"Egyptian architect Abdelwahed El-Wakil has been named the recipient of the 2025 Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award. The recognition was announced during the Tamayouz Excellence Award Ceremony in Baghdad, held as part of the inaugural Arab Architecture Festival. The recognition highlights his contributions to the revival of traditional Islamic architecture, as well as his contributions as a researcher, educator, and mentor whose work has influenced generations of architects across the region and beyond."
"Born in Cairo in 1943, El-Wakil studied architecture at Ain Shams University, graduating with distinction in 1965. Early in his career, a mentorship under Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy shaped his approach toward vernacular construction, local materials, and climate-responsive design. This engagement informed his architectural philosophy, which integrates craftsmanship and cultural continuity within modern building practices, aiming to reconcile tradition with contemporary needs and contexts."
"One of El-Wakil's early projects, the Halawa House in Agami, Egypt, earned the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1980. The residence exemplifies his early exploration of vernacular construction methods and climate-responsive design, establishing principles that would define much of his later work. During the 1970s and 1980s, he designed a number of mosques in Jeddah and Madina that played a significant role in shaping Saudi Arabia's architectural landscape."
Abdelwahed El-Wakil received the 2025 Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award in Baghdad during the inaugural Arab Architecture Festival. His work revives traditional Islamic architecture through vernacular construction, local materials, and climate-responsive design. Born in Cairo in 1943 and trained at Ain Shams University, he was mentored by Hassan Fathy early in his career. Early projects like the Halawa House (Aga Khan Award, 1980) demonstrated climate-adaptive, craft-based principles. In the 1970s–1980s he shaped Saudi architecture with mosques like the King Saud Mosque, reinterpreting brick, domes, and vaults. His later international work includes the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, blending cultural identity with modern form.
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