Country: United Arab Emirates
Collection Type: State agency/ Ministry
Collection Size: 1,000-10,000
Period: 1930-19601960-1980Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White imagesColour imagesDigital filesFilm-based negativesPrintsSlides (positives)
Website: http://tcaabudhabi.ae/en
The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority aims to make Abu Dhabi the cultural center of the region, while promoting national culture and identity as a source of pride and inspiration to the people. Its vision is to safeguard, manage and enhance national heritage; promote and encourage creativity in the fields of arts and culture; engage civil society by providing it with the means to develop cultural expression and knowledge; enrich intellectual production, encourage the fine arts and expose Arab and Islamic heritage on a national and regional scale.

The photograph collection from the Arab Peninsula region includes around 10,000 photographs dating back to the 1940s to the present day, depicting historical characters, events, places and cultural aspects of life. It consists of film-based negatives, positive prints, digital files, black and white images, color images and color slides.

The collection is not available to the general public except upon specific requests.

Contact Details:
Name: Daniel Suarez
Email: [email protected]
Address: Nation Towers Corniche Buidling B PO Box 94000 Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 444 0444

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: Algeria
Collection Type: State agency/ Ministry
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
Website: http://www.cndpi.org/

Appointed by presidential decree in 1984, the « Centre National de Documentation de Presse et d’Information (CNDPI) » has a mandate to collect, process and preserve all types of information, as well as to publish and circulate documents.

CNDPI is involved in different projects with public institutions and contributes to realizing major goals related to communication and information. It possesses a rich digital and historiographical heritage, which depicts more than a century of Algerian history through texts and photographs.

The photographic archive contains around 1 711 953 negatives and 15 000 photographic slides related to prehistoric and historical vestiges, monuments and historical sites; the social status of Algerians between 1945 and 1954, portrayals of personalities from arts, literature, science and political fields, the major stages of Liberation war, as well as all Algerian cultural, socio-economic and political activity from more than a half century.

The CNDPI also has publications and also contains a video library housing around 800 video recording and reports on political, economic, historical and cultural issues.

The material is available for researchers and teachers and contributes to implementing national politics related to press documentation.

Contact Details:
Name: Nacera Boudjemia
Email: [email protected]
Address: 2 rue Farid Zouioueche, Kouba, Alger
Tel: 021 77 78 72 / 021 29 89 34

Country: Jordan
Collection Type: Research center State agency/ Ministry
Collection Size: 1,000-10,000
Period: 1900-1930 1930-1960 1960-1980 Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Colour images Digital files Film-based negatives Prints
Website: http://www.doa.gov.jo/En/index.php

The Department of Antiquities aim is the protection of antiquities as well the presentation of antiquities, including research, survey, excavation and site management.

Founded in 1923, the Department of Antiquities of Jordan was established under the management of Mr. Ridha Tawfeq who relocated it from Jarash to Amman. The main goal of the Department of Antiquities (DoA) at that time was to protect all antiquities defined according to the law as any movable or immovable object made, written, inscribed, built, discovered, or modified by human beings including caves, sculpture, coins, pottery, manuscripts and other kinds of manufactured products which indicate the beginning and development of science, arts, handicrafts, religions, traditions of previous civilizations, or any part added or rebuilt after that time. Additionally, the goal included research, survey, excavation and site management.

Leading British archaeologist, Lancaster Harding, was appointed as Director General of the DoA in 1936. His well-known book “The Antiquities of Jordan” is a reference to all those who wish to learn about the archaeology of Jordan.

Photograph collections of the DoA include the private collection of Lancaster Harding (1936-1956) containing 4130 photos, as well as Horsfield collection (1919) containing 119 photos, the Department of Antiquities of Jordan Collection (1955-1975) containing 989 photos, the Jerusalem Collection (1965-1970) containing 88 photos and the Jordan Archaeological Collection containing 367 photos.

In 2004, the DoA began archiving negatives and digitizing part of their collection. The photographs depict archaeological sites, artifacts or objects, and city views.

The collection is available to researchers.

Contact Details:Name: Hala Al-Syoof, Photo Specialist
Email: [email protected]
Address: Jebel Amman Street, Sultan al-Atrash P.O. Box 88, Amman
Tel: +962 2 4644336, 4641275, 4644482, 4642669

Country: Libya
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 Film-based negatives Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints Slides (positives)

The Department of Antiquities tasks include the protection, raising awareness, and scientific research regarding all archaeological finds, movable and unmovable.

The photo archive in the Red Castle (Saraya Alhamra) in Tripoli belongs to the Department of Antiquities (DOA) and is the main custodian of Archaeology in Libya.It was first created by the Italian colonial power in the beginning of the 20th century (1912-1941) and the occupation of Libya, the occupation was accompanied by extensive archaeological activity which continued throughout the occupation period. The archive has grown in size following Libya’s independence, which witnessed an increase in archeological activity and discoveries in the 50s up to the 1990s.

