Country: Lebanon
Collection Type: Foundation or Association
Collection Size: > 50,000
Period: 1860-1900 1900-1930 1930-1960 1960-1980 Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Colour images Digital files Film-based negatives Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints Slides (positives)
Website: http://www.fai.org.lb/home.aspx

Finding Aid: local database/ catalogue
The Arab Image Foundation (AIF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, and study of photography and other related visual material from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Arab Diaspora. Established in Beirut in 1997, it holds over 600,000 photographs from the mid-19th century to the present day.

The collection includes various photographic mediums such as film-based negatives, glass-plates, and prints. It reflects both the general preservation mission of the foundation and the specific interests of its members, who have initiated research projects in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Mexico, Argentina and Senegal. Authored by professionals, amateurs and anonymous photographers, the images encompass a range of genres and styles – including studio portraiture, family albums, documentary, reportage, industrial photography, fashion photography, architecture, advertising, fine art, landscape and still life. The collection includes extensive collections entrusted by photographers such as Hashem el Madani (Lebanon), Van Leo (Egypt), Antranig Bakerdjian (Palestine), and Kamil and Rifaat Chadirji (Iraq) among others.

Images from the collection can be viewed online through the AIF website and through the in-house online image database. The AIF’s research facilities include over 1,300 books, monographs, catalogues, journals, theses and DVDs dedicated to the study of photography, preservation, art, theory, and regional history.

The AIF has produced fifteen exhibitions and eight publications in partnership with international museums, galleries and cultural institutions, and the collection has been used for artists’ projects, curatorial initiatives and academic research.

Contact Details:
Email: [email protected]
Address: Zoghbi Building, 4th floor, 337, Gouraud Street, Gemmayzeh, Beirut
Tel: +961 1 569 373

Country: Lebanon
Collection Type: Library
Collection Size: 1,000-10,000
Period: Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Colour imagesDigital files
Website: http://www.baakleenlibrary.com
Upon the initiative of Member of Parliament, Walid Jumblatt in1987, the building was restored and furnished to assume the role of a public library, which was equipped with various volumes, reference books, and periodicals. Its goal is to meet the needs of scholars, as well as to stimulate and develop the cultural movement. The National Library also includes the Baakleen National Library Friends Association, which consists of individuals concerned with public affairs, supporting the library financially and morally.

The Baakleen National Library inherited black and white photographs from the Jumblatt family but only fewer than 200 remain at the library.

Contact Details:
Name: Hussein el Dahouk
Email: [email protected]
Address: Baakleen, Shouf, Lebanon
Tel: +961 5 304 050

Country: Bahrain
Collection Type: Private collection
Collection Size: > 50,000
Period: 1960-1980Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White imagesColour imagesDigital filesFilm-based negatives
Website: http://www.bahrainhouse.com/

The photo archive of Bahrain House of Photography, a business owned by photographer Abdulla Mohammed Al Khan, comprises three archives: The archive of his father, photographer Mohammed Al Khan (that includes photographs dating back to 1939), part of the archive of the Bahrain Petroleum Company BAPCO (founded in 1929) and his personal archive since 1950.

Abdulla Mohammed Al Khan father, “Mohammed Al Khan” studied photography in India. After his return from India in 1938 he set up a photography studio at his home in Muharraq, from which he managed his business in developing photo negatives and making prints of them. Abdulla Al Khan joined Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) as a trainee photographer. Because of his noticeable skills and performance, BAPCO sent him on a scholarship to “Ealing Technical College’, London to study photography. His specialty was the photography of installations, structures and buildings. He returned to Bahrain and continued to work for BAPCO to become head of the photography department at the company and the officer-in-charge of its photo archive. He left BAPCO in 1971 to establish his “Falcon Cinefoto” business which has become the biggest photography firm in the Gulf. In 2006, Abdulla Al Khan founded the “Bahrain House of Photography” through which he continued his career in photography and converted for the first time to using to digital photography rather the traditional films and negatives.

In 2007, Al Khan produced his first documentary book under the title “Muharraq, The Sea Rose” which contained photographs of this city that he personally shot from 1945 to 2007. In 2009, he produced his second documentary book “Democracy 73 – Experience of the People” and in 2011, he published “The Book of Pearls”. In 2013, Abdulla Al Khan published the book “Lexicon of the Eye” and in 2015 his book “Dates and Sea”. The texts of all these books were researched and authored by the writer and photographer Hussain Al Mahroos.

Abdulla Al Khan has documented numerous scenes of political, economic, social and religious life in Bahrain, the Gulf, the Arab world and India. His archive now contains more than two million printed photographs, negatives and slides.

The collection is available to researchers.

Contact Details:
Name: Hussain Mahroos
Email: [email protected]
Address: (Near Isa Town Health Center) Villa 1539, Road 1637 Area 816
Tel: +973 17623071

Country: Bahrain
Collection Type: State agency/ Ministry
Collection Size: 10,000-50,000
Period: 1930-1960 1960-1980 Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Colour images Digital files Film-based negatives Prints
Website: www.bapco.net
Finding Aid: website
Established in 1929, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) was the first company to have a camera in the country. Thus, BAPCO hold an archive of over 20,000 photographs (negatives and contact sheets) and films dating back to the 1930s covering all the fields of public life in Bahrain.

Contact Details:
Name: Reem Ebrahim, Collection representative
Email: [email protected] ;

[email protected]
Address: +974 17757677
Tel: PO Box 25555, Awali, Kingdom of Bahrain

Other:
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bapcopage/albums/with/72157626942467753
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExXIu5TgBw ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h77r20HwHc

Country: Tunisia
Collection Type: Private collection
Collection Size: 10,000-50,000
Period: 1860-1900 1900-1930 1930-1960 1960-1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Film-based negatives Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints
Beit el Bennani’s main aim is to safeguard the cultural heritage of Tunisia, its manuscripts and photographs.

