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: United Arab Emirates
Collection Type: Press
Period: 1960-1980Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White imagesColour imagesDigital filesPrints
Website: http://www.alittihad.ae

Al Ittihad was established in 1969 as the first (Arabic language) newspaper prior to the creation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1971. It is part of Abu Dhabi Media group, a government organization which also includes Abu Dhabi TV and Radio.
Al Ittihad’s archive contains over thirty million images in the form of negatives and prints, as well as a growing number of digital images resulting from the shift to digital photography in 2003. Photographs were taken mostly by staff photographers and also acquired from other press sources; they relate to the UAE as well as global news coverage, with the earliest dating back to pre-unification days.
Al Ittihad’s archive is shared with The National newspaper, the English version launched in 2008, for stories about UAE history and heritage. The photographic archive of the National holds around 250,000 photos dating from the 1960s until the present day, and includes a small number of historic photographs of Al Ittihad.
The National newspaper runs a weekly series called Time Frame, which explores the story behind a historic photograph in the Al Ittihad archive and other collections (http://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle/timeframe). In 2011 the paper produced a supplement for the 40th anniversary of the UAE, which included original photographic research and journalism.
Contact Details:
Name: Tareq Al-Ghoul
Email: [email protected]
Address: Mohammed Bin Khalifa Street (Khalifa Street) Al Ittihad, Abu Dhabi, Near Rosary School
Tel: +971 04 332 2221

Country: Jordan
Collection Type: Research center
Collection Size: > 50,000
Period: 1960-1980Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White imagesColour imagesDigital filesFilm-based negativesPrints
Website: http://acorjordan.org/index.php/en/
The American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan was founded in 1968. ACOR promotes study, teaching, and increased knowledge of ancient and Middle Eastern studies with Jordan as a focus. ACOR’s permanent headquarters opened in 1986 near the University of Jordan.
ACOR houses a collection of more than 10,000 slides and images of Jordanian archaeological sites, excavations, and artifacts, including slides documenting ACOR’s Petra Church Project, from its inception to completion. These include slide collections of Jim Sauer (ACOR Director 1975-81) and the complete archive of Phillip Hammond who worked in Petra from 1963 to 2002.
A portion of the collection is currently being scanned for academic and eventually accessible to scholars.

Contact Details:
Name: Dr. Barbara A. Porter, ACOR Director
Email: [email protected]
Address: POB 2470 Amman 11181 Jordan
Tel: +962 6 534 6117

Country: Egypt
Collection Type: LibraryUniversity
Collection Size: > 50,000
Period: 1860-19001900-19301930-19601960-1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White imagesColour imagesDigital filesFilm-based negativesGlass plates positives and/or negativesPrintsSlides (positives)
Website: http://library.aucegypt.edu/rbscl/index.html

The Rare Books and Special Collections Library (RBSCL) at the American University in Cairo specializes in Egyptology and Middle Eastern Studies including Coptic and Islamic art and architecture as well as contemporary Egyptian art books and archives. It also houses and curates a sizeable collection of historic photographs that amounts to approximately 250,000 prints, negatives and slides.

The RBSCL was established in the nineties based upon the earlier Creswell Library which dated back to the sixties and encompassed his Islamic art and architecture books and his large collection of photographs from Egypt, North Africa, the Middle East and Andalusia. As a result of the RBSCL’s expansion many new collections were added. Among the most important is Hassan Fathy’s photographic collection focusing on his vernacular experiments and the highlights of his architectural career. The RBSCL has also acquired the archives and the bulk of the photographic collection of the Armenian photographer Van Leo as well as photographic collections of modern artists such as Salah Taher and Margo Veillon.

The vintage nineteenth century photographs constitute a pivotal component of AUC’s photographic collections. It includes loose photos and albums of pioneer photographers such as Francis Frith, Abdullah Frères, Arnoux, Beato, Bonfils, Béchard, Fiorillo, Lekegian, Sebah, Zangaki and a set of Underwood and Underwood stereoviews. The RBSCL houses also collections pertaining to other topics such as Nubia’s architecture and ethnographic life, the Egyptian Cinema and other aspects related to Egypt’s contemporary life.

The photographic collection at the RBSCL is currently a visual resource, a teaching and research tool available to the faculty and students of AUC and to worldwide independent scholars. In the last few years, the RBSCL photographs have become an important ingredient in many MA and PhD thesis as well as various publications and documentary movies. The RBSCL organizes annual exhibitions of selected themes based on its extensive collections within and beyond the scope of AUC campus.

Contact Details:
Email: [email protected]
Address: American University in Cairo, Road 90 – New Cairo

Other:
Further online access to collections:
http://digitalcollections.aucegypt.edu/

Country: Lebanon
Collection Type: LibraryUniversity
Collection Size: 10,000-50,000
Period: 1860-19001900-19301930-19601960-1980Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White imagesColour imagesDigital filesFilm-based negativesGlass plates positives and/or negativesPrints
Website: http://www.aub.edu.lb/main/academics/libraries/Pages/index.aspx

The University Archives and Special Collections (ASC) Department at the Libraries of the American University of Beirut (AUB) aims to collect, organize, preserve and provide access to the University’s archives, as well as to primary and unique historical resources that document the history and culture of AUB, Lebanon and the region at large. The Archives and Special Collections contain 700 linear feet of archival material (including papers of famous Lebanese and Arab intellectuals); 1,400 manuscripts; 9,000 volumes of AUB theses and dissertations; 5,000 posters; 1,900 maps; and 50,000 photographs. The collections are developed and enriched on an ongoing basis to support the academic and research programs of the AUB.

The AUB Archives and Special Collections’ photograph collections cover the late 19th to the 21st centuries and include many formats (negatives, glass plates, cabinet cards, albumen, black and white silver, colored, etc.). The collections include a number of significant holdings: the Moore Collection (106 black and white photos of AUB campus, Lebanon and the region taken between 1892 and 1915); the Blatchford Collection (801 photographs of the Middle East, Europe and North Africa between. 1880 to 1900); an Egyptian Theatre Collection (477 photos Black and white photographs in 20 albums that cover History of Egyptian Cinema from early to mid-twentieth century); the Richard Finnie Photo Collection (52 black and white photographs of Lebanese towns and cities during the 1950s); the Manoug Photo Collection (around 464 black and white photos of Lebanon covering the years 1940 to 1990); the Kanafani Photo Collection (228 black and white as well as colored photos covering crafts and folklore in the Middle East, 1982, 1998), in addition to an extensive photo collection documenting AUB’s various academic and extra-curricular activities since its founding in 1866.

Contact Details:
Name: Kaoukab Chebaro/Head; Samar Mikati/Archives Librarian
Email: ; mailto:[email protected]; [email protected]
Address: Ras Beirut, Bliss Street, Beirut Lebanon
Tel: +961 (0)1 350000; ext: 2610/ 2635

Country: Lebanon
Collection Type: Foundation or Association
Collection Size: > 50,000
Period: 1860-19001900-19301930-19601960-1980Later than 1980
Type of Material & Format: Black and White imagesColour imagesDigital filesFilm-based negativesGlass plates positives and/or negativesPrintsSlides (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