Spanning the region, these photographs document the art form as well as iconic moments of history
1,500 photos documenting history across borders is an exhibition you don’t want to miss!
Akkasah, the photography archive at NYU Abu Dhabi’s al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art, has published 12 digitised photo albums and prints from its archival collections.
The albums geographically span several countries of the Middle East, reflecting Akkasah’s commitment to documenting histories across borders and throughout the existence of photography as a format.
Countries featured are Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Iraq.
Some of the rare photographs include those taken at the famous oil drilling site of Baba Gurgur ‘father of fires’ in Kirkuk, Iraq, shortly after its discovery, showing the first gusher which occurred in October 1927.
There’s also an album documenting peace protests surrounding the Iran Oil Crisis of 1951 and a naturalist’s travelogue of a trip in Algeria in 1902.
The images were researched and catalogued by Collections Management Archivist, Jasmine Soliman and NYUAD alumna, Emily Broad.
Soliman says, “The photographs date from the 1890s to the 1960s and feature incredible diversity of regional dress, customs, architecture, landscapes, and daily life.”
She adds, “We’ve been able to develop such a diverse archive due to our flexible model of building collections. In addition to acquiring photographs, we work with individuals and families who want their collections to be digitally archived and shared on akkasah.org, whilst they retain the physical photographs. Over 2,800 of the images currently online are a result of ‘digitise and return’ collaborations.”
For the unaware, Akkasah is home to a thriving archive of the photographic heritage of the Arab world and the neighbouring regions. Part of al Mawrid, the Arab Center for the Study of Art, the space is dedicated to documenting and preserving the diverse histories and practices of photography from the region.
Currently, the growing archive contains over 35,000 images, with over 12,900 currently online. The archive is open to scholars, students and the general public by appointment. Akkasah welcomes proposals for new collections and collaborations.
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