Dr. Sami Angawi is a direct descendent of the Prophets Abraham and Ishmael, the builders of Islam’s holiest shrine, the Kaba at Makkah, and a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad (S) through the children of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah Zahara. Dr. Angawi is a prominent architect and Sufi leader in the Hijaz region of Saudi Arabia. A former fellow of the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, Dr. Sami Angawi has a Doctorate of Philosophy in Islamic Architecture from the University of London, and a Master of Arts in Architecture from the University of Texas in Austin. He is the Founder and General Director of the AMAR Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Sami Angawi promotes an independent Hijazi identity and re-evaluation of Hijazi relationships with the Saudi royal family. People who know Dr. Angawi describe him as the “undeclared leader” of the Hijaz [Bradley, John R. Saudi Arabia Exposed: Inside a Kingdom in Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. 19 May 2005].
A Beautiful Symbol of Hijazi Identity: Al Makkiyah Residency