About Us

Dar Arafa Architecture (DAA) is a design-and-build architecture studio established in Cairo, Egypt, in 2006 by Egyptian architect Waleed Arafa, who proudly leads a team of young Egyptian architects. He was joined later by Nisreen Moustafa, principal for interior design and Daniel Kaldas, principal for architectural design.

Dar Arafa Architecture’s first project; Dar Arafa Residence, earned a nomination for the Aga Khan Award 2010 & the Hassan Fathy Award, 2009. The Basuna Mosque project, completed in 2019, has been internationally celebrated as a finalist and winner of many international awards, such as Archmarathon Stone Award, Italy, 2019, Construction21 Green Solutions Award, France, 2019, Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture 2020 and World Architecture Festival 2021. DAA’s principal Waleed Arafa has also been selected as a finalist for the Middle Eastern Architecture Personality of the year by the Mohammed Makkyiah Tamayouz Award 2019, the Architectural Digest Middle East 50 Power List 2020, as well as being one of the honorees of the Arab & African Youth Forum, 2019, handed to Waleed by H.E Abdel Fatah al-Sisi President of Egypt.

In 2001, Arafa earned a B.Sc. in Architecture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. In 2015 he earned a postgraduate degree in the Conservation of Historical Buildings, from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, UK. His thesis was entitled: “The Mosque in Britain: British Heritage?”. He is currently an MA researcher, History of Islamic Art & Architecture, at the American University in Cairo.

Nisreen Moustafa holds a BA HONS Architecture, (RIBA part I, 2000 and RIBA part II, 2003), anterbury School of Architecture, as well as MA Architecture History and Contemporary Theory, UCL, Bartlett School of Architecture, 2008. She is a curator, exhibition designer and author specializing in the spiritual nature of Islamic architecture. Her post as ‘Head of Display’ at the Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia expanded her knowledge of both Islam and its consistent aesthetic tradition. Her 2008 exhibition and publication, entitled ‘Divine Inspiration: Seven Principles of Islamic Architecture’ exhibited at the IAMM was extremely successful in that it explored the socio-mystical dimension of
slamic architecture, drawing a parallel between the everyday life and faith of a Muslim and its architectural equivalent.

Daniel Kaldas graduated from the Architecture and Urban Design program at the German University in Cairo in 2020. He has been a member of Dar Arafa Architecture since then, becoming a partner in 2024. In addition to his professional role, Daniel has served as an Assistant Lecturer in Interior Architecture at Coventry University, Cairo – TKH since 2022. His work includes a research project initiated in 2021, focused on archival processing and documentation of the chapel at College De La Salle, Daher, an ongoing endeavor in architectural research.