Dr. Sami Angawi is a renowned Saudi Architect and expert on Islamic Architecture, especially in the holy cities of Makkah and Medina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a wide knowledge and appreciation of both traditional and contemporary architecture.

​

Born in Makkah and the son of a Motawif (a guide, or organizer, for pilgrams), Dr. Angawi worked and traveled with his father on the journey of Hajj, where he attended circles of knowledge with great Sheikhs and developed his understanding of the culture and wider Islamic civilization. 

​

Educated as an architect and planner in both America and Europe, he continuously interacted with renowned architects; participating in hundreds of conferences and seminars and communing with a vast number of diverse scholars and professionals. In his early professional career, he learned, interacted and worked with German architect; Frei Otto and Egyptian architect; Hassan Fathi. Later, during his time in the Hajj Research Center, he directed hundreds of diverse scholars and scientists, unified under his leadership to study, analyze and plan for a very complex event (hajj).

​

Through a lifetime of conducting research and compiling material on the history of hajj, the two holy cities and the wider Hijaz region, Dr. Sami Angawi holds one of the world’s largest and most impressive archive collections on the subject.

​

Ever since the 1960s, he has been collecting material for the purpose of documenting the history of the Two Holy Mosques and their surroundings in all their facets including landscapes, town views, architecture and everyday life. More specifically, he has documented the hajj and compiled an archive which addresses almost every aspect of the annual pilgrimage for the purpose of promoting and educating the public about the history, culture and heritage of the two holy cities and the history of Saudi Arabia.