Waleed Arafa

“As a high school fresh grad, I was obliged to make choices for a university major. I was in fear of having to part with my different and sometimes seemingly opposed interests in order to pursue just one of them. I did a casual placement with an architectural studio in Cairo and it was there where I realised that architecture is a unique profession where excellence is strongly related to maintaining and growing your knowledge in various fields. I did not have to leave one of my interests for the sake of another. Architecture brought all of my interests in one place. I jumped into the rabbit-hole and ever since I have been enjoying and exploring architecture’s wonderland,” shares Arafa.

Arafa leads a team of young Egyptian architects at Dar Arafa Architecture, which he founded in Cairo, 2006. Arafa earned a B.Sc. in Architecture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 2001, a post-graduate degree in the Conservation of Historical Buildings, from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, UK, 2015. His thesis was titled: ‘The Mosque in Britain: British Heritage’. Waleed is currently an MA Researcher, History of Islamic Art & Architecture, at the American University in Cairo. His work attained global recognition having been awarded, shortlisted and nominated for many international awards. Arafa thinks that Islam may provide new perspectives on architecture and help the world overcome its current creative, intellectual, and spiritual impasse. His approach is based on finding ways to continuing the discontinued architectural past of countries with an established legacy in the architecture of Islam, such as and especially Egypt.