The prominent thinker and academic Abbas Jarari passed away yesterday, Saturday, at the age of 87, after enriching the Arab library with dozens of works in literature and human heritage. Many writers and intellectuals mourned him on social media, including the former Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Abdulaziz bin Osman Altwaijri.
Born in 1937 in Rabat, Jarari received his primary education before moving to Cairo, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Arabic language and literature in 1961, followed by a Master's degree in 1965 and a Ph.D. in 1969. He joined the diplomatic corps of the Moroccan embassy in Cairo and worked as a professor at Mohammed V University in Fez and then in Rabat.
He was elected as the head of the Arabic language and literature department when it was established at the Rabat Faculty in 1973 and was appointed as the director of higher university studies for teacher training at the University of Rabat in 1982. He served as a royal advisor during the reign of King Hassan II and later under King Mohammed VI.
Among his notable works are "Culture in the Battle of Change," "Culture of the Desert," "Dictionary of Technical Terms of Malhoun," "The Melodic Sound Between Andalusia and Morocco," "Moroccan Literature Through Its Phenomena and Issues," and "Struggle in Arabic Poetry in Morocco," earning him the title of "Dean of Moroccan Literature" from critics. His last appearance was at a ceremony held by the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication on the occasion of the inclusion of Malhoun music on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December.
