Al Ibrahimi Tower

The Saeed Al Kalili Building, better known locally as Al Ibrahimi Tower after the restaurant on its ground floor, stands as one of Abu Dhabi’s most recognisable modernist landmarks. Constructed in the early 1980s during the emirate’s first wave of high-rise development, the 16-storey tower marked a bold statement in the city’s evolving skyline. Designed by Egyptian architect Farouk El Gohary, the building merges modernist and post-modernist influences with Egyptian cultural references, reflecting both technical ingenuity and a regional architectural identity.

Situated on what is now Zayed the First Street, the tower captures a critical moment in Abu Dhabi’s urban growth, embodying the city’s aspirations for modernity while serving as a lasting symbol of its early skyscraper era.

The tower’s cylindrical floor plates are enveloped by a facade of interlocking concrete cubes, a design inspired by El Gohary’s earlier Metabolist experiments in Cairo’s Mohandiseen district. Each cube tilts and overlaps to create an illusion of woven concrete, while projecting balconies and columns give depth and dynamism to the exterior. This composition produces a shifting play of light and shadow, changing with the sun’s trajectory and offering an almost sculptural quality to the urban fabric. The building’s intricate volumetry and rhythmic patterning exemplify El Gohary’s fascination with combining formal experimentation, structural clarity, and local cultural motifs, making it a landmark not only for residents but for the wider architectural community in the Gulf.

Farouk El Gohary, former head of the urban planning department at Ain Shams University in Cairo, left a lasting mark on the UAE and Egypt through his eclectic approach to design. Known for integrating Egyptian heritage, Modernist principles, and post-modern experimentation, El Gohary’s portfolio ranges from commercial complexes and government buildings to social housing, each project showcasing his curiosity and command of architectural language.

The Al Ibrahimi Tower represents the culmination of his explorations into modular, interlocking forms, adapting his earlier Metabolist façades to a Middle Eastern context. Beyond his built work, El Gohary influenced generations of architects through teaching, leaving a legacy that continues in Cairo and Abu Dhabi.

In 2023, the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi included the Saeed Al Kalili Building among 64 sites designated for “immediate and unconditional protection” under its Modern Heritage Conservation Initiative. Recognised as a major landmark in the collective memory of the city, the tower stands as both a historical testimony to Abu Dhabi’s formative modernist period and an emblem of regional architectural innovation. Its preservation underscores the civic importance of modern architecture, celebrating the role of design in shaping urban identity and sustaining cultural continuity amidst rapid development.

The Al Ibrahimi Tower remains a tangible link between Abu Dhabi’s architectural past and its ongoing evolution, an enduring testament to vision, craft, and experimentation.