Abu Nuwas Monument

Monument to Abu Nuwas, the Abbasid court poet who pioneered urban Arabic poetry and influenced literatures across the world.

The Abu Nuwas monument in Baghdad honours one of the greatest poets in Arabic literary history. Abu Nuwas lived in the 8th and 9th centuries and served as court poet to Caliph Harun al-Rashid. He is celebrated as the father of urban Arabic poetry — his verses praised wine, love and the pleasures of city life, a radical departure from the austere Bedouin poetry of his era. His work made its way into One Thousand and One Nights and influenced literary traditions from Arabia to Swahili. The statue stands along the Tigris riverfront, one of Baghdad's main promenades, and is a symbol of the city's deep cultural heritage.