“For me, I started like other amateurs to photograph trees, sunsets, the sea, snow, childhood and monuments …… and other topics that we are tired of or rather that are the first step for every beginner in the endless journey of photography…. but now I have found that the world of photography does not stop or end at a certain limit.. I find inside the camera a constant renewal; I sometimes see it full of secrets which allow us to draw and sculpt through the art of light directly by the camera or in the dark room.”
This is what the late artist Mohammed Walid Mouti said to describe the art of photography during his interview with “Fan Altaswir” magazine during his sixth exhibition in 1985.
The artist Mohammed Walid Mouti reflected many outstanding places and moments through his lens, which transmitted his sense to us in a professionally artistic way. When you see the pictures that he took several years ago, you can feel the streets, buildings, squares, people and the moments which will never come again. He transports you to his world to see its beauty through his eyes.
Mohammed Walid Mouti was born in Aleppo city in 1946 in a family of eight, and grew up in this ancient city where his love and passion for photography flourished. He began his artistic career when he was 18 years old, learning photography from his Armenian friend, and was among the first Arabs of Aleppo to learn this art after it was confined to the Armenians in the city at the time.
He designed his studio in his own room and embarked on his artistic journey towards professionalism. He worked in his room for about 10 years, then moved and opened his studio in the Al-Midan area. The studio is still known today thanks to the beautiful impact he left in the hearts of the neighborhood’s residents.
He worked as a photographer for the theater of Aleppo University, and worked for the National Theater of Aleppo for 15 years, during which he shot more than 30 plays. Many great artists such as director Najdat Ismail Anzour, actor Douraid Lahham, actor Naji Jabr and others visited his studio to take photos, and his photos appeared on the cover of many magazines.
He held 8 photography exhibitions in more than one Syrian governorate, the first in 1969 at the National Museum of Aleppo, the second in the lobby of the Aleppo Cultural Center in 1970, and the third and fourth exhibitions were held at the National Museum of Aleppo in 1971 and 1972 respectively. His fifth exhibition was at the gallery of the Fine Arts Center in Homs in 1975.
In 1976, he won the second prize in the Al-Baath Photography Competition, and participated in the Country Artists Exhibition in Damascus in 1983. He joined the Art of Photography Club in Damascus in 1984, and held his eighth exhibition at the Russian Cultural Center in Damascus in 1986. His exhibitions were the focus of attention of newspapers, art magazines and prominent personalities in the country. They were all not-for-profit, as he believed in the principle that art is not sold, but rather preferred to dedicate his pictures to those who admired them without money. His income was limited to his work in the theater and his studio.
On the nineteenth of February 1998, the photographer Mohammed Walid Mouti left this world, leaving behind a valuable legacy satisfying the nostalgia of the beautiful past, after practicing his chosen art form until his last breath in this life, where he pursued in his generous artistry for 35 years, making his art a haven and a consolation for the longing of his family and his countrymen.
Here are some photos taken by Photographer Mohammed Walid Mouti:
Old Aleppo, A Neighborhood 
Saadallah Al-Jabri Square, Aleppo 
Grand Serial of Aleppo 
Sabaa Bahrat Square, Aleppo, 1970s 
Knives Sharpening, Old Handicraft, Aleppo 
Mosque, Old Aleppo 
Queiq River, Aleppo, 1970s 
Entrance to Aleppo Citadel 
The Countryside of Aleppo 
Old Aleppo 
Aleppo University Hospital 
Norias of Hama 
Alshallal Street, Aziziyah, Aleppo
To see more photos, please visit the photographer Mohammed Walid Mouti’s Facebook page linked below:
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