Birth: NULL/NULL/1909 Death:NULL/NULL/1999
Born in Haifa in 1909; studied Islamic Art at the Hamzawi School in Cairo from 1922-27; returned to Palestine and began working on the first major 20th Century renovation of the Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock Mosques in Jerusalem from 1927-28; was sent by the British Mandate Inspector of Education and Art to the UK to study at the Central College of Arts and Crafts from 1934-37; returned and assumed a teaching position at the Arab College in Jerusalem; taught Islamic Art at other colleges as well; in the early 1940s, was delegated by UNESCO to teach Art in Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya; after the 1948 Nakba, ended up in Damascus, Syria, where he taught Art at several institutions; later worked as expert in art education for UNESCO in Libya from 1952-62; returned to Palestine in 1962 and ran a workshop in Ramallah; was commissioned by the Waqf to head the team to renovate the 1,000-year-old wood and ivory pulpit (Minbar) burnt by an Israeli arsonist in 1969; worked on this task for six years, eventually restoring all carved wood, ceramic artwork and kufic Arabic calligraphy to its original condition; also worked for two years decorating the Jordan University Mosque and created many works – calligraphy and graphics – for private homes and royal palaces all around the Arab World; received many awards for his work, incl. a Medal of Honor from King Abdullah I of Jordan and a UNESCO award in 1994 for his work on glass; died in Amman in 1999; his life and work were subject of a dissertation by Fayeq S. Oweis, entitled The Elements of Unity in Islamic Art as Examined Through the Work of Jamal Badran (2002).
