In a country where the scars of war run deep and the echoes of lost heritage are ever present, doctor-turned-businessman Hasanain Al Ibrahimi has taken on a unique mission – mending the fractures of Iraq’s soul by preserving its cultural memory.
For decades, Iraq has been a landscape of loss, with its rich artistic heritage fractured by decades of war, economic sanctions and political and security instability. Dr Al Ibrahimi has emerged as an unlikely saviour, meticulously assembling the country's largest private collection of modern and contemporary Iraqi art.
“My personal passion for art has turned into a kind of mission, carrying cultural, historical and intellectual responsibilities,” Dr Al Ibrahimi told The National. “It deals with the memory of the nation through knowledge and heritage, which I believe are among the most valuable treasures.”
The anaesthesiologist and intensive care doctor quit his job at the Iraqi Health Ministry in early 1990s, when Iraqi wages averaged between $5 and $25 a month – hardly enough to afford basic necessities. He started working in the private sector until establishing his own company that offers medical equipment and services, focusing on the UN-run oil-for-food scheme that enabled the government to secure the essential needs for Iraqis.
His art collection started as a hobby in 2000, when he bought two paintings by Hafidh Aldroubi (1914-1991), considered one of the pioneers of modern Iraqi art, in Baghdad. Then he acquired several drawings by artists Jewad Selim (1919-1961) and Faik Hassan (1914-1992). By 2003, he had 50 artworks in his collection.
After witnessing the looting and vandalism at the Iraqi National Museum, the National Library and Saddam Hussein Centre for the Arts during the chaos surrounding the 2003 US-led invasion, Dr Al Ibrahimi decided to set aside part of the profits from his AGMEST Group for Investment and Development to build a collection to help preserve Iraqi art. His collection is mainly paintings and drawings, but also includes other artforms.
“All Iraqis were shocked, especially those who follow cultural, artistic and historical affairs,” the 62-year old father of four, who divides his time between Jordanian capital Amman and Baghdad, recalled.
His first post-invasion purchase was 13 works from a retrospective of the painter Shakir Hassan Al Said (1925-2004), an exhibition he financed on condition that he got first pick from the display.
“By then, the journey of collecting had started, and when you start that journey every new piece that enters your collection entangles you further in the passion of art,” said Dr Al Ibrahimi, with a smile.
Like many other middle-class Iraqis, Dr Al Ibrahimi’s family had settled in the Jordanian capital Amman after the 1991 Gulf War to escape Saddam Hussein’s regime and UN sanctions imposed on Iraq. Being in Amman gave him access to more Iraqi art, as many new arrivals sold artworks they had brought with them, in order to raise funds.
In July 2014, after ISIS overran the northern city of Mosul and other parts of Iraq, it launched a campaign to destroy archaeological and heritage sites, which the militant group considered pagan, and Islamic sites it considered idolatrous.
“After that, the conviction strengthened that we are a country constantly facing dangers, and it is essential to do something to preserve this memory,” said Dr Al Ibrahimi. By then, he had accumulated about 1,500 artworks.
In 2015, he launched the official website for the Ibrahimi Collection, with the biographies of more than 250 Iraqi artists. Two years later, he modified his company’s four-storey headquarters in Amman to display the collection in a gallery that was open to the public for the first time.
As the collection grew to about 3,000 works, he divided it between Amman and Baghdad, where he opened the first privately funded public art gallery in November last year.
“Baghdad is the cradle of the Iraqi art movement, and therefore, being present here is essential,” he said, gesturing to the works inside his gallery.
Glory days and struggles
The quiet calm of the Baghdad gallery is broken only by the gentle strains of classical music. The artworks on display, predominantly by pioneers of Iraqi art, vibrate with the untold stories of a nation. Each brushstroke carries the weight of an Iraqi heyday – the golden era of cultural flourishing – but also casts a shadow on the darker chapters of its history.
Among them is Fragments, an oil painting on canvas by Hassan. The 72cm x 193cm work, which is dated 1977, is unusual in both size and style for the painter, according to Dr Al Ibrahimi.
“Against a pale indigo background, fragments float like a panorama on the canvas surface, evoking the walls and ruins of ancient Iraqi relics. Just as those relics have remained in the form of mere fragments, like a puzzle waiting to be solved, the elements in this painting also appear separated and incomplete,” Dr Ibrahimi writes in one of his five books that document Iraqi art from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.
“Dominated by shades of blue, the artwork conveys a sense of mystery and nostalgia for the past, inviting the viewer to reflect on Iraq’s ancient history and the beauty of its remaining fragment.”
“This artwork is not only a departure from the artist's usual style, but it is also considered an extremely rare piece, being the largest abstract work by the artist to date to have been surfaced on the global market,” he writes.
Other works show how Iraqi pioneers were influenced by European styles and artists after spending years in Europe, before shifting to local themes. In one corner, an oil on canvas by Jewad Selim – best known for the Freedom Monument in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, commemorating the 1958 revolution – is titled A Boy as Pierrot, after Jean-Honore Fragonard’s Painting.
Opposite it are two works by his wife Lorna Selim (1928-2021), depicting old Baghdadi houses, captured in browns and its shades before their removal during modernisation of the city in the 1960s.
Two oil paintings from 1975 by Faisel Laibi Sahi show the brutal side of Iraq's history with mangled and wounded bodies. Titled Al Nehaia (The End) Palace Prison, 1 and 2, they are named after a place notorious for the torture and execution of dissidents during the 1960s.
Despite the quiet, the gallery is noisy in spirit. The artworks tell a complex tale – one of a nation’s glory days, but also of its struggles and scars.
“Whenever I see the look of astonishment and admiration in the eyes of every visitor who arrives here at this place or in Amman, I feel a sense of pride and exhilaration,” said Dr Al Ibrahimi.
“A person should always light a candle, even in the darkest times.”
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
The five pillars of Islam
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
----
Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Background: Chemical Weapons
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More on Quran memorisation:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
The years Ramadan fell in May
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
![Al Nehaia [The End] Palace Prison (1971), by Faisel Laibi Sahi](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/CJL6LEZD3NAA3M3OPX44W6BM3I.jpg?smart=true&auth=17f1125bbef9154f22c342758331cb065538d1a4293129fec85216bd73bfe6a7&width=800&height=450)
![Al Nehaia [The End] Palace Prison (1975), by Faisel Laibi Sahi](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/GMCSHUUAANAWNGEQB5GUVJJENQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=973347e57ba30e0f652bdd0d03887be96e8e2b2a76c2b790321f7401bb569000&width=800&height=450)
