7 Cool Facts About Said Akl

Born in 1911 in Zahle, Lebanon, Said Akl passed away on Friday 28 November 2014. Many know him as a passionate Lebanese nationalist, a prominent modern poet and a playwright. But here are some interesting facts about him.

Said Akl had to drop out of high school at 15 because of his father’s death. This didn’t stop him from later immersing himself in studies and becoming a teacher, journalist, poet and more.

He created an entire 36 letter Latin-based alphabet for Lebanese Arabic. In other words, he developed his very own form of Arabish long before smartphones and the internet were ever invented. He wrote Yara, a novel, and Kumasiyyat, a poetry collection, using his new alphabet.

Said Akl had his own newspaper, Lebnaan . It used to come out in Lebanese Arabic (which was unusual since newspapers are usually all in classical Arabic) and in his Latin type alphabet.

Some of his poems such as “Ummi ya Malaki”, "Ruddani ila Biladi” and “Saailini ya Sham” were transformed into songs by the Rahbani Brothers and sung by none other than Feyrouz. He also wrote a few pan-Arab anthems.

Said Akl created his own awards (aptly named after him) to honor talents writing in Lebanese Arabic.

A Beirut street was named after him in 2014. It’s near Sioufi Garden in Ashrafieh, and the memorial plaque reads: "Said Akl Street, a century of giving, creativity, honest nationalism.”

He lived for 102 years. That's over a century of experiences and bearing witness to history.