AKTC Work in the world

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kmaherali
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In the heart of New Delhi, a wasteland springs to life

More Sharing ServicesShare | Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on stumbleuponShare on email Sweta Dutta : New Delhi, Tue May 22 2012, 02:50 hrs

It once provided all the flowering bushes and shrubs to adorn the open spaces and the boulevards of Lutyens’ Delhi. It then fell to neglect and grew barren, but now flowers are blooming again at Sunder Nursery.

Formerly known as Azim Bagh, Sunder Nursery has been in existence since the 1940s in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb. Concerted efforts to restore the nursery to its blooming ways has resulted in long beds of rare plants, and a dedicated bonsai section making an appearance.

Following the successful restoration of Humayun’s Tomb Garden and as part of the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal project, the Central Public Works Department and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) have been busy with the landscaping and development of the 70-acre Sunder Nursery since 2009.

Landscaping commenced following a meticulous survey that included documenting each tree within the nursery. Detailed discussions with experts allowed the project team to prepare a Landscape Master Plan for the nursery with the aim of combining heritage, ecology and nursery functions within one comprehensive interactive space.

The efforts bore fruit and the nursery now offers opportunities for recreation, education and discovery together with procurement of plants.

The landscape plan, designed by renowned landscape architect Muhammed Shaheer, derives inspiration from the traditional Indian concept of congruency between nature, garden and utility coupled with environmental conservation.

Once the work is complete, Sunder Nursery — designated a District Park in the Master Plan 2021 and also a notified Conservation area — will be a green space, rivalling Lodhi Gardens and even the Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

... contd.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-th ... fe/952323/
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Delhi to get its first sunken museum
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
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The Hindu An artist’s impression of the sunken interