Born: 1985, Libya
Died: NA
Country most active: Libya
Also known as: Numidia, هناء الحبشي
The following is excerpted from Women Architects Worldwide: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Canon by Aubree Tillett, edited by Aubree Tillett and Jess Ilias, an open-access Pressbook designed to uplift the names of women architects from almost every country and territory around the world. This entry is shared in line with the Creative Commons licensing.
Born in 1985 in Libya, Hana El-Hebshi is an architect who worked in Tripoli, Libya, prior to the Libyan Civil War. She became an activist during the revolution and documented the violence endured by Libyans, which she shared with international media using a pseudonym. She has also advocated for women’s rights and empowerment in Libya. El-Hebshi was one of ten recipients of the prestigious International Women of Courage Award issued by the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC in a 2012 ceremony presided over by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama.
References
Cousins, Michel. “Libyan Woman given US Prestigious Award.” LibyaHerald (blog), March 8, 2012. https://libyaherald.com/2012/03/libyan-woman-given-us-prestigious-award/.
“Hana Elhebshi.” Pantheon, accessed March 17, 2025. https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Hana_Elhebshi.
“Libyan Activist Gets International Women of Courage Award.” The Tripoli Post, September 3, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20161201161102/http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=7997.
Luna, Taryn. “Pittsburgh First U.S. City to Spend Time with Courageous Women.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 6, 2012. https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2012/03/06/Pittsburgh-first-U-S-city-to-spend-time-with-courageous-women/stories/201203060259.
US Congress. Congressional Record. Volume 158, no 61 (Thursday, April 26, 2012), H2139–H2140. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-04-26/html/CREC-2012-04-26-pt1-PgH2139-3.htm.
U.S. Department of State. “Background Briefing on the 2012 International Women of Courage Awards and Other Women’s History Month Activities.” Accessed March 1, 2024. //2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/03/185403.htm.
“Women Honored by U.S. for their Courage.” SF Gate, March 7, 2024. https://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Women-honored-by-U-S-for-their-courage-3387608.php.