Kamel Mahadin (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: كامل محادين; born June 24, 1954) is a

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

ian architect, landscape architect, professor, author, and artist. He was the Chief Commissioner of Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and was a Jordanian senator at The House of Senate.

Personal life

Kamel Mahadin is the son of Ottallah Mahadin a retired governor and his mother Huryeh Al Usta. In 1982, he married Khalida Maaitah, with whom he has three sons: Tariq, Yazan, Amer and one daughter Tamara. Apart from Arabic, Mahadin is fluent in English.

Educational life

Kamel was born in Karak,

in 1954, finished secondary education at the high school of

Mafraq Mafraq ( ''Al-Mafraq'', local dialects: ''Mafrag'' or ''Mafra''; ) is the capital city of Mafraq Governorate in Jordan, located 80 km to the north of the national capital, Amman. It is located at a crossroads, with a road north going to Syr ...

and received a scholarship from the United States Agency for International Development to study architecture at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

. After four years, his scholarship was transferred to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

due to war in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

; received his bachelor's degree in architecture from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

and master's degree in landscape architecture from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. Doctorates in environmental designs were awarded from

Texas A & M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. ...

. Worked as a campus planner for

and later as a visiting lecturer at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. In 1987 returned to

teaching at the Department of Architecture at

University of Jordan The University of Jordan (), often abbreviated UJ or JU, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962, and it is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Jordan. It is located in the capital Amman in the J ...

, where he became chairman of the department from 1991 to 1995. In 1987, then founded M K Associates; Jordan's only specialized landscape design firm. Over a period of twenty years, he served as a landscape consultant for Amman Greater Municipality,

Mutah University Mu’tah University (, ''Jāmi‘atu Mu'tah'') is a public university in the Jordanian town of Mu'tah which was founded on 22 March 1981 by the Royal Decree to be a national institution for military and civilian higher education. Academics In ...

, Al-El Beit University and the Ministry of Tourism and served as a landscape consultant to the Royal Court. In January 1997 he became Director General to Petra Regional Council, and in 1999 took the portfolio as the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. In June 2000, he came back to teaching and practicing landscape design, running M.K. Associates; a landscape design firm. Practiced design in the United States, the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

and the Middle East. With a wide range of published articles in his field. Kamel is a registered landscape architect in the US. He is registered at the International Federation of Landscape Architects, the

American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a professional association for landscape architects in the United States. The ASLA's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship. ...

(Texas and Louisiana) and Jordan Society of Architects and Engineers. As of August 2, 2012. Kamel has been appointed as the chief commissioner of

Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) is the financially and administratively autonomous institution responsible for the management, regulation, and the development of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ). History The Aqaba speci ...

therefore he withdrawn from MK Associates and MEALA as a chairman of the board. He was chairman of the board – Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), chairman of the board – Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT), chairman of the board of Aqaba Airports Company (

King Hussein International Airport King Hussein International Airport, , , also informally known as Aqaba Airport, is a minor international airport located in the vicinity of a northern suburb of Aqaba, Jordan. It is the country's sole other scheduled commercial airport besides ...

) and board trustee member of the Tafilah University. In November 2014, a royal decree was issued approving the Cabinet's acceptance of Kamel Mahadin's resignation as of November 8, while another decree was issued appointing him as

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

as of November 9. In October 2017, Kamel was the first Arab to be awarded the ASLA

Fellowship. Dr. Mahadin, received his nomination, in Service, from the Council of Fellows Executive Committee. In November 2019, Kamel has been awarded the "Life Time Achievement Award" at the First Landscape Middle East Awards Ceremony at the Ritz Carlton DIFC Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Event was dedicate to the memory of Dr Musa Nimah (1942-2016). The awards ceremony honored those who through their dedication, creativity and relentless efforts, have left a positive impact on the landscape profession in the region.

Published research, articles

*"MK Associates, The landscape Architects" Al Rayeh Al Hashimeyah Magazine, Issue 30, Oct. 2006. *"The Mastermind of Landscape ". I celebrating Jordan, issue 13, August, 2006. *Mahadin, Kamel O., "Urban Greening, a missing notion ". I celebrating Jordan, issue 11, June, 2006. *Mahadin, Kamel O., "Reading Jordan's Landscape: Missing Lessons". Ekistics, 2006. *Mahadin, Kamel O., Abo Ghanimah, Landscape Design: A Tool for Improving the Middle East Built Environment" accepted for publication, Ekistics, 2006. *Abo Ghanimah, Ali, Mahadin, Kamel O., Alshboul, Abdulsalam, March 2006, "Symbolic and Geometrical Transformation of Stalactite Design in Modern Jordanian Architecture", accepted for publication in Disegnare, Rome University, "la Sapienza", Italy. *Mahadin, Kamel O., Abo Ghanimah, Al-Najarr, Al-Ejel, "People's Perception and Behavior Patterns in Amman Publics Parks and Plazas", Alexandria University Journal, Alexandria University Egypt, March, 2005. *Mahadin, Kamel O., "The House, a Place for creativity" Al-Bait Al-Khaliji, vol. 1, issue 2 Jan. 2005. *Mahadin, Kamel O., " Architectural Islands in The Mediterranean, Dimensions, vol. 2, issue 6 Sep. 2005. *Mahadin, Kamel O., "Landscape design with Middle East", Dimensions, vol. 1, issue 1 Jan. 2004. *Mahadin, Kamel O., Abo Ghanimah, Ali. 2004. "Quest for Quality", published in disegnare, Rome University, "la Sapienza", Italy, n. 29/2004. *Mahadin, Kamel O., " Landscape Architecture, A Form of Architecture and Construction Art, Dimensions , issue 1 Oct. 2003. *Fethi, Ihsan and Mahadin Kamel O., "Villa Architecture in Amman Current Spectrum of Styles, Presented at " Amman: The City and it Society", 1996, University of Jordan. *Kadhim, Mohamad and Mahadin, Kamel O., " The Concept Of An Archaeological Park at the Citadel of Amman " Ekistics, Athens, vol. 60 .No. 368/369, 1994. *Al-Adhami, Monther, and Dr. Mahadin, Kamel O., "Issues Around The Contemporary Arab City". Open House, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 1994. *Mahadin, Kamel O., "Regionalist Architecture in Jordan: A Critical Review". Open House International, Vol. 19, Issue 1, 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahadin, Kamel Jordanian architects Jordanian landscape architects Jordanian writers Jordanian politicians 1954 births People from Karak Governorate Water ministers of Jordan Kansas State University alumni Louisiana State University alumni Texas A&M University alumni American University of Beirut alumni Living people Academic staff of the University of Jordan Jordanian contemporary artists