Inspired by skate videos on the internet, Mohammad Zakaria took to the streets of Amman, Jordan in 2002. Shortly after, he was joined by more passionate skaters and Amman's skate scene started to take shape.

Not having a local skateshop made it difficult for the skaters to get a hold of high quality skate products. Zakaria saw in this an opportunity to create an Arabian brand that sports awesome Arabic designs on high quality decks for the community; and Philadelphia was born in 2009.

Philadelphia, Amman's original name, is Latin for 'Brotherly Love' a most fitting name for the community of skaters who came together for the love of skating.

Philadelphia sourced the highest quality hardrock Canadian Maple, commissioned Arab designers to strut their graphics on them, and scouted skate talent for the team that will represent Philadelphia.

It wasn't long before Philadelphia rolled out on the streets of Jordan, Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, the rest of Arabia and internationally.

At its core, Philadelphia seeks to be a board company that is respected for its values of injecting Arabia's positive energy into the international skating scene, empowering a sense of freedom, deepening brotherly love, and prizing the lessons learnt from skating.

evan collisson - wallie
photo: maysam faraj