Library Circles feature research, talks and experimental interventions by UAE practitioners in the Jameel Library and Jameel Arts Centre.  The programme explores alternative research methodologies and representations with a focus on ‘thinking in public’.

For this iteration, Rand Abdul Jabbar invites Yousif Al Diham, an archaeologist and preservation specialist from ‘Anah for a talk at the Jameel Library about their ongoing collaboration and the challenges of cultural preservation in conflict areas. A presentation of the research can be found leading up to the library.

Minaret of ‘Anah

The project adopts the tragic history of the Minaret of ‘Anah, situated in a town in Western Iraq, as a point of departure. Believed to date back to the Uqaylid dynasty, it was dismantled and relocated to a new site in the 1980’s due to the construction of a dam. In 2006, the Minaret was destroyed by an explosion as part of a larger terrorist campaign targeting several Iraqi cultural heritage sites. It was then rebuilt in 2012 by a team of local archaeologists, led by Yousif Al Diham, only to succumb once again to the destructive will of ISIS militias who detonated the structure in 2016. 

Rand Abdul Jabbar

Rand Abdul Jabbar (b. Baghdad, 1990) traverses the fluid boundaries across architecture, design, and the visual arts. Current research pursuits examine the cultural heritage of Iraq and ancient Mesopotamia, engaging with and drawing inspiration from architecture, archaeology and mythology. Throughout her process, she often borrows from and reconstructs the ephemera of place, history, and memory, employing design, sculpture and installation as primary mediums of operation.