Translated by Tamara Barakat

Zuheir Alami was born in Gaza on June 18, 1935. His father, Yousef Mohammad Alami (1895-1939) was a prominent figure of the Palestinian National Movement at the beginning of the twentieth century.

He obtained the Tawjihi certificate in 1952 from the Imam Shafi’ School in Gaza. After that, he traveled to Egypt and received an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Cairo University in 1957.

During his undergraduate studies, he was active in the General Union of Palestinian Students in Cairo, which was headed by Yasser Arafat. Alami participated in the Union’s activities and accompanied Arafat and Salah Khalaf to the International Student Conference held in Prague in 1954.

In 1962, he went to Lebanon and worked as an instructor in the Engineering Faculty at the American University of Beirut (AUB), and continued to teach until 1976.

During his work at AUB, he met Munib Khatib, who was also an instructor in the Engineering Faculty. Together, they founded an engineering consultancy company called Khatib & Alami - Consolidated Engineering Company. The company was launched in Beirut in 1964, and started operating in Saudi Arabia and UAE in 1969. Its work further expanded after 1972, and it established branches in all Arab and Gulf countries, covering the region “from the gulf to the ocean.”

Khatib & Alami grew to become one of the most important Arab and consultancy companies in the Arab World. It has 3,000 employees from difference nationalities and provides a variety of consultancy services.

Since 1982, Khatib & Alami has been repeatedly classified as one of the top 100 international design firms in the world, according to Engineering News Record-ENR.

Alami played an active political role during the sixties and seventies. He participated in the first Palestinian National Council Conference held in Jerusalem in 1964 and contributed to founding the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fateh) and was member of its Revolutionary Council. He chaired Fateh’s Third General Conference that was held in Damascus in 1970. However, after that, he devoted himself to his own business.

He is heavily involved in philanthropy and charity work, especially in Gaza. He funded many projects in Gaza, such as the construction of the Zuheir Alami High School, Al-Noor Mosque, and the new building at the Al-Wafa’ Elderly Care Association.

In 2011, President Mahmoud Abbas conferred the Order of the Star of Jerusalem upon Alami, in appreciation of his work, relentless giving and participation in the Palestinian struggle since its beginnings.

Finally, Alami is married to Nadia Ashour and has three daughters.