RIYADH: Long before Saudi Arabia’s cultural and archeological treasures were known to the world, Mohamed Babelli had already developed an instinct for uncovering its archaeological gems.

Consultant engineer by profession and photographer by passion, Babelli’s journey into visual documentation began at an early age and evolved into a publishing project.

“I received my first camera as a gift from my father before a summer trip to Cyprus in 1978. Since then, photography was associated with travel,” Babelli told Arab News.

That early exposure shaped a lifelong habit of seeing places through a photographer’s lens. In the early 1990s, Babelli began exploring the outskirts of Riyadh with colleagues from around the world, documenting landscapes rarely photographed at the time.

His interest deepened in the mid-1990s when he collaborated with an Australian photographer on books focused on Saudi Arabia’s natural environment.

“I returned from that trip with some good photographs and a decision to work on a book about Mada’in Saleh, AlUla and the Hejaz Railway,” Babelli said.

It took five years to complete “Mada’in Saleh,” which was published in English in 2003, with text researched and written by his brother, Ibrahim Babelli. The book was among the first visual works to document Hegra, AlUla and the historic railway in a single volume.

His work led to the founding of Desert Publisher in Riyadh in 2008, a publishing house specializing in high-quality visual publications about the Kingdom.

Babelli said the name reflected the publisher’s strong connection to the desert and Saudi heritage, a theme evident in both the design and content of its books. The name is also inspired by a transformative expedition earlier that year across the Empty Quarter.

“The expedition had a great impression on me,” said Babelli.

“Saudi Arabia,” published in 2007, is a visually rich volume that takes readers on a journey across the Kingdom, covering cities, traditions, architecture, people, heritage, religion, archaeology, nature and daily life.

What set the book apart was its multilingual format. From its first edition, it was published in four languages — English, French, German and Spanish — in order to reach an international audience.

“Since a young age, I had the opportunity to travel to different countries, east and west,” said Babelli. “In Europe, and in Germany in particular, I found cultural books include at least three languages.

“My goal was to provide the viewer or reader with a beautiful picture of Saudi Arabia, along with correct information in their language, so that they can enjoy and learn about (it),” he added.

Over time, his books expanded to feature nine languages, including Arabic, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. This made them a natural choice for Saudi embassies, international conferences and major global events, including conferences in Senegal and Spain, as well as Expo Shanghai in China.

In 2019, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs selected several of the publisher’s titles for distribution to the Kingdom’s diplomatic missions worldwide to mark Saudi National Day.

Having witnessed every major phase of photography, Babelli’s work reflects both technical evolution and artistic discipline.

“Photography evolved greatly since I started taking photos,” he said. “I remember I started with negative films. My first use of positive films was not successful; I came back with a film I could not develop from a visit to the Alhambra Palace in Spain in 1983.”

From manual film cameras to slide photography, medium format systems and eventually digital platforms, Babelli adapted.

“When digital cameras came into the market, I immediately started using the best of the line available,” he said. “I never went back to film.”

Despite advances in technology, Babelli remains firm in his belief that equipment alone does not define success.

“What is important is the eye of the photographer,” he said, advising young photographers to start with what they could afford and upgrade as their knowledge expands.

To date, Babelli’s most ambitious project to date is “Antiquity of Saudi Arabia.” The project began in 2009 and took 15 years to complete, with support from the Cultural Development Fund enabling its final stages.

The book, which presents Saudi Arabia’s archeological heritage in a structured chronological sequence, was published in September 2025 and unveiled at the Riyadh International Book Fair.

The 384-page volume documents antiquities from across the Kingdom, from the Stone Age and early human presence on the Arabian Peninsula to the unification of Saudi Arabia in the 1950s.

It was developed with the contribution of leading academics and archeology specialists, including university professors and former museum directors, some of whom remain actively involved in excavation work. This ensured the accuracy of the material and the correct contextual linking of images to their original archaeological sites.

“We started with the arrival of the ancient human into the Arabian Peninsula over 1.3 million years ago,” Babelli said. “The book covers the Stone Age, ancient civilizations, ancient Arab kingdoms, the Islamic era and the Saudi state.”

The volume combines art and visual storytelling with texts written by specialists and links to academic references, with photographs carefully selected from Babelli’s extensive archive.

“I took all opportunities to photograph as many objects as I was able to,” he said. “Selection of the photos was done jointly with Dr Awad Al-Zahrani and Abdulaziz Al-Omari to ensure the best representation of the subject.”

While most of Babelli’s work centers on Saudi heritage, one publication stands apart — a book dedicated to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine. Published in 2017, it evolved through collaborations with international scholars and photographers.

Seeing his books reach global audiences and feature at official events remains deeply meaningful: “It is the ultimate success,” he said.

Babelli believes documenting places and history through photography is both a responsibility, legacy and faith, yet his guiding philosophy remains unchanged: “Do the best work you can to the highest quality level,” he said, quoting a verse from the Qur’an: “And say: ‘Work (righteousness): Soon will Allah observe your work, and (so will) His Messenger, and the Believers’.”