Abu Nuwas

Who was Abu Nuwas?

Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī, known as Abū Nuwās, was one of the greatest classical Arabic poets, who also composed in Persian on occasion. Born in the city of Ahvaz in modern-day Iran, to an Arab father and a Persian mother, he became a master of all the contemporary genres of Arabic poetry. Abu Nuwas has also entered the folkloric tradition, and he appears several times in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.