Syria: Dr. Marwa Al-Sabouni
Born in Homs, Syria, in 1981, Dr. Marwa Al-Sabouni is an architect and author. She co-founded Arabic Gate for Architectural News, based in Homs, Syria — the first Arabic language news platform dedicated to architectural news. Dr. Al-Sabouni holds a bachelor’s and a master’s in architecture and a PhD in Islamic architecture and philosophy of architecture, all from Al-Ba-ath (Homs University) in Homs. Dr. Al-Sabouni hosted a Ted Talk titled “How Syria’s Architecture Laid the Foundation for a Brutal War” (2016). She published both Building for Hope: Toward an Architecture of Belonging (2021) and her autobiography, The Battle for Home: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria (2016). Her forthcoming book examines the essence of mosques in urban landscapes across the world; it will be published by Thames and Hudson (2026). Dr. Al-Sabouni earned the Watch Award from the World Monuments Fund (2023), was featured on the “The BBC’s 100 Women in 2019” list, earned a Prince Claus Award (2018), earned the Kuwaiti Royal Award with her husband for Best Media Project in Arab World (2010), and was awarded first place in the UN-Habitat Mass Housing Revitalization Competition (2014) with her proposal that focused on rebuilding Baba Amr, an area destroyed in the Syrian conflict.
References
Al-Sabouni, Marwa. Building for Hope: Towards an Architecture of Belonging. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2021.
Al-Sabouni, Marwa. “From a Model of Peace to a Mode Conflict: The Effect of Architectural Modernization on the Syrian Urban and Social Make-Up.” International Review of the Red Cross (2005) 99, no. 906 (2017): 1019–36. doi:10.1017/S181638311900002X.
Al-Sabouni, Marwa. “How Can the Architecture of a City Play a Role in War?” TED Talk. National Public Radio. November 13, 2020. https://m.kuow.org/stories/marwa-al-sabouni-how-can-the-architecture-of-a-city-play-a-role-in-war.
Al-Sabouni, Marwa. “Unsteady Foundations.” RSA Journal 166, no. 3 (5583) (2020): 40–41.
Al-Sabouni, Marwa, and Roger Scruton. The Battle for Home: The Memoir of a Syrian Architect. London: Thames & Hudson, 2017.
“BBC 100 Women 2019: Who Is on the List This Year?” BBC, October 15, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-50042279.
Buxton, Pamela. “Lessons from Syria: Make Architecture a Craft Again and Restore a Sense of Society.” The RIBA Journal, June 7, 2021. https://www.ribaj.com/culture/building-for-hope-marwa-al-sabouni-syria-vulnerability-and-home.
Cooke, Rachel. “One Woman’s Battle to Heal Her Home City of Homs.” The Guardian, April 3, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/03/homs-syria-marwa-al-sabouni-architect.
Coslovich, Gabriella. “Marwa Al-Sabouni on the Battle to Rebuild Homs.” Sydney Morning Herald, August 25, 2018. https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/marwa-al-sabouni-on-the-battle-to-rebuild-homs-20180821-p4zysz.html.
Cramer, Ned. “The Stones of Syria.” Architect, August 12, 2016. https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/editorial/the-stones-of-syria_o.
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Masuda-Farkas, Max. “Marwa Al-Sabouni: The Architecture of Peace.” Urbanize, September 21, 2022. https://detroit.urbanize.city/post/marwa-al-sabouni-architecture-peace.
McEvers, Kelly. “‘The Battle For Home’ Traces Syria’s History Through Architecture.” NPR, July 20, 2016. https://www.npr.org/2016/07/20/486785267/the-battle-for-home-traces-syrias-history-through-architecture.
“MEDirections Keynote Lecture by Marwa Al-Sabouni | The Spring’s Harvest: What Role Can Architecture Play in the Reconstruction of Syrian Cities?” Middle East Directions (blog). January 31, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20250126171411/https://middleeastdirections.eu/medirections-keynote-lecture-by-marwa-al-sabouni-the-springs-harvest-what-role-can-architecture-play-in-the-reconstruction-of-syrian-cities/.
Neustein, David. “‘Building for Hope’ by Marwa al-Sabouni.” The Monthly, accessed March 4, 2024. https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2021/june/1622469600/david-neustein/building-hope-marwa-al-sabouni.
Pfeifer, Hazel. “The Syrian Architect with a Vision for How to Rebuild Her Country.” CNN, November 18, 2016 . https://www.cnn.com/style/article/homs-syria-architect-marwa-al-sabouni/index.html.
“Syrian Architect Marwa Al-Sabouni Proposes Designs to Restore Social Cohesion after the War.” Design Boom. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://www.designboom.com/architecture/marwa-al-sabouni-syria-prince-claus-award-12-22-2018/.
“Ten Experts to Watch on Reconstruction in Syria.” Syrian Economic Task Force. December 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20251021085224/https://syrianeconomic.net/home/2017/12/07/ten-experts-to-watch-on-reconstruction-in-syria/.
