Ammon – The history of writing for the Arab theater goes back to an ancient period in Arab history, when poets and writers used writing to compose plays and theatrical works.
It is known that the Arab nation has a long history of poetry and literature, and poetry was an essential part of cultural expression in ancient times.
Among the first Arab playwrights was the Muslim poet and writer Abu al-Tayyib al-Mutanabi (915-965 AD), who lived in the Abbasid era. Al-Mutanabbi wrote several plays that express his political and social views. He also wrote many poems that deal with theatrical themes and include dramatic elements.
In subsequent ages, a variety of writers and poets emerged who contributed to the development of Arabic playwriting. In the Middle Ages, there were Muslim poets such as Abu Al-Ala’ Al-Ma’arri (973-1057 AD) and Sufis such as Al-Hallaj (858-922 AD) and Ibn Al-Faridh (1181-1235 AD), who wrote plays and theatrical works.
In modern times, Arabic playwriting has seen great growth, especially in the twentieth century. A variety of Arab playwrights emerged, among them Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898-1987), who is considered one of the most prominent playwrights in the Arab world. He has many plays that deal with social and political issues, such as “Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi,” “The Taibah Conference,” and “The Departure.”
In addition, there are a large number of contemporary Arab playwrights who have emerged in the twentieth century and beyond. These writers include Naguib Surur, Tawfiq al-Bakri, Ali Ahmed Bakathir, Wissam al-Amir, and others.
In general, it can be said that writing for the Arab theater began with the emergence of poets and writers in ancient Arab history, and continued through the different ages with the multiple contributions of Muslim, Christian and contemporary writers and poets.
