Tributes have been paid to Emirati poet Mohammad Al Gurg, who has died.
Born in Dubai in the 1930s, Al Gurg was a major part of the cultural scene during the Trucial States era and post-1971.
UAE ministers and leading cultural figures paid tribute to him on Sunday.
فقدنا اليوم الأديب محمد صالح القرق... قامة وطنية ثقافية... كان حاضراً فاعلاً في المشهد الثقافي ومساهماً في إثراء المكتبة الوطنية... نسأل الله أن يرحم الفقيد رحمة واسعة وأن يلهم أهله وذويه الصبر والسلوان pic.twitter.com/qv9ePwOrHE
— نورة بنت محمد الكعبي (@NouraAlKaabi) November 8, 2020
Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said the UAE had lost a man of significant stature.
“Today we lost the writer Mohammad Saleh Al Gurg,” Ms Al Kaabi said. “He was an active presence in the cultural scene and a contributor to the enrichment of the National Library.”
Al Gurg was fluent in several languages, including Farsi and Urdu, and had an impressive personal library.
Sultan Al Qassemi, who runs Barjeel Art Foundation, also paid tribute.
“The UAE lost today one of its leading intellectuals, writers and poets,” he said.
Al Gurg was buried in Dubai on Sunday.
