Omar Mohammed is a historian from Mosul, Iraq known until recently only as the anonymous blogger ‘Mosul Eye’. Through Mosul Eye, Omar set out to inform the world about life under the Islamic State in his city. His focus has now shifted to advocacy of social initiatives for the people of Mosul including the international effort to re-supply Central Library of the University of Mosul. At the intersection of media, academia and civil society, Omar is motivated to develop new networks of collaboration and innovations in humanitarian action. As a historian and lecturer at the University of Mosul, he focuses his scholarly work on conceptual history and research dealing with local historiographies and narratives, micro histories and Orientalism. Omar is a regular media commentator on Iraq, has an MA in Middle East History from the University of Mosul, and was named 2013 Researcher of the Year by Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. His doctoral research explores history and historians in 19th and 20th century Mosul. He now lives in exile in Europe.

Caecilia Pieri currently serves as the Head of the Urban Observatory within the Institut français du Proche-Orient (Ifpo- French Institute of the Near East), Beirut, where she brings a comparative approach to the fields of urban history and anthropology in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern studies. Since 1989 she was as a Senior Editor in academic publications of architecture, heritage and urban studies, in Paris. She resumed academic work in 2004 after a first trip to Baghdad in June 2003. This first journey resulted in the first exhibition of Iraqi contemporary paintings organized in Europe after the fall of Saddam Husayn in October 2003, at Galerie M, Paris, and a catalogue: Baghdad Renaissance, (co-author Meriem Lequesne). Then in 2010 she received her PhD on the subject of the urban and architectural modernization of XXth century Baghdad, at the EHESS (Institute of Advanced Studies), Paris. She has traveled more than 20 times to Baghdad and Iraq since 2003. An expert within the World Heritage steering committee for the urban and architectural modern heritage in the Arab World, she is the author of various publications on heritage and on modern Iraqi architecture, such as Baghdad Arts Deco, 1920-1950 (American University of Cairo Press, 2011 – introductions by Rifat Chadirji, Naïm Kattan and Ihsan Fethi), also translated into Arabic. In 2013, she was the co-organizor of the international conference "The Architecture of Modernity in Baghdad: from Le Corbusier to the Iraqi Pioneers", held in Baghdad University. Her forthcoming book ( from her PhD, Fall 2014) will be: Baghdad, Strategies of the Urban Modernity (1921-1958).

Born in Baghdad Iraq in1949, Dr Saad studied Medicine in the Medical College University of Baghdad University 1966-1972. Then achieved MB.ChB Degree in the Medical College 1972. Dr Saad has Basic Medical Training,Medical City 1972-3. 6- Military and Rural Medical Service 1973-5. Also Surgical Training Resident, Medical City Teaching Hospital 1976-77. In addition he holds Advance Surgical Training in the United Kingdom 1978-1980.Then achieved a Fellowship Degree FRCS (England & Glasgow) 1981. M.CH. Master Degree in Orthopaedic Surgery,Liverpool University 1983. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in UK. And Jedda (Suadia Arabia) 1984-2010. Dr Saad has a specialist interest in collecting old Iraqi photos and writing about many cultural Topics. His specialty is the in the history of medicine, he has Published over 50 articles about the old Baghdad hospitals and The foundation and development of Baghdad Medical College.

Noor Kadhim is an English qualified lawyer of Iraqi origin, who graduated from Glasgow University before moving to England. She is currently a dispute resolution partner at gunnercooke llp, and is concurrently completing her LLM studies in International and Comparative Dispute Resolution at Queen Mary University (London). Noor also writes for the legal press, and provides research assistance on a part-time basis at the Investment Treaty Forum of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London. Prior to this, Noor practised for over five years at international law firms in London and the United Arab Emirates in litigation and commercial arbitration, at Norton Rose, Clyde & Co and Allen & Overy. Noor has experience of Middle East arbitration issues, having recently authored a paper on the arbitration regime of Iraq, for Transnational Disputes Management Journal. Noor also has specialist knowledge in the arts and cultural heritage sector, and has published and lectured widely for the international arts press, and for universities and institutions (including the Leiden University at the Hague, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and the Winchester College of Art) on the topics of repatriation of cultural heritage under international law, and heritage and international investment law. Noor's work with clients in the arts and the creative industries, based in Europe and the Middle East, inspired her to set up "INtheFRAME" in 2011 (www.intheframe.org), an organisation devoted to the promotion of Middle Eastern art, and under whose auspices she directed a successful auction of the work of the most celebrated contemporary Iraqi artists in the world. Noor's passion for the protection of the cultural heritage of Iraq found its voice most recently in Ibraaz, the online cultural journal for art in the Middle East (May 2013), and in the Jus Post Bellum Project, organised by the Grotius Centre (Leiden University; the Hague) in June 2014.

