The Palestinian architect and author Suad Amiry has won the 2025 “Great Arab Minds” award in the architecture and design category in recognition of her contributions to preserving Palestinian architectural heritage. Amiry is the founder of RIWAQ Architectural Conservation Centre, in Ramallah, which has documented more than 50,000 buildings in hundreds of villages across the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, established the Great Arab Minds initiative in 2022. According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), he praised Amiry’s efforts to restore and adapt historic buildings in ways that strengthen architectural identity and support local communities. He commended her for involving local artisans in village restoration projects, creating jobs and training them in traditional building materials.
In addition to her architectural work, Amiry is also an acclaimed writer of a memoir and other books exploring Palestinian life, which have been translated into more than 20 languages. She studied architecture at the American University of Beirut, then earned a master’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland.