The Dubai connection of Rama Duwaji, 28, wife of New York's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani

Rama Sawaf Duwaji, 28, wife of New York State Assembly member and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, 34, has become the talk of the town.

Their relationship reportedly began as a multicultural romance on a dating app.

Their Dubai rooftop wedding in 2024 symbolises a modern connection bridging East and West, reflecting diversity, inclusivity, and progressive values that resonate through both her personal and professional lives. 

Family background, Dubai links

Duwaji’s family has deep ties to both Dubai and Syria. 

She was born in Houston, Texas on June 30, 1997, to Syrian Muslim parents originally from Damascus.

When she was nine years old, her family moved from Texas to Dubai, where she spent her childhood and formative years. 

Duwaji’s time in Dubai was impactful on her artistic development. 

The city’s vibrant, multicultural environment, along with its unique beauty ideals and cultural narratives, deeply influenced her aesthetic and thematic focus.

Thus, the family connects to Dubai through their residence and community, while maintaining strong ancestral and ethnic ties to Syria via their Damascus origins.

Artistic work

Professionally, Rama is best known for evocative digital portraiture that explores sisterhood, identity, and communal healing, with a strong emphasis on Middle Eastern culture and female empowerment.

Her family's Syrian heritage from Damascus remains an important part of their identity, influencing her cultural background and artistic themes. 

Her work often explores themes of Orientalism, body image, and mental health shaped by experiences gained during her stay in Dubai, alongside time spent in Syria and the United States.

She has worked with Spotify, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, and Tate Modern. 

Beyond digital illustration, her work spans ceramics and graphic novels, with curated exhibitions in places like London and Beirut. 

She also conducts workshops in illustration and ceramic art, linking her artistic practice to community engagement.

Education, creative influences

Rama kicked off her creative journey studying Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, including a stint at its Qatar campus — a perfect place to soak in some global inspiration and spice up those early art vibes. 

But she wasn’t one to stay put, so she transferred to the main campus in Richmond, Virginia, where she graduated cum laude in 2019. 

Never one to stop growing, Rama then levelled up by earning an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. 

Now, she’s based in Brooklyn, where she’s crafting her artistic career with the same bold spirit that got her from the deserts of Arabia all the way to the bustling streets of NYC. 

Relationship with Zohran

The way Rama and Zohran met, via the dating app Hinge in 2021, is a hybrid type of connection, a mix of both old and new. 

They got engaged (October 2024), and their engagement and nikah (Islamic marriage ceremony) party was held in Dubai (December 2024), a city where Rama has family and deep personal connections. 

They later had a quiet civil wedding ceremony at the New York City Hall in February 2025, followed by a celebration in Uganda in July 2025. 

Despite Zohran’s rising prominence in New York City politics, Rama has opted to stay out of the public political spotlight. 

She contributed quietly through artistic support for his campaign, including designing his campaign logos.

Rama continues to build her presence as an influential contemporary artist and illustrator, maintaining a balance between her creative career in Brooklyn and the cultural roots and experiences that include her meaningful ties to Dubai. 

A modern cultural bridge

In many ways, Rama’s life reads like her artwork: transnational, curious, and unafraid of complexity. 

The girl who grew up between Texas and Dubai now thrives in New York — grounded by family history and energised by a global artistic voice.

In his victory speech following election as New York's first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani honoured his thousands of campaigners, his parents as well as Rama: "And to my incredible wife, Rama — hayi — there is no one I would rather have by my side in this moment and in every moment."

Their relationship, publicly celebrated in Dubai and New York, adds another layer to the couple's multicultural identity and public profile.

Her story is one of Arab-heritage female illustrator educated in the US, married to a fast-rising NYC politician, who once had a ceremony in Dubai and now is part of an international arts and politics milieu.

That kind of narrative speaks to Dubai’s role as a global hub — where immigrant roots meet creativity, where cultures converge, and where stories of identity, ambition and art transcend borders.

Whether or not Rama seeks the spotlight, it seems destined to find her.