Youssef -Joseph- Abu Hadid was born in Damascus in 1943 and died in 2003. He graduated from Damascus University’s Faculty of Fine Arts with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1965, as part of the faculty’s second-ever batch of graduates.⁰¹ He founded Al-ʿOmrān (Urbanism) firm for architectural and engineering studies with the architect Abd al-Rauf al-Kasm, where they worked jointly on many projects between 1965 and 1967. Later, between 1968 and 1970, he completed several training courses in France and was on the research team in the architectural firm of the Greek-French Architect Georges Candilis. He also worked in the architectural firm of the Architect Jean Le Couture. In 1970, he received a doctorate in architecture from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Abu Hadid founded al-Dirāsāt al-Handasiyya wa-l-Miʿmāriyya (The Engineering and Architectural Studies) firm with Engineer Farouk al-Sati in 1972, a partnership that lasted two years. He later joined the teaching staff at the Faculty of Architecture at Damascus University, where he was appointed head of the Department of Architectural Theories and subsequently head of the Department of Architectural Design in 1988. Abu Hadid was also head of Damascus University’s al-Miʿmār al-ʿArabiyy Li-l-Istishāriyyīn al-Miʿmāriyyīn wa Muhandisiyy Takhtīt al-Modon (the Arab Architect for Architectural Consultants and City Planning Engineers) firm, where he worked on architectural studies of projects in the public sector between 1979 and 2000. Starting from 1980, he was head of the al-Handasiyy al-Istishāriyy (Engineering Consultant) firm. ⁰²