2009 Driehaus Prize

The 2009 winner of the Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture is Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil. Most of El-Wakil's work has been in the Middle East. Early in his career he worked with the legendary Hassan Fathy for five years. During the 1970s and '80s, he completed more than 15 mosques in Saudi Arabia using traditional masonry construction techniques. From 1991 to 2001, El-Wakil maintained an office in Miami, where he taught at the University of Miami. Since 2001, the architect has divided his time among various Middle Eastern capitals.