Founded Riyadh’s Literary Club and Al-Jazirah Newspaper.. Abdullah bin Khamis Made Significant Contributions to the Development of Media, Literature, Culture, Language, and History
Knowledge Affairs – Special
A Saudi researcher, writer, and poet, he is considered one of the most prominent literary figures interested in literature, history, geography, thought, and culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His creative and professional activities covered many fields, and his name became closely associated with poetry and journalism. He is also regarded as one of the founders of journalism in the Kingdom.
He is the literary researcher Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Khamis, whose name is associated with a long list of intellectual and cultural achievements. His work was diverse, rich, and fruitful, contributing greatly to Saudi culture. He was one of its leading pioneers in poetry, literary criticism, and research. He compiled numerous dictionaries about Najd, Al-Yamamah, and the Arabian Peninsula, visited various heritage sites across the Kingdom, and traveled to most Arab countries, producing many research books. He also held numerous memberships, most notably in Arabic language academies in several Arab countries.
Ibn Khamis was interested in establishing magazines and newspapers. He also founded the Riyadh Literary Club, and his home served as a center for the early beginnings of pioneering journalistic and cultural activities.
A Life Full of Achievements:
The writer Abdullah bin Khamis was born in 1919 in the village of Al-Malqa in Diriyah. He studied at traditional Quranic schools and later joined Dar Al-Tawhid in Taif. There, his passion for culture became evident through the activities in which he participated, to the extent that he managed the literary club at the institution. During those early years, his name began to emerge as a promising poet with considerable talent, particularly when he started publishing his work in several important newspapers of the time, such as Umm Al-Qura.
After obtaining his secondary school certificate, he enrolled in the College of Sharia and Arabic Language in Makkah. There, his reputation in the field of literature grew further. Upon graduation, he held several official positions and remained in government service until his retirement in 1972.
His retirement marked the beginning of a new and fruitful chapter in a life already rich in achievements. He devoted himself to research and writing, founded the Riyadh Literary Club, and became its first president in 1975. He served as a member of several Arabic language academies and on the boards of cultural and media institutions, including Al-Jazirah newspaper.
His literary career was crowned with several prestigious awards and honors, including the State Appreciation Award in Literature in 1982, the Order of King Abdulaziz, First Class, and his selection as the Cultural Personality of the Year in 2002 at the National Festival for Heritage and Culture in Janadriyah.
Internationally, President François Mitterrand awarded him the French Legion of Honor at the rank of Knight. He also received the Order of Culture from Tunisia, presented by President Habib Bourguiba.
He passed away on Wednesday, 15 Jumada al-Thani 1432 AH, corresponding to May 18, 2011, after a life full of knowledge and generous contributions.
Some intellectuals consider the late Abdullah bin Khamis one of three figures renowned for their encyclopedic writing, alongside Hamad Al-Jasser and Mohammed Al-Aboudi. He was known for his extensive output and the diversity of his interests.
Abdullah bin Khamis was a member of numerous scientific, cultural, and social organizations inside and outside the Kingdom. These included:
The Arabic Language Academy in Damascus.
The Arabic Language Academy in Cairo.
The Iraqi Scientific Academy.
The Supreme Media Council.
The Board of Directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation.
The Board of Directors of Al-Majallah Al-Arabiyyah.
The Board of Directors of Al-Jazirah Press, Printing and Publishing Foundation.
He was also the first president of the Riyadh Literary Club.
He participated in numerous radio and television programs, including his radio program Who Said It?, which ran for four years, and his television program Councils of Faith. He undertook several journeys throughout the Arabian Peninsula and visited most Arab countries, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf, in addition to visiting several countries in Asia, Europe, and North America.
The World of Poetry:
Abdullah bin Khamis spoke about his poetic talent, saying:
“My relationship with poetry began at an early age, and my connection with it goes back a long way. When I was trying to imitate expressions, copying those around me, and training myself to speak correctly during childhood, my venerable father—may God have mercy on him—would recall his earliest memorized poems and recite them in a melodious voice and with moving eloquence, following the tradition of earlier generations of singing poetry and refreshing the spirit with its beautiful verses.
I would take pleasure in that voice, listen attentively, and find comfort in hearing it, unlike the passing conversations and familiar words spoken around me. As time passed and my father repeatedly recited the verses he loved most, I found myself memorizing them mechanically, without truly understanding them. They remained stored in my memory and preserved in my heart despite the passing years and the fact that I stopped revisiting them after my father’s death. May God have mercy on him.”
Ibn Khamis also delivered an important poem during a visit by King Abdulaziz to Taif, when the King stayed in Al-Hawiyah. A group of staff members from Dar Al-Tawhid, led by the school principal and several teachers, gathered to visit King Abdulaziz and greet him. It was necessary to select an outstanding student to recite a poem before the King. Ibn Khamis was chosen, and he prepared a remarkable poem of more than twenty lines. This poem is considered one of his earliest works. Some of its verses are:
The people rejoiced at your arrival, and their faces beamed with delight,
They came forward, proudly wearing their robes of honor.
The herald cried out upon seeing you:
“From the darkness of night, dawn has appeared before us.”
Your deeds bear witness to Abdulaziz,
And your name has filled the horizons with glory.
Abdullah bin Khamis enriched the Arabic library with dozens of books on literature, poetry, criticism, heritage, and travel. These include The History of Al-Yamamah in seven volumes; The Passage Between Al-Yamamah and Al-Hijaz in one volume; On the Hills of Al-Yamamah; Dictionary of the Mountains of the Arabian Peninsula; Dictionary of the Valleys of the Arabian Peninsula; Dictionary of the Sands of the Arabian Peninsula; War Chants, or Ardah Poetry; and Folk Literature in the Arabian Peninsula.
The late Sheikh Abdullah bin Khamis excelled in many fields of creativity. He is considered one of the pioneers of journalism and one of the Kingdom’s leading literary figures, historians, geographers, researchers, and poets. These achievements earned him a unique distinction and placed him among the foremost pioneers of literature and culture in Saudi Arabia.
Before his death, he donated his personal library to the King Fahd National Library. His collection was rich in reference works and rare books that he had gathered and acquired from various places. It contained more than 7,000 books.
Footnotes:
