Palestine: Dr. Suad Amiry

Born in 1951 in Damascus, Syria, Dr. Suad Amiry is a Palestinian architect, writer, and the founder and director of the Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation in Ramallah, Palestine (1991). She holds a bachelor’s of science from the American University of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon; a master’s of science in urban planning from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and a PhD in architecture from the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr. Amiry worked in academia. She was a lecturer in architecture at the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan, and at Birzeit University in West Bank, Palestine (c. 1981–1991). She has also served as vice-chairperson of the board of trustees of Birzeit University (2006). She contributed to the following selection of publications: Traditional Floor Tiles in Palestine (2000), Earthquake in April (2002), The Palestinian Village Home (2003), Throne Village Architecture (2003), Manateer (Watch Towers) (2003), Reclaiming Spaces: the 50 Village Rehabilitation Project in Rural Palestine (2015), and The Peasant Architecture In Palestine (2018). Her memoir, Sharon and My Mother-in-Law (2003), earned a Viareggio-Versilia International Prize in Italy (2004).

Dr. Amiry served as a member of the Palestinian peace delegations in Washington, D.C. (1991–1993), and as the assistant deputy minster and director general of the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Culture (1994–1996). She has been a board member of the Palestine Investment Fund and of the Palestine Housing Council, and served as a jury member for The Palestine Award for Culture. The Riwaq Centre has earned numerous awards and accolades, including an Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2013), the Curry Stone Design Prize (2012), the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development (2011), and the Qattan Distinction Award (2007). Dr. Amiry was awarded the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize (2025), and earned the Tamayouz Excellence Award for Women in Architecture and Construction Prize (2018).