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Founder of UAE's Al Fajr newspaper, Obaid Al Mazrouei, passes away
The media pioneer's career extended over 5 decades; with Al Fajr's first issue being published in 1975, Al Mazrouei's name was associated with the early years of the Union
- PUBLISHED: Mon 24 Aug 2026, 2:34 PM
- By:
- WAM
UAE's media community is mourning the loss of one of the country's journalism pioneers. Obaid Humaid Al Mazrouei, founder and editor-in-chief of the UAE newspaper “Al Fajr”, passed away this morning after a career that extended for more than five decades.
Al Mazrouei was a prominent cultural figure who contributed to the history of national media, and whose name was associated with the journey of development since the early years of the Union. He also left a clear mark on the cultural and literary scene in the country and the region.
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The media pioneer was born in Ajman in 1935. He began his career in the oil sector in Saudi Arabia, then moved to work in the banking sector, before turning to journalism, believing in the role of the word and the media in serving the nation and society.
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In 1974, Obaid Humaid Al Mazrouei obtained a licence to publish the newspaper “Al Fajr”, the first issue of which was published on March 17, 1975.
It has been an Emirati newspaper that kept pace with the progress of the federal state since its early years, and its name carried a symbolic indication of the dawn of a new stage in the history of the Emirates.
Al Fajr started as a weekly newspaper before becoming a daily newspaper in 1978, and has continued its presence in the Emirati media scene for more than five decades.
Al Mazrouei's career was not limited to journalistic work, as he was a poet and writer, and he was interested in culture, literature, poetry and heritage.
Through the Al Fajr newspaper, he was keen to provide space for these fields, most notably the “Fajr Al Shu’ara” supplement, which contributed to supporting poetic talents and highlighting the poetic and cultural movement in the UAE, the Gulf region and the Arab world.
Obaid Hamid Al Mazrouei also left behind a number of works, including “The Events of Time and the Pillars of Construction” and “The Necklace of Pearls in Praise and Eloquence”, which, along with his journalistic and literary experience, form a part of his intellectual and cultural legacy.
The journalistic and media family in the UAE remembers his journey, what he offered to journalism and culture, and the impact he left on generations of intellectuals, as he was one of those who contributed to consolidating the presence of the national press since its early stages.
For Al Mazrouei, journalism was not just a profession for him, but a mission, a national responsibility, and a means of preserving memory and documenting the transformations that the UAE witnessed.