The collection contains a broad spectrum of photographic material; including glass plate negatives, black and white photos, in addition to negatives and projector positives of different sizes, covering a period of more than half a century.The images depict a wide range of subjects including: excavation work, from the early excavations of the Italian era, 1920s and 1930s, to the excavations of the modern era in the 80s and 90s, daily life, traditions and historical figures.

The collection is available to researchers and students.

Contact Details: Name: Mahmoud Khalifa Hadia
Email: [email protected]
Address: The Saraya Alhamra (Red castle) , Martyr Square, Tripoli, Libya.
Tel: (218) 3330289 / (218) 21 444 0167

Country: Egypt
Collection Type: Library State agency/ Ministry
Collection Size: 1,000-10,000
Period: 1860-1900 1900-1930 1930-1960
Type of Material & Format: Film-based negatives Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints
Website: http://www.mwri.gov.eg/

The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation manages the water resource projects at the state level and monitors all water resources in Egypt.The Ministry (first in Egypt) dates to 1836, and holds a collection dating from the 19th century up to at least 1960s documenting the ministry’s projects.

The collection consists of approximately 360 albums, 24 albums of aerial surveys, together comprising 84 specific collections, and more than 2000 photographs. It also includes a small collection from Saad Zaghloul.

It is open to the public upon permission

Contact Details: Name: Saber Ahmed Saber / Shaimaa Sobhy Ibrahim (Information Specialist)
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Address: NWRC, Fum Ismailia Canal, PO BOX 74 Shoubra El-Kheima, 13411, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: (202) 4218-9535, 4218-8250

Other: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/تراث-وتاريخ-الري-فى-مصر-MWRI-Central-Library-1516235405280906/?pnref=story

Country: Iran
Collection Type: Museum State agency/ Ministry
Collection Size: > 50,000
Period: 1860-1900 1900-1930
Type of Material & Format: Black and White images Film-based negatives Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints
Website: http://www.golestanpalace.ir

The Golestan Palace is the oldest monument in Tehran. It belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg (citadel). The Arg was built during the reign of Tahmasb I (1524-1576) of the Safavid dynasty (1502-1736). Agha Mohamad Khan Qajar (1742-1797) chose Tehran as his capital and the Arg became the site of the Qajar Court (1794-1925). The Golestan Palace became the official residence of the royal family. During the Pahlavi era (1925-1979), the Golestan Palace was used for formal royal receptions. In its present state, the Golestan Palace is the result of roughly 400 years of construction and renovations.

The museum’s archival holdings are comprised of photographs, paintings, and manuscripts from the late Qajar era, and in particular, the period of Nasser al-Din Shah’s reign (1848-1896), as well as a small library. Naser Al-Din Shah (1831-1896) became interested in photography soon after its invention, publishing essays on photographic processes, as did his successor Mozfar Al-Din Shah. As a result, students were often sent to Europe and eventually became teachers in Dar Al-Funun.

The Golestan palace houses around 48,000 photographs, the oldest dating from 1840. The collection is organized according to albums which were made by the Qajar court, and often, by Nasser al-Din Shah himself. The collection, which is partly digitized (around 6,000 images as of 2015), includes approximately 1,000 slides, 1,039 albums and 9,000 glass negatives. The photographs are of various processes and sizes, and were taken in Iran and other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa (e.g. Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Japan, Russia, Georgia, France, Switzerland, Morocco, India, and Italy). The holdings also include a collection of nitrate films from the early years of Iranian Cinema.

The collection is often referenced in books, articles, postcards, exhibitions, and academic research. Important publications include: Tehran features; Golestan Palace; Like Mirror. The collection is in part accessible to Researchers upon request.

Contact Details: Name: Akram Alibabaei
Email: [email protected]
Address: Tehran, Panzdaeh Khordad, Arq Suquare, Golestan Palace
Tel: (+98) 021 33113335

Other:
Dissertation reviews: http://dissertationreviews.org/archives/10352

Country: Tunisia
Collection Type: Cultural organisation 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 Glass plates positives and/or negatives Prints
Website: http://www.inp.rnrt.tn/

The National Heritage Institute (INP) is a public administrative institution under the Ministry of Culture, responsible for establishing the inventory and study of cultural heritage, archeological, historical, civilizational and artistic artifacts.
The photograph library was created in 1984 and holds around 110,000 photographs, in the form of film-based negatives, positives, some 11,000 glass plates, Black & White and color images. The INP includes photograph collections from various museums in Tunisia such as Musée de Carthage and Musée de Bardo. Moreover, it also includes the Tunis Medina archives, the collection of the White Fathers missionaries, and images from historical and archeological sites in Tunisia. The archive has grown with contributions from INP photographers, such as Benassir, Khalifa, Rida or Selmi, and photographs have been mostly acquired on the occasion of exhibitions. The collection is available through an electronic database and accessible upon request for researchers, historians, archeologists, and INP employees.

Contact Details: Name: Mohamed Ali Ben Hassine, Collection representative
Email: [email protected]
Address: Rue Sophonisbe, Carthage Hannibal – 2016 Carthage (Tunis)
Tel: +216 22 946 326