The title ‘Cities From Salt’ is a direct reference to AbdulRahman Al-Munif’s novel ‘Cities of Salt’. Munif explains in an interview that Cities of Salt are cities that “…offer no sustainable existence. When the waters come in, the first waves will dissolve the salt and reduce these great glass cities to dust.” The philosophy of this blog is how do we build our cities from here? How do we build towns and cities from salt that won’t dissolve? I discuss issues related to sustainability in an urban context, from a social, environmental, and economic perspective.

Cities From Salt is a blog where I write my thoughts and musings on urbanism and architecture as it pertains to the Arab World and the Middle East, with a focus on the Arabian Gulf. My main interests lie in historic preservation; sustainable development; and issues of mobility and transportation.

My name is AbdulRahman and I am a city planner based in Doha. I am a graduate of the Urban & Regional Studies program at Cornell University. Born and raised in Doha, watching skyscrapers rise and roads unfold from quiet sandy beaches, contrasted by the narrow and winding neighborhoods of the old downtown, I could not help but be infatuated with the urban form. Feel free to reach out to me if you’re interested in urbanism in the Arabian Gulf, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or reach out to me by e-mail.

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The portrait on this site were taken by dear friend, Tony Li. He is an incredibly talented photographer and artist, please visit his Instagram if you have the time.