United Arab Emirates: Sumaya Dabbagh
Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sumaya Dabbagh is the founder and principal architect at Dabbagh Architects in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE, 2008–), and one of the first women architects in the UAE to establish an architectural firm. Dabbagh studied architecture at the University of Bath in Bath, England. She worked in London, England, and Paris, France, before she relocated to Dubai (c. 1993), where she established her architectural firm in 2008.
Dabbagh Architects is registered as a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Chartered Practice (2015–), becoming one of the first practices in the Gulf Region to earn this recognition. Dabbagh Architects earned a nomination for an Aga Khan Award for Architecture and an Architecture MasterPrize for two of their projects: the Mleiha Archaeological Centre located in Sharjah, UAE (2016) and the Gargash Mosque located in Dubai (2021). Notably, in 2021, Sumaya Dabbagh became one of the first women architects to design a mosque in the UAE, the Gargash Mosque. Dabbagh Architects has also exhibited their installation “Earth to Earth” at the Sharjah Architecture Triennial (2023–2024). Dabbagh is a founding member of the RIBA Gulf Chapter (2009), and served as chair of the RIBA Gulf Chapter (2015–2019). She was shortlisted for the “Woman of Outstanding Achievement” category of the Tamayouz Excellence Award (2024 and 2019), and was named “Principal of the Year” at the Middle East Architects Awards (2019).
References
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“Sumaya Dabbagh and WAHO Create a Contemporary Place of Worship Reinterpreting Islamic Geometry While Using Light as a Connecting Vehicle with the Divine.” Global Design News, December 16, 2021. https://globaldesignnews.com/sumaya-dabbagh-creates-a-contemporary-place-of-worship-reinterpreting-islamic-geometry-while-using-light-as-a-connecting-vehicle-with-the-divine/.
“Sumaya Dabbagh Builds a Contemporary Mosque.” Design Diffusion (blog), March 2, 2022. https://designdiffusion.com/en/2022/03/02/sumaya-dabbagh-builds-a-contemporary-mosque/.
