Sharjah Architecture Triennial will present 'A Journey into Architecture Archives: Baghdad, Damascus, Tunis', a new chapter in its long-term research initiative dedicated to architectural archives in the Arab world.
On view from May 2 to July 12, the project brings together rare archival materials, physical models and newly commissioned documentary films to explore histories, memories and unrealised futures across three pivotal Arab cities.
Building on the inaugural 2023 exhibition, which focused on Beirut, Cairo and Rabat, Journeys into Architecture Archives was developed to foster knowledge production about the region from within its own communities, while contributing to the development of a shared archival database. With a view to expanding across multiple geographies and engaging a broad network of researchers and curators, this iteration is once again curated by Lebanese architect George Arbid.
In response to ongoing political instability in the region, this edition marks a shift from the previous exhibition format to a Collection Room. This transition reflects an evolving methodology: one that moves away from the conventions of exhibition display toward a quieter, more sustained engagement with material. It also underscores SAT’s broader commitment to addressing the urgent condition of architectural archives in the Arab world, highlighting both their precarity and their significance as repositories of architectural knowledge, historical insight and cultural memory. In doing so, it foregrounds the need to locate, safeguard, and reactivate documentation that is often fragmented, endangered, or overlooked, a statement said.
Focusing on Baghdad, Damascus and Tunis, the Collection Room features work from private collections and institutional archives. Revealing layered histories of buildings and neighbourhoods, it brings together reproductions of architectural drawings, documents and models dating largely from 1930 to 1980. Emphasising pre-digital design processes, visitors encounter pen-and-paper drawings and 3D printed models produced for the exhibition, positioning architecture as a tactile and narrative practice rooted in craftsmanship and discovery.
The materials on view preserve the memory of realised buildings while also revisiting those that were altered, demolished or never built.
Among them are works related to the Hôtel du Lac in Tunis, designed by Raffaele Contigiani and currently under threat of demolition, alongside documentation of experimental cinemas in Damascus and modernist civic and cultural projects in Baghdad. These include the Mayoralty Building by Iraqi architect Hisham Munir, developed following a 1978 competition and emblematic of a generation of public architecture that sought to reconcile modern construction with local traditions - integrating brickwork, woodcraft and arched forms with exposed concrete. Through these assemblages, the Collection Room reconstructs both lost and imagined architectures, offering insight into the ambitions and complexities that have shaped these cities.
Extending this inquiry, the project also presents three documentaries commissioned by SAT and directed by Arbid, filmed on location across Baghdad, Damascus and Tunis. These works trace his in-situ engagement with architectural archives, weaving together material discoveries with oral histories and personal accounts from architects, archivists, residents and historians. Together, they position the importance of the archive as a living and evolving form - one that continues to shape how architecture is understood, remembered and reimagined – and will be made available as a permanent resource online following the exhibition’s duration.
George Arbid – curator, architect and founding director of the Arab Center for Architecture in Beirut – commented: “This project has a long-term vision of contributing to a comprehensive and accessible architectural archive for the region. It fosters education, research and personal discovery, offering a layered understanding of the past, present and possible futures of the built environment across these three cities. In moments of conflict, our role extends beyond presenting history to caring for the stories we hold. It is great that this archive is preserved, but more importantly, it should be used.”
Mona El-Mousfy, founding advisor for the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, said: “The institution is committed to identifying, researching and sharing materials from architectural archives across the region. This work supports our broader mission to advance knowledge creation rooted in the host city and its wider context, while fostering dialogue with local and regional institutions and stakeholders. This marks the project’s second iteration, with future iterations to follow.”
To mark the opening of the Collection Room on Saturday, May 2, Arbid will present an online lecture from 3-4 pm. Following this, Arbid will moderate an online panel discussion and Q&A from 4-5.30 pm which will connect contributors from across the region to reflect on the challenges of working with architectural archives, extending the project beyond its physical setting. Panellists include Salma Gharbi (architect and founding member and chair of Docomomo Tunisia), Zaid Issam (architect), Ahmad Salah (architect and co-founder and director of AMASyria) and Ola Seif (art historian).
Visitors to A Journey into Architecture Archives: Baghdad, Damascus, Tunis will be able to book either independent or guided tours of the Collection Room online here. -TradeArabia News Service
