Haajar Gouverneur was born in Libya of Venezuelan and American parents who were on their way to study at Azhar University. She grew up in Cairo and moved to Cambridge, England, when she was 9 years old to continue her studies. Her arts “A” levels included “History of Art and Architecture.” She then returned to her beloved Cairo where she went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo.

 

While still an undergraduate, she was employed by the renowned Stuttgart firm SL (Sonderkonstruktionen und Leichtbau GmbH), the German firm responsible for the design and construction of the 27 domes and 12 giant umbrellas incorporated into the new extension of the Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Medina. Gouverneur was recruited specifically to help SL build an architectural slide archive by photographing major Islamic monuments and architectural details in Cairo.

 

After graduating from AUC, Gouverneur worked for ART (Arab Radio and Television) satellite television in Italy for a year where she worked as an editor and live broadcaster. Gouverneur took the opportunity to return to her main interest the following year when H.R.H. Princess Maha Al-Faisal asked her to photograph and record Saudi Arabia’s ancient and disappearing craft of doormaking as a step toward preserving this cultural legacy. This work was completed and exhibited by the Heritage Center of the Nahda Philanthropic Society in Riyadh. The success of this exhibition led to Gouverneur’s book Doors of the Kingdom, which was published in 1998 by Aperture Press, New York.

 

Caroline Williams, author of the Islamic Monuments in Cairo: the Practical Guide, drew heavily on the photographic work of Gouverneur for her video CAIRO: 1001 Years of Islamic Art and Architecture (a four part video series) published by Fons Vitae in America in 2001. Gouverneur not only photographed extensively for this project but also participated in the filming.

 

Gouverneur continues to contribute photographs for publication in videos, books, and international journals, including Aramco and Parabola. She is now poised to undertake the work to which she has for so many years wished to dedicate herself—a comprehensive photographic survey of the great and diverse architectural treasures of Cairo, a heritage without rival in any other Islamic city.