Baghdad memorial honors Hakki Al-Shibli, pioneer of Iraqi theater

BAGHDAD — Al-Mada Foundation for Culture and Arts held a memorial session on Baghdad’s Mutanabbi Street this week to honor Hakki Al-Shibli, a central figure in the rise of modern Iraqi theater.

The gathering brought together academics, artists, and cultural figures who reflected on Al-Shibli’s legacy and long-standing influence on Iraqi stagecraft.

“His artistic and creative influence was clear in the students who graduated under his guidance,” said Zuhair Hamid Al-Bayati, an academic and arts researcher. “These professors were shaped by their teacher, Hakki Al-Shibli. That influence expanded even further as they studied abroad and absorbed modern theater schools in all their forms—directing, acting, technical production, and more.”

Born in 1913 in Baghdad’s Haydarkhana neighborhood, Al-Shibli studied at local schools before graduating from the Tafiḍ School, known for its emphasis on artistic education. He later completed advanced studies in Cairo and Paris.

Al-Shibli became known for directing and starring in his own productions. Among his notable works were Julius Caesar, Wahida, Reward of Chivalry, and Saladin.

“When he directed a theatrical work, he often played the lead role in it. This was a hallmark of his—a kind of harmless artistic narcissism,” Al-Bayati said.

Writer and moderator Rafaat Abdul Razzaq called Al-Shibli “the legitimate founder of theater in Iraq,” noting that he helped establish acting and stage work as respectable professions during a time when they were widely stigmatized.

“He came from a Baghdadi family in the Jadid Hassan Pasha neighborhood,” Abdul Razzaq said. “His father was a military officer and head of the military prison in Baghdad. Al-Shibli grew up in comfort and developed a love for acting early on.”

Abdul Razzaq said Al-Shibli built close ties with leading Egyptian troupes such as those of Fatima Rushdie, Aziz Eid, and Youssef Wahbi during their visits to Baghdad. “He learned from them and became one of them,” he said. “This man created something from nothing. That’s why when an Iraqi artist takes pride, they say, ‘I am a student of Hakki Al-Shibli.’”

In 1927, Al-Shibli founded Iraq’s first formally licensed and internally regulated theater troupe, the National Acting Troupe.

He died in 1985. Though no official cause of death was released, it was attributed to old age.

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