Over 1500 rare photographs, some of the dating back to the early 1900s, have been digitised and published in 12 photo albums and prints by Akkasah, the photography archive at NYU Abu Dhabi’s al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art.
The photographs offer a fascinating peek into a slice of history of countries in the region including Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Iraq.
A particularly rare image in the album is one 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.
Another album depicts peace protests during the Iran Oil Crisis of 1951 while yet another is of a naturalist’s travelogue of Algeria in 1902.
The images were researched and cataloged by Collections Management Archivist, Jasmine Soliman and NYUAD alumna, Emily Broad.
“The photographs date from the 1890s to the 1960s and feature incredible diversity of regional dress, customs, architecture, landscapes, and daily life,” says Jasmine.
‘We’ve been able to develop such a diverse archive due to our flexible model of building collections.’’
In addition to acquiring photographs, Akkasah works 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 'digitize and return' collaborations,” says Jasmine.
Akkasah boasts a thriving archive of the photographic heritage of the Arab world and the neighboring regions and is dedicated to documenting and preserving the diverse histories and practices of photography from the region. It also welcomes proposals for new collections and collaborations.
Its growing archive contains over 35,000 images, with over 12,900 online. The archive is open to scholars, students and the general public by appointment.
The al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art at NYU Abu Dhabi explores interdisciplinary research on the history of the visual arts in the Arab world. The Center’s mission is to build an archive documenting modern art and photography, and to serve as a nexus for research that expands scholarship and teaching in the humanities and social sciences.
For more information, visit: akkasah.org
