Middle East Galleries Global Guides
Yaroub Al-Obaidi
Middle East Galleries
Born in Iraq, Yaroub Al-Obaidi has lived in Philadelphia since June 2016. He has worked as a designer, researcher, author, and also lectured at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad from 2004 to 2007. For five years, he worked as a community leader organizing between the Iraqi community and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). He was inspired to work at the Penn Museum because he feels that history and archaeology shed light on our ancestors. As an artist and designer, he loves the visual arts and is always considering the past and present to build a stronger future. He holds an M.A. in Design from the University of Baghdad, recently earned an M.A. in Socially Engaged Art from Moore College of Art and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Science Malaysia.
Abdulhadi Al-Karfawi
Middle East Galleries
Abdulhadi Al-Karfawi recently moved with his family from Iraq to the U.S. His previous employment with the United Nations mission in Iraq provided him with extensive opportunities to help people. Abdulhadi has always been interested in ancient settlements, and his deep love of history led him to visit many of the archaeological sites in Iraq. This gave him tremendous motivation to work with Penn Museum as a Global Guide. His accumulated personal experiences enable him to reflect and share memories with visitors and folks who are curious about the past. He holds a B.A. in Geography from the University of Baghdad.
Moumena Saradar
Middle East Galleries
Originally from Syria, Moumena Saradar is a professional medical interpreter in Arabic, working with newly resettled immigrants for several interpreting agencies in Philadelphia. In addition, she has translated their stories as a part of the recent Photo Voice project at Jefferson University. Her travels to several countries in Asia and Africa—and her experiences viewing popular Egyptian monuments motivated her to share her cultural understanding as a Global Guide at the Penn Museum. Her greatest passion is spending time with her five kids. She also enjoys reading American adventure tales and swimming. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Laboratory Sciences from University of Damascus.
Additional Information
Global Guide Tours are included with Museum admission. Available on Fridays at 2:30 pm, the Global Guide Tours also take place on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 am and 2:30 pm. A detailed tour schedule is available on our Global Guides page.
Private Global Guide Tours and other group tours are available upon request. For additional information, contact Group Sales at grouptickets@pennmuseum.org.
The Global Guides Program has been internationally recognized through presentations at numerous museum conferences, including the American Alliance of Museums, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, and the American Association of State and Local History. Additionally, articles about this program have been featured in Museum magazine, Hyperallergic, and by the Associated Press in dozens of publications around the world.
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About the Penn Museum
The Penn Museum’s mission is to be a center for inquiry and the ongoing exploration of humanity for our University of Pennsylvania, regional, national, and global communities, following ethical standards and practices.
Through conducting research, stewarding collections, creating learning opportunities, sharing stories, and creating experiences that expand access to archaeology and anthropology, the Museum builds empathy and connections across diverse cultures
The Penn Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm. It is open until 8:00 pm on first Wednesdays of the month. The Café is open Tuesday-Thursday, 9:00 am-3:00 pm and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 am-3:00 pm. On Sundays, the Café is open 10:30 am-2:30 pm. For information, visit penn.museum, call 215.898.4000, or follow @PennMuseum on social media.