Omar Racim (in Arabic: عمر راسم) is an Algerian illuminator, calligrapher and nationalist activist born January 3, 1884 in Algiers and died February 3, 1959 in Algiers. He is also considered to be one of the precursors of the Algerian Press. Omar Racim is the older brother of Mohammed Racim.


Omar Racim was born in 1884, into a popular family of artists of Turkish origin. Like many Algerian children of his time, Omar Racim learned the Koran in his early youth. He will also learn the art of illumination in the family workshop at the Casbah of Algiers.

Bilingual self-taught, he began working in a colonial printing press at the age of 14. This allowed him to discover the world of the press, its importance and to become interested in politics and the ideological currents of the time. His first journalistic articles date from 1909. They were published in the newspapers "El Moudjahid" and "Mourchid El Ouma" which appeared in Tunisia. He denounces poverty and social ills.

In 1913 he created the newspaper Dhou el Fikar, a publication of 4 issues which was banned from publication by the colonial administration on June 18, 1914. On November 6, 1915, he was arrested and imprisoned for his political and nationalist ideas. Released on September 21, 1921, he devoted himself to his activities in applied arts and traveled to Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and France. He publishes writings on music, Andalusian art and architecture in Moroccan, Tunisian and Egyptian magazines.

In 1931, he participated in the international colonial exhibition in Paris where he obtained an honorary diploma.

In 1939, Omar Racim founded a school of miniatures, illumination and calligraphy in Algiers where he trained a host of young artists including Temmam, Ben Debbagh, Boutaleb. At the same time, he belonged to the Artistic Union of North Africa and exhibited in its salons.

From 1940 he devoted himself solely to the illumination of the Koran. In 1947 he was appointed professor at the Higher School of Fine Arts in Algiers.