Face Hunter

🇰🇼 Long before Dubai and Doha rose to prominence, was already shaping the future. By the 1960s, fueled by oil wealth and newfound independence, it transformed into one of the region’s most developed cities—redefining its urban landscape with bold , ambitious planning, and a vibrant cultural scene. From the late 1940s to the late 1980s, Kuwait became a playground for both local and international architects, who helped shape an entirely new city. Today, its skyline is a dialogue between past and future, where mid-century landmarks stand alongside cutting-edge contemporary designs. continues to shape this evolving landscape, with geometric patterns, arabesques, and calligraphy seamlessly woven into modern structures.

1: Safat Souq, 1975
2: Al Awqaaf Complex, 1982
3: Kuwait National Museum, by French architect Michel Ecochard, 1983
4: Behbehani Complex
5: Al Othman Center, by Polish architect Wojciech Jarząbek, 1991
6: Kuwait Finance House HQ, 1985
7: Al-Arabi sports club old stadium
8: school in Shuwaikh
10: Al Ghawali Complex
11: Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (left) & Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, designed by Lebanese studio Dar al-Handasah
15-17: Mamluki Lancet Mosque by Kuwait-based Babnimnim Design Studio, 2023

Yerevan, when I close my eyes

🇦🇲 Arches are everywhere in the capital of .

In the 20th century, most Armenian architects seeked to combine modernism with national identity. They often borrowed the concept of arches from medieval churches and applied it as a decorative element in non-religious buildings.

Here is a little selection of some of my favourite constructions seen in town, in November 2024:

1 & 13: Kilikia Bus Station, Grigor Aghababyan, 1959
2: recent residential buildings
3: Soviet-era concrete wall
4: National Polytechnic University of Armenia, Armen Aghalyan, 1975
5: Yeritasardakan Metro Station, Stepan Kyurkchyan, 1981
6: Avetik Isahakyan Central Library,
7: Rossiya Cinema, Spartak Khachikyan, Hrachik Poghosyan, and Artur Tarkhanyan, 1975
8: Alexander Spendiaryan Special Music School, Ruben Zubietyan, 1971
9: Pak Shuka Market, Grigor Aghababyan, 1952
10: Kond Pedestrian Tunnel, 1936
11: Yerevan City Hall, Jim Torosyan, 2003
12: Aram Khachaturian Museum, Mark Grigoryan, 1978

ከረን (Keren) 🇪🇷 ‘s second-largest city - located just 90km away from Asmara - is a whole different vibe.

Comparing to the national capital, Keren has much less traces of Italian colonisation (ok just a few fancy houses). You can experience the difference through coffee culture. While Asmara is home to so many Italian-style cafés serving macchiatos, Keren is all about the traditional bun (coffee with ginger).
While most Asmarinos are Christian, Islam is prevalent in Keren. While Tigrinya is the most broadly spoken language in the capital city, people use mainly Tigre to communicate in Keren. Both languages are related but, Tigre includes more words borrowed from Arabic.

Keren sort of feels like a different country than Asmara.

1. Italian colonial mansion
2. Usra
4. Gere Jesus, shoemaker/owner of a shoe shop
6. Akram, café manager
8. Man belonging to the Beja people, a Cush*tic ethnic group living in some parts of Sudan, Eritrea and Southeastern Egypt.