Suad Amiry awarded Premio Argan 2025 for Palestinian architectural conservation
Suad Amiry, a Palestinian architect, writer, and activist born in Damascus in 1951, was awarded the Premio Argan 2025 by ANCSA at the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome for her commitment to preserving Palestinian architecture. Renowned in Italy for her book Sharon e mia suocera, she has been a faculty member at Birzeit University since 1981 and currently resides in Ramallah, where she leads the Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation. During her acceptance speech, Amiry highlighted the devastation of Gaza's architectural heritage and the significance of the Italy-Palestine connection. Over thirteen years, Riwaq's National Register of Historic Buildings has documented 530,320 structures, while the 'Cinquanta Villaggi' initiative focuses on preserving 50 important villages. Additionally, she established a job training program for conservation trades post-2000.
Key facts
- Suad Amiry received the Premio Argan 2025 from ANCSA at the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome.
- Amiry is a Palestinian architect, writer, and activist born in Damascus in 1951.
- She has taught at Birzeit University since 1981 and lives in Ramallah.
- She founded and directs the Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation.
- Riwaq's National Register of Historic Building cataloged 530,320 historic buildings over 13 years at a cost of nearly $1 million.
- The 'Cinquanta Villaggi' project conserved 50 out of 450 identified villages.
- Job Creation through Conservation was launched after 2000 when 200,000 Palestinian workers lost jobs in Israel.
- Amiry stated that all of Gaza's architectural heritage has been destroyed.
Entities
Artists
- Suad Amiry
Institutions
- ANCSA
- Istituto Centrale per il Restauro
- Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation
- Birzeit University
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Damascus
- Syria
- Ramallah
- Palestine
- Gaza
- Israel
- Cisgiordania
- Gerusalemme
- Nablus
- Jaffa
- Cairo
- Egypt
- Damasco
- Grecia
- Mediterranean