Abu Khalil Qabbani ( ar, أبو خليل القباني /

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ''Abū Khalīl al-Qabbānī''; 1835–1902) was a

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n playwright and composer of

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

origin. He is considered to be the founder of the short musical play (similar to an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

) in Arabic theatre. His play ''Abu al-Hassan al-Mughaffal'' caused a wave of protest as a result of his mockery of

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

Harun al-Rashid Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar , أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...

. He used to give female roles in his plays to younger boys with high pitched voices because women were not allowed to act in theatre, this enraged religious figured who sent a delegation to complain to the caliph and this ended with a decree by the Ottoman government to close his theatre, the only Avant Garde theatre in the region, and prevent theatrical performances in Syria. After that, Qabbani left for

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and produced his plays there until 1900. He returned to Syria and died two years later in 1902. He dreamt of establishing a Broadway district in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, He is considered the "Father of Syrian theatre", and has influenced later generations including the Syrian actor

Duraid Lahham Duraid Lahham ( ar, دريد لحام; in Roman transliteration, sometimes spelled "Durayd Lahham") is a leading Syrian comedian and director born 1934 in Damascus, Syria. He is famous for acting the role of "Ghawwar El Toshe" in a number of movie ...

. His brother is the grandfather of poet

Nizar Qabbani Nizar Tawfiq Qabbani ( ar, نزار توفيق قباني, , french: Nizar Kabbani; 21 March 1923 – 30 April 1998) was a Syrian diplomat, poet, writer and publisher. He is considered to be Syria's National Poet. His poetic style combines simp ...

and diplomat Sabah Qabbani. He also performed in Turkey and America.

Works about Abu Khalil Qabbani

Syrian playwright

Saadallah Wannous Saadallah Wannous ( ar, سعد الله ونوس) (1941 – 15 May 1997) was a Syrian playwright, writer and editor on Arabic theater. He was born in the village of Hussein al-Bahr, near Tartous, where he received his early education. He studied ...

wrote a play called ''Evening with Abu Khalil Qabbani'' about him, and Khairy Alzahaby represented him in the epic series ''Abu Khalil Qabbani.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qabbani, Abu Khalil Turks from the Ottoman Empire Syrian dramatists and playwrights Syrian people of Turkish descent People from Damascus 1902 deaths 1835 births 19th-century dramatists and playwrights Qabbani family

Works about Abu Khalil Qabbani

See also

References