruler has the soul of a poet, he understands better the needs of his people."
In fact Sheikh Mohammed is like a bird that needs two wings to fly, one is the wing of creativity and poetry, and the other is the wing of wisdom and leadership. Sheikh Mohammed is a leader with a vision which he elaborated in his well-known book "My Vision" which has been translated into many languages.
The poems of the book are quite varied in subject. The first poem in the book "A Mother's Lament" depicts the humanistic touch in several of Sheikh Mohammed's poems. There are many love poems in the collection in which Sheikh Mohammed expresses his appreciation of the beauty of the beloved, but also how he is tormented by the fire of unrequited love.
Sheikh Mohammed has dedicated many of his poems to his mentor, our great late leader Sheikh Zayed, may Allah rest his soul in Paradise. In his long poem "Zayed" in this collection, Sheikh Mohammed expresses his great admiration for that outstanding and popular Arab leader, and also his deep loyalty to him.
© 2026 Dr. Shihab Ghanem. All rights reserved.