George Richards is a British expert on the intangible cultural heritage of the Middle East. Since 2011, he has been a team leader on a number of ethnographical field research projects to preserve cultural heritage in the Middle East. These include: the "Clinging On" project, an expedition to record the experiences of the Christian communities of the Middle East, undertaken during the 2011 Arab uprisings, and which led to the rare in situ recording of Syriac liturgical chant in two monasteries in the mountainous Turkey-Syria-Iraq border region, subsequently published by the British Library; and the 2013 "Gleaming in the Dust" project, an investigation into the illicit trade of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution in Egypt, including an audio documentary of the same name. He graduated in 2007 with an MA with first class honours in Arabic and Persian from the University of Edinburgh's Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies department.

George Richards has lectured at the University College London Institute of Archaeology, has appeared on the BBC as an expert on Iraqi minority communities, and has covered Middle Eastern affairs for a range of news outlets in Britain and the Arab world, including The Guardian, The Sunday Herald, Al-Ahram Weekly, Jadaliyya, and the Oman Daily Observer.

George Richards is also a qualified solicitor in England and Wales.

Hashim Kammoona has over 35 years of continous professional experience in Urban Design, Urban Planning, Master Planning, Cities Renewal, Architectural Planning and Design, Project Management, Projects Development, Strategic Planning and Transportation Planning. Also he accomplished the the first In-house urban Design in Baghdad municipality with a prize.Hashim has Completed successfully more than 100 architectural projects successfully and completed successfully work on over 200 urban Planning-design projects with an aproximate area 50,000 hectares.In addition he has Worked on, coordinated and commented on 5 city master plans for Baghdad and Dubai.

Mr Kammoona is working as a freelance expert in architecture and urban planning. Hashim has vast experince in planning analysis and urban design methodology he has acted as a Senior master planning manager – Master planning & zoning department in Dubai Holding where he Managed urban Planning, urban design, landscaping and other infrastructural and master planning tasks on the following projects: Completed master plans: Sama Aljaddaf Project for mixed uses, Dubai Industrial city for Tatweer – 15 square kilometers, The master plan of Dubai Labor City for 300,000 Workers, Dubai: master planning of 3 mega projects (The Lagoons, Jumaira Hills, and DHCC2-Dubai Health Care City2) and many more.Currenly Hashim is a Freelancer  working on Urban Planning / design  and is a Specialist in Middle East Urban Planning and Architecture.

Akram Ogaily manages Hill's TCT Group; a 14 senior member team specialized in all fields of projects studies planning, management and engineering, that support global projects on technical, project start-up and compliance related issues. He has more than 35 years of experience in urban planning, architectural and engineering, design and management of complex mega projects for both public and private sectors throughout the Middle East, North Africa and the UK. Projects have included master planning and design of major mixed use developments consisting of state, ministries, educational and health service for public sectors and hotels, resorts, institutional, cultural, residential and historical, building conservation as well as sustainable building designs.

In 1970 to 2003, Mr. Al Ogaily co-founded Archicenter in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Kingdom. He established the design principles and standards of thought which led the firm to succeed in a considerable number of international and local architectural competitions, design and realizations. He restructured the practice during the 1990s to focus on project design and management in response to the progressive needs of the building construction environment and technology.

Mr. Al Ogaily has been involved with the design and management of major prestigious projects located in the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Lebanon, Pakistan, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, and United Kingdom.

Mr. Ogaily Joined Hill International on February 2003 to lead the design management team of ADNOC projects in Abu Dhabi. He was assigned to undertake the program manager role of the Kuwait Mega Projects of its Islands Resorts development in 2004 and the Lagoon development- Dubai as the Vice President and Project Director in 2005. Since January 2007 he is acting as Technical Core Team (TCT) Director providing technical support to the International Project Management Group in the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Far East. In July 2008, Mr. Ogaily was promoted to Senior Vice President.

Mr Ogaily earned his Msc Arch - CEM Barttlet School of Architecture University College London-UK and his B.Sc. Arch from the University of Baghdad.