Safouh Al-Nomani, the late Lebanese photographer has depicted a collection of rare pictures of Kaaba and Masjid Al-Haram in the 1930’s that belong to the period before expansion of Masjid Al-Haram.
According to Shafaqna, Safouh Al-Nomani came to Saudi Arabia as a photographer in the 1950’s.
The most famous photo that Safouh Al-Nomani took was a color photo of Kaaba which was taken before expansion of Masjid Al-Haram. This color photo was recorded in 1954 and during King Saud’s period and probably it is the oldest color photo of Kaaba.
Al-Nomani not only took photos from Kaaba and from several different angles but also he recorded all elements of Masjid Al-Haram. Moreover, this collection of photos became a major part of the history of photography in Mecca.
His family owned clothing stores and engaged in business in this scope but he became a photographer and recorded valuable historical photos of Mecca and Medina. Incidentally, during Safouh al-Nomani’s career, major historical events occurred in Saudi Arabia. This Lebanese photographer recorded one part of those events.
Al-Nomani who inhabited in Jeddah with his family went to Mecca and Meddina several times during Hajj and other occasions and took photographs from the biggest event of the Muslim World. Some of these photographs are lasting due to historical significance of narratives they convey.
According to a report by IRNA, Omar Al-Nomani, the son of Safouh Al-Nomani said: I have more than 1600 photos of Kaaba from my father that have not already been published anywhere. Besides Kaaba, these photos narrate various aspects of Saudis’ life in the 1950’s and 1960’s and my father has recorded them on various occasions.
Omar Al-Nomani told: my father’s shop caught fire several years ago and we lost many old photos. Since 1954, he started to record photos again. Several historical photographs about major places and events were destroyed in the fire.
Safouh Al-Nomani died in 2017 and had a huge archive. He is one of the most significant persons who has recorded the Saudi history during the period of urban development.
Source: Persian Version , Shafaqna English
