Warda al Turk

Warda Nicolas Yusuf Al-Turk (1797 – 1873) was a Lebanese poet who was born and raised in the Chouf District located in Mount Lebanon, during the reign of the Ottoman Empire.

[3] Not only she was able to revive the classical Arabic language and literature, but also she was able to empower women in Mount Lebanon, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, and the United States through her powerful writings.

[5] During the 19th century, the Arab world experienced a "movement of awakening", known as al Nahda, which originated in Lebanon, Syria, and in Egypt.

She wrote “Mouwashahat” الموشحات and “Zajal” الزجل - two types of traditional themes, as well as “Ghazal” (love poetry) غزل, “Ritha’” (lament and mourning) الرثاء, and “Mahed and Tahmi’ah”.

[1][8] Her admiration for the Prince Bashir Shihab II of Mount Lebanon, as well as the Bey of Tunisia, was evident in many of her works, as she consistently praised them.

[1] Only a few of her works remained preserved to this day due to the efforts of the Lebanese historian Gerges Bin Safa who is from her hometown Deir al-Qamar.