Hamida A. Alireza is a founding member of the Mansoojat Foundation. Born in the US and educated in Switzerland, she now lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In 1987, Hamida co-founded The Barakat Trust, a UK registered charity devoted to the study and preservation of Islamic art and heritage, which to date has offered scholarships and research funding to over 700 grantees across the globe. With The Barakat, she has organised cultural and educational trips to Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt. Hamida co-organised the History of Islamic Art, Collectors, Collections and Scholars' conference at the V&A Museum, London, and[...]

Lamya  F. Alghalib is a long-standing member of the Mansoojat Foundation living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She has been a key point of contact with the academic contributors to this publication and has also been responsible for maintaining consistency between the Arabic and English editions. Within Mansoojat, Lamya is responsible for maintaining the costumes database, cataloguing each item in the collection along with its historical and cultural context. She has participated in Mansoojat’s research trips and organised bazaars, events and exhibitions showcasing traditional clothing. Lamya has also designed a range of modern thobes, ‘abayahs, scarves and sandals inspired by the[...]

Adnan Abdulbadie Al-Yafi is an author and consultant currently based in Jeddah.  He holds a PhD from St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas and has formerly taught at universities in Jeddah and Makkah. In 1979, al-Yafi helped establish the Hajj Research Centre at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and became its first Deputy Director General. He has published on a variety of topics, both in English and in Arabic.

Maha Bint Said al-Yazidi is Associate Professor of History and Islamic Civilization at the University of Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia. In addition to her historical research, she has also published on contemporary women’s issues in Saudi Arabia. Al-Yazidi is the author of Factors of migration to Makkah al- Mukarramah during the Ottoman period (2012, in Arabic).

Amany Albahar is Associate Professor and former Head of the History Department at the Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University in Dammam. She is actively involved in promoting the heritage of Saudi Arabia, especially among Saudi youth. Her interests include both Islamic and pre-Islamic history, and she has published a volume on The Rituals of Pilgrimage to Makkah City Before Islam (published by Al-Moaarekh al Masri).

Laila Bint Saleh Al-Bassam is Professor of Fashion and Traditional Textiles at Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh. She has published on traditional costumes across Saudi Arabia and has also participated in the organization of various textile-related exhibitions, including Orient Jewels at the National Museum, Riyadh. Al-Bassam is the author of, among others, Traditional Jewelry and Costumes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2000), Traditional Children’s Costumes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2000), Women’s Costumes through the Ages (2002), and has co-authored Hand Embroidery (2002), a comprehensive volume on Arabian embroidery, with Laila Abdul-Ghaffar Feda. She has also contributed[...]

Abdallah Thabit is a prominent intellectual from Abha, 'Sir, currently based in Jeddah. A prolific poet, novelist and journalist, he has won several literary awards, including the National Poetry Prize of Abha. Thabit is a key figure of cultural life in 'Asir. His works have been translated into English, French, and Norwegian.  

Ali Ibrahim Mohammed Maghawi is a writer and researcher on cultural heritage in southern Saudi Arabia. He is an active member, mentor and guide with the Rijal Alma Museum in ‘Asir. Maghawi has published on various cultural and literary topics and has a long-standing interest in tribal traditions of ‘Asir. He has contributed to the volume Structure of Arab Tribes, currently in preparation for publication.

Abdul Aziz bin Mansi Sa'id al-'Omari is the director of the Antiquities and Ethnographic museum Department with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. Previously, he was the head of regional museums in Al-Ula, Najran and Taif. As an archaeologist with the National Museum in Riyadh, al-'Omari has worked on archaeological sites across Saudi Arabia, with particular focus on the Najran and ' Asir regions, and has published extensively on traditional Arabian architecture and heritage.  

Soraya Altorki is a professor of anthropology at The American University in Cairo. She holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and has taught at universities across the US and in Saudi Arabia. Her research focuses on women's issues in the Arab world and she is a founding member of Nour, a Beirut based NGO dedicated to this topic. She is the author and editor of, among others, The Structure/Agency Problem in the Anthropology of the Middle East (2015), Jiddah: Mother of Comfort and Hardship (with Abu Bark Baqadir, 2006, in Arabic), Studying Your Own Society: Arab Women[...]