‘Deserts possess a particular magic, since they have exhausted their own futures, and are thus free of time’

J.G Ballard

Desert Office was established in 2023 by Abdul-Malik Dalsaev and Seda Masaeva. From early on we had a strong affinity with mosques and their role in the public sphere. Since then, we have worked on a variety of projects ranging from large scale commissions such as mosques, community centres, Islamic morgues and smaller scale projects like house renovations. 

Just like the stone carver who immerses himself in the remembrance of his Creator (dhikr) while sculpting the calligraphic verses on the walls, we see our work as a spiritual pursuit to create meaningful and beautiful spaces.

The nature of order and harmony is central to our belief of aesthetic and spatial experience. In this sense, form follows function as much as function follows form. We value the rational as much as the metaphysical, as architecture is built for, and around the living and the soul. Man is inseparable from nature and the divine. At the same time, our work is not defined by any specific style. Rather, every project reveals its own tailor made language defined by the unique preconditions of its context.