Draft:Ali najeeb
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Ali Najeeb
[edit]
Ali Najeeb | |
|---|---|
ޢަލީ ނަޖީބު | |
| Born | c. 1918 |
| Died | December 2, 1996 (aged 77–78) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Resting place | Maligawatta Burial Grounds, Colombo |
| Occupation(s) | Photographer; linguistic researcher; translator; Atoll Chief |
| Known for | Early professional photography in the Maldives; edition of the Dhanbidhoo Loamaafaanu |
| Notable work | Dhanbidhoo Loamaafaanu (NCLHR, 2001) |
| Title | Atoll Chief of Ari Atoll and Baa Atoll (early 1950s) |
| Spouse | Jameela Ali |
| Children | 9 |
| Relatives | Bodufenvalhuge Sidi (uncle); Aminath Faiza (sister) |
| Awards | National Award of Honour (Maldives, 1983) – Photography[1] |
Ali Najeeb (Dhivehi: ޢަލީ ނަޖީބު; c.1918 – c.1996) was a Maldivian photographer and linguistic researcher. Official Maldivian sources credit him among the earliest professionals to practice photography in the country; he founded Najeeb Studio (also known as Najeeb Photo) in Malé and was frequently engaged to document official occasions and public life.[1] He is also associated with a Dhivehi-language edition of the twelfth-century copper-plate grant Dhanbidhoo Loamaafaanu, cited by UNESCO and in scholarly bibliographies.[2][3]
Family and early life
[edit]Ali Najeeb was born in Malé to Berugey Yoosuf Fulhu and Bodufenvalhugey Dhon Didi. He was a nephew of Bodufenvalhuge Sidi (1888 – 1970), one of the Maldives’ most celebrated poets and reformist intellectuals, and the brother of Aminath Faiza (1924 – 2011), a pioneering Maldivian poet whose work defined mid-20th-century Dhivehi verse. The family belonged to the noted Bodufenvalhuge literary lineage, known for contributions to education and culture in early modern Maldives.
The official National Award of Honour (Maldives) National Awards page associates Najeeb with the house M. Nedhunge in Malé (Maafannu ward).[1] A family-run photographic archive credits his lifespan as 1918–1996.[4]
Photography career
[edit]By the mid-20th century, Najeeb had established Najeeb Studio / Najeeb Photo in Malé. The President’s Office credits him with pioneering professional photography locally and notes his long service documenting governmental and historical events, as well as training younger photographers.[1]
In 1983 he received the National Award of Honour (Sharaf) for achievements in photography.[1]
Linguistic and historical work
[edit]Alongside photography, Najeeb contributed to the study and dissemination of early Dhivehi texts. UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MOWCAP) dossier for the Maldives lists a Dhivehi edition/translation credited to him as Dhanbidhoo Lōmāfānu (Malé: National Centre for Linguistic and Historical Research, 2001).[2] The same work appears in scholarly bibliographies on History of the Maldives before Islam|pre-Islamic Maldivian history.[3] Earlier NCLHR publications acknowledge his assistance on the Loamaafaanu projects.[5]
Association with President Amin Didi
[edit]In addition to his cultural and scholarly pursuits, Najeeb held official responsibilities during the early 1950s. He was appointed Atoll Chief (Atholhuverin) of Ari Atoll and later of Baa Atoll during the presidency of Mohamed Amin Didi. Najeeb and President Amin were close contemporaries and friends, sharing similar reformist and modernising ideals. His years in office coincided with a period of significant social and administrative change in the Maldives, preceding the country’s first experiment with republican government.
Banishment and reinstatement under President Nasir
[edit]Following the fall of Amin Didi’s administration and the rise of Ibrahim Nasir to power, Najeeb was accused of fostering anti-government sentiment by publicly circulating photographs from Amin Didi’s presidency. As a result, he was banished for a period soon after Nasir assumed office. He was later reinstated by the state and went on to serve as the principal government photographer during Nasir’s era. In that role, Najeeb documented many of the defining events of the 1950s and 1960s, including the Depopulation of Havaru Thinadhoo, the Thoddoo dagaba excavation, and official visits by foreign dignitaries.
Personal life
[edit]Najeeb was married to Jameela Ali, and together they had nine children. He lived most of his life in Malé, operating his photographic studio and later focusing on historical translation work. He passed away on 2 December 1996 at Nawaloka Hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and was buried at Maligawatta Burial Grounds. The family remains the rights holder of many original prints and negatives now being digitised through the Najeeb Family Archive.[4]
Honours
[edit]- National Award of Honour (Sharaf) – Photography (1983).[1]
Selected work
[edit]- Dhanbidhoo Lōmāfānu (Dhivehi: ދަނބިދޫ ލޯމާފަނު), Dhivehi edition/translation; Malé: National Centre for Linguistic and Historical Research (NCLHR), 2001.[2][3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "އަލްފާޟިލް ޢަލީ ނަޖީބު – ޢާންމު ޚިދުމަތުގެ އިނާމު (ޝަރަފު) – 1983". The President’s Office (Maldives) (in Divehi). Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "Loamaafaanu (Maldives) – nomination dossier (UNESCO MOWCAP)" (PDF). UNESCO. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "Pre-Islamic Maldives (bibliography excerpt citing "Najeeb, Ali. 2001. Dhanbidhoo Loamaafaanu")". Scribd. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ a b "User:Ahmed2753/Najeeb Family Archive". Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
Photographer: Ali Najeeb (1918–1996)
- ^ "'Dhanbidhoo Loamaafaanu – Transliteration, Translation and Notes on Palaeography' (scan; acknowledgements)". Scribd. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
"We are able to bring out this book … because of the immense help rendered by Mr. Ahmed Shafeeq and Mr. Ali Najeob [sic]."
External links
[edit]- Najeeb Family Archive (selection of digitised photographs).
- Presidency Maldives: National Award of Honour (1983) – Photography – އަލްފާޟިލް ޢަލީ ނަޖީބު
- 1954 Ceylon delegation photograph with full caption
Category:Maldivian non-fiction writers Category:20th-century Maldivian people Category:People from Malé Category:Place of birth missing Category:Year of birth uncertain Category:1996 deaths Category:Maldivian poets