Dr Omniya Abdel Barr is an architect, historian, and researcher working in the art and architecture of the Islamic world. She holds a PhD in Islamic history from Provence University, Aix-Marseille, France (2015) an MSc in Conservation of historic towns and buildings from the KUL, Leuven, Belgium (2004) and a BSc in Architecture from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Egypt (2000).
Her work is divided between research and practice. In 2014, she joined the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation and became their Head of Development, implementing projects in architectural documentation and digitisation, cultural heritage rescue and monument’s restoration. She is also interested in the study and preservation of the technical know-how linked with traditional crafts. In 2016, she became a research fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, working on collections from Egypt and the Arab world with a focus on photography, paintings, and architectural drawings.
Dr Abdel Barr also co-curated the First Islamic Art Biennale “Awwal Bayt” (2023), for the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in Jeddah/Saudi Arabia, which displayed over 280 historical artefacts, with 60 contemporary artworks by 42 international artists and collectives.
