
Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, Dr. Zahran received his B. Sc. in architecture cum laude at Ein Shams University in Cairo in 1958.
He continued his education in the United States, receiving a masters degree in architecture and urban design from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston in 1961, a master degree in Fine Arts from Princeton University in 1963, and finally a Ph.D. in Environmental planning at Princeton University in 1965.
He also received a TBTT certificate for remarkable engineering studies there, the following year he became a fellow for the Salzburg Seminars (1981); and a Fullbright fellow (1986).

- Princeton University , Princeton , N.J., U.S.A (1965)
Degree : Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture
Thesis : “New Settlements and Environmental Harmony” - Princeton University , Princeton , N.J., U.S.A (1963)
Degree : Master of Fine Arts in Architecture
Thesis : “Aspects of Permananet Architectural Values”

- Massachusetts Institute of Techonogy (M.I.T ) Cambridge , MA.
Degree : Master in Architecture with Honors (1962)
Thesis : “New Towns ; An Adaptable Urban Structure”
(Urban Design)

- Ein Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
Degree : Bachelor of Archtecture with Distinction and Honors (1959)