Prominent photographer dies of heatstroke

Prominent Saudi photographer Mohammed Ali Shingiti died in Madinah on Thursday following a heatstroke. He was in his late 40s.
Shingiti worked for more than 25 years as the head of the photography team at the Saudi Research and Publishing Company (SRPC) in Jeddah. He covered a number of high-profile events, including the annual Haj pilgrimage, for Arab News, Asharq Al-Awsat and Al-Eqtisadiah.
He is survived by his wife and five children. According to his close friend and prominent journalist, Mahmoud Ahmad, he was fasting on Thursday and was on his way to the Prophet’s Mosque for Asr prayers when he fell unconscious. “He was possibly dehydrated because of extreme temperatures,” he said. “Shingiti was rushed to the nearby Al-Ansar hospital where doctors tried to resuscitate him but failed.”
Shingiti was a cheerful person and well-liked by journalists and the public in general. “He always had a smile on his face, even in the most difficult and challenging of situations,” said Arab News photographer Khidr Al-Zahrani.
Shingiti’s funeral prayers were held in the Prophet’s Mosque on Friday. The prayers were attended by a large number of people, including many of his colleagues and relatives. He was buried in the historic Jannat Al-Baqee graveyard.
Shingiti’s pictures from the Haj in the last 10 years were the most talked about. Since he had a sharp eye for detail, he was able to capture the best moments of pilgrims engaged in different rituals.
“We all will miss him,” said Ahmad. “He had moved to Madinah a couple of months ago to take care of his mother after the death of his father. May Allah grant him the best place in Paradise.”