Manama: Kuwait is mourning the death of Mohammad Al Khass, an outstanding poet who was nicknamed ‘The Garden’ by Saudi Arabia’s first king Abdul Aziz Al Saud for the variety and beauty of his poems. He passed away in Kuwait on Tuesday. He was in his late 80s.
Born in eastern Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Khalaf Bin Mubarak Al Mutairi, or Al Khass, started composing poems at an early age and achieved fame at 15 when he recited a poem to king Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who called him ‘The Garden’, an honorific title that he kept until his death. “It was a wonderful title and it was extensively used when I was with him,” Al Khass recently recalled in a newspaper interview.
He held a significant place with Al Saud and Al Sabah families, and was popular for poems in simple words.
Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz was among those who had high esteem for Al Khass, and he went to see him during his visit to Kuwait in 2016.
Al Khass said he had known King Salman for more than 35 years.
Kuwaitis and Saudis paid homage on Twitter to the poet, citing his impressive contributions to poetry in the Arabian Peninsula.
