Abdul Ghafar al-Akhras () (1804–1873), known as ''al-Akhras'' ('the mute'), was an Ottoman poet and

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

, born in

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

who moved to live in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. He attended the seminar of

Mahmud al-Alusi Abū al-Thanā’ Shihāb ad-Dīn Sayyid Maḥmūd ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Ḥusaynī al-Ālūsī al-Baghdādī (‎; 10 December 1802 – 29 July 1854 CE) was an Iraqi Islamic scholar best known for writing ''Ruh al-Ma'ani'', an exeges ...

(

Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

of Ottoman Iraq). During his life in Baghdad, al-Akhras was an enemy of "Omar bin Ramadan al-Hiti" another poet and calligrapher. They satirized each other. Al-Akhras authored many famous

joke A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...

s and

proverb A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

s. He wrote "Abdul Ghani Al Jamil's collection of poems". Al-Akhras, Mohammed Saeed Al-Habboubi, and Abdul Baqi Al-Omari are considered the best 19th century Ottoman-Iraqi poets. He was buried in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

in 1875.

References

{{authority control 19th-century poets from Ottoman Iraq Writers from Mosul Writers from Baghdad 1804 births 1873 deaths Male poets from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century calligraphers 19th-century male writers Arabic-language poets from the Ottoman Empire