Akkasah, the Photography Archive at New York University Abu Dhabi, is home to an archive of the photographic heritage of the Middle East and North Africa. Part of al Mawrid, the Arab Center for the Study of Art, Akkasah is dedicated to documenting and preserving the diverse histories and practices of photography from the region, and our growing archive contains at present over 33,000 images. Akkasah undertakes and supports research on Middle Eastern and North African photography, as well as on cross-cultural and transnational aspects of photography, through conferences, colloquia and publications, and through the research fellowship program of the NYUAD Institute. It also commissions new documentary projects from contemporary photographers that are archived alongside the historical collections, and it is establishing a special collection of photographic albums, as well as of original photobooks from around the world.
Akkasah acquires collections of prints and negatives, and it also creates digital versions of collections that remain with individuals and institutions seeking to preserve and share their collections. Akkasah is a scholarly enterprise and it does not seek any commercial rights over the materials it holds.
Both the archive and the special collection of photobooks and albums are open to scholars, students and the general public by appointment. We welcome proposals for new collections and collaborations.
PLEASE NOTE: The advanced search for Akkasah’s collections is currently unavailable. Please use the “Finding Aid” link under each collection to access images.
To request the use of an image from Akkasah’s collection, please contact us at akkasah@nyu.edu
Collections
Our historical collections range from the nineteenth century to the late twentieth. They cover a variety of themes and topics, from early images of the Holy Lands and from the Ottoman Empire, to images from family albums, institutional archives and the history of Egyptian cinema.
Akkasah’s collection of photographic albums from the region has been created in collaboration with the Library at NYUAD. The albums are housed in Special Collections in the Library and their digitized versions are available on this website.
Akkasah commissions and supports documentary photographic projects focused on the Middle East and North Africa. For the documentary projects, each photographer has created an exhibition of selected photographs on this site; additional images are also archived by Akkasah and can be viewed upon request, and with the agreement of the photographer.
