Abdulraouf Murad majored in business administration but has found his passion in history and architecture. When you meet him, he introduces himself as a photographer and researcher interested in documenting Kuwait’s modern heritage, and especially its urban history. His goal is to spread awareness about the importance of preserving historical buildings and highlighting the distinctive aspects of Kuwait’s modern history.
His interest led him to dabbling in photography through practice and self-directed learning. And, despite never taking a course or class in the art, he has been teaching himself how to take stunning and deeply moving pictures. Not only are the photos beautifully composed and well-balanced, they tell a story of a country and people.
In December 2018, he visited the Al-Sawaber residential complex; days later a public discussion arose and a team of volunteers called for the preservation of the complex and its re-exploitation. This discussion contributed to increasing awareness and the importance of preserving historical and distinctive buildings. He started researching and it became clear to him that over the past years we have lost many distinctive buildings and places that were demolished for no reason. That was when he decided to start documenting Kuwait’s urban legacy and spreading awareness about the dangers of obliteration and destruction that these spaces are facing.
“Preserving the urban environment shows and highlights the urban development that the country has gone through. Demolition and rebuilding makes the country appear as if it is newly established, with all these modern buildings. Today if an old man headed to Kuwait Cty for a walk, where he spent his lifetime, he would find it very difficult to recognize any of it! Most of the places, homes and landmarks that he used to visit and spend his memories in are gone!” Abdulraouf told us.
He wants to see distinctive historical places conserved because it is the preservation of generational memories that allows younger people to benefit from previous experiences. On the other hand, Abdulraouf believes that the repeated demolition contributes to polluting the environment by creating tons of waste that is not properly discarded or treated. It is a waste and depletion of planet’s resources which is the opposite of the current global trend that calls for sustainability and the reduction of environmental pollution
This doesn’t mean that he is against any kind of demolition. On the contrary, If a building does not carry historical value or distinctive experience, is not related to the memory of the country’s inhabitants and its presence constitutes an obstacle to development, then he has no objections to its removal.
Sometimes he reads about a place and then goes to photograph it, and other times he sees the place then researches it. This insatiable curiosity has helped him rediscover Kuwait and highlight the amazing places that are often overlooked. Through his work, he’s trying to refute the belief that Kuwait is just shopping malls, cafes or restaurants. Instead, it is a country rich with history and culture that has evolved and developed over decades and centuries.
His work has found an audience and fanbase in Kuwait. His thorough documentation of Kuwait’s Entertainment City and its current state of disrepair resonates strongly with his Instagram followers. In his opinion it is because this space carries happy memories for many generations and was a regularly visited destination for both Kuwait’s residents and visitors.
For him personally though, the demolition of the Ice Skating Rink saddened him the most. Despite being officially registered by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters as a preserved historical building, and the many groups and specialists who demanded to preserve it, the rink was demolished with the intent to build a modern one.
He doesn’t just visit a location and take an Instagram worthy shot or two, instead he will take seemingly dozens of photos and attach them to well-thought out and researched captions. His visit to Failaka showed how much damage was done to the island during the Iraqi attack and occupation. He showed us bullet holes, debris and even signs that these were places that people once called home.
“Indeed, visiting these places and wandering around was kind of a time-travel, and with a little imagination you can actually see and hear people used to live in these places, but you quickly return to the reality of abandonment, neglect and destruction of these facilities,” Abdulraouf explains.
He hopes that the day will come that the current demolition and obliteration of historical monuments in a random and unjustified manner will stop, and that there will be more interest in the preservation and re-utilization of facilities. He wishes to see for the local community to realize that development and modernization does not necessarily need to be built on the ruins of the buildings of the past.
He also hopes to witness the day in which one of Kuwait’s distinctive sites becomes registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as Kuwait is one of the few countries that has no recognized site registered.. Until then, he believes that the least an individual can do is photograph, document, highlight, and talk about these places. Which he will definitely continue doing and thinks that we can all join in and become part of the movement.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
What do you most value about your friends?
That they care, and are always there to help me when I need them
Which living person do you most admire?
Jack Ma
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Happiness is a journey, and you can’t reach it until you walk through sadness and suffering, and believing that all of these are just a matter of time…which will end and lead you to true happiness.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Time spent on social media
What is your most treasured possession?
Health and wellness
What is your greatest fear?
Fear of losing loved ones
What is your most marked characteristic?
A good listener
Which talent would you most like to have?
Playing a musical instrument and being specialized in Arabic Music
What is one trait you have that you are most grateful for?
My good reputation
What is the human trait you most dislike about others?
Not respecting time!
What is it that you most dislike?
Oh! Traffic!
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I still use “LOL” when something funny happens
What are your favorite words to live by?
“This too shall pass”
Where would you most like to live?
In a camper van! Roaming around the world
If you could have any job, what would it be?
A music composer
What would you consider your greatest achievement?
Re-discovering Kuwait, and highlighting its bright sides that many overlook, and re-introducing them in an interesting way
What do you hope for the future?
I hope that a day will come when there will be more interest and awareness on the part of state officials regarding preserving Kuwait’s modern history and its urban legacy, as history cannot be compensated and cannot be bought.
Find Abdulraouf and his work on Instagram and Twitter @abdulraoufq8. All images courtesy of Abulraouf Murad.