The collection began in 1997 following the visit of a lady carrying her father’s, Mohamed el Bennani’s archive documenting Tunisia. Mohamed el Bennani, initially collected books and engravings and developed a growing interest for photography. 90% of the collection documents the history of Tunisia, and goes back to the years 1878-1957 (prior to the country’s independence). The collection includes glass-plates, and original material from international photographers such as Guarriges (1881), Albert a Bizerte (1895) and Lehnert and Landrock (1909). It also includes photographs from local tunisian photographers such as the private collection of Mostafa Bouchoucha (8,000 negatives dating 1932-1967) deposited by his daughter, and some photograph collection from the archive of the Tunisian National Library.

The entire collection is entirely digitized and catalogued by theme and name of photographer.

Contact Details:
Name: Mohammed Bennani, Owner
Email: [email protected]
Address: 11 bis, boulevard Bab Menara, Tunis 1008. Tunisie
Tel: Fixe : 00216 71 564546 Mobile : 00216 98 243799

Other:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Beit-el-Bennani-520104428117976/

Digital library for International Research: http://www.dlir.org/about-bouchoucha.html

Country: Egypt
Collection Type: Library Public/ National Archive
Collection Size: > 50,000
Period: 1900-1930 1930-1960
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Colour images Digital files Film-based negatives Prints
Website: http://www.bibalex.org/Home/Default_EN.aspx

Photograph collections at Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BibAlex) are spread among a number of independent departments, the main ones being the Memory of Modern Egypt section and the Restoration Laboratory.

BibAlex/ Memory of Modern Egypt’s collection is primarily digital repository documenting the last 200 years of Egypt’s modern history through tens of thousands of varying items, categorized into 14 different material types, including documents, pictures, audios, videos, maps, articles, stamps, and coins. The Memory of Modern Egypt unit also holds 100 photographic albums dating from the 1920s-1970s, under the section “Special Projects”, that were donated in 2011 by the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of media, and the Council on Archeological Affairs in Egypt. The photographic collection amounts to over 60,000 photographs, many of them reprints or digital copies, depicting famous figures and important events in Egyptian history, and dating from the 1900s-1960s. More specifically, it documents the Royal Family, such as King Farouk’s official visits, as well as Sadat. The collection consists of film-based negatives, positives, B&W and colour images, and digital files. It is still expanding and accessible to researchers. A growing number of images, mainly from the photographic albums, are scanned and available online in the frame of Bibalex’s project “History of Modern Egypt”.

The Restoration Laboratory undertakes the restoration of manuscripts, rare books and maps. The unit is also expanding its efforts to photograph and microfilm preservation and restoration, having more recently acquired around 500 items including photogravures, photographs and postcards, ranging from the 1920s-1950s.

Contact Details: Ahmed Moussa, Head of Conservation Laboratory
[email protected]

Heba El Menshawy, Head of Restoration Training Unit, Restoration Section, Manuscript Museum
[email protected]

Mahmoud Ezzat, Head of Cultural Relations and Information, Memory of Modern Egypt
[email protected]

Sherine Nabil, Restoration Specialist for Rare Books & Manuscripts
[email protected]

Country: Morocco
Collection Type: Library
Collection Size: 10,000-50,000
Period: 1900-19301930-19601960-1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Colour images Film-based negatives Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints
Website: http://www.minculture.gov.ma/fr/index.php?option=com_content&id=120%3Ala-bibliotheque-generale-et-archives-de-tetouan&Itemid=125
The Bibliothèque Générale et Archives de Tétouan aims to provide historical resources to researchers.

The photograph collection is a heritage from the photograph library of the Spanish Protectorate, which lasted between 1912 and 1956 and covered the North of Morocco. It covers a wide variety of themes related to the different facets of Moroccan livelihood, whether culturally, socially, economically, architecturally, historically, and also related to public health and administration. In addition, the archive covers portraits of Moroccan and Spanish personalities that have marked the history of Morocco and Spain’s ties under the Spanish Protectorate.
The collection is available to researchers.

Contact Details:
Name: Ahmed Teimi
Email: [email protected]
Address: 32 avenue Mohamed V, Tetouan, Morocco
Tel: 0539963258

Country: Morocco
Collection Type: Library Public/ National Archive
Collection Size: 1,000-10,000
Period: 1860-1900 1900-1930 1930-1960 1960-1980 Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Film-based negatives Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints
Website: http://www.bnrm.ma/

Founded in 1924, the Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc (National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, BNRM) has a significant photographic archive dating back to French Protectorate period. Its mission is to collect, process, preserve and disseminate the national documentary heritage of Morocco, and relevant foreign documentary collections, while facilitating access to its documentary collections and bibliographic information.

The BNRM coordinates in the national network of libraries, contributes to national and international scientific activities, and develops research programs related to its mission.

The special collections department became active in 2007, and includes in addition to the cartographic and antiques collections, a photographic collection of approximately 10,000 images, that represents monuments, customs and traditions, historical social and cultural events, etc. and dates back to the 1900s. These include glass-plate and plastic negatives, prints and black and white images. The department makes accessible these collections to researchers and organizes exhibitions on specific themes.

Contact Details:
Name: Naïma Keddane; Rahma Nagi ; Fatima ZohraBouallaga
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]/ [email protected]
Avenue IbnKhaldoun, Rabat, Morocco
+212 5377 71890
+212 537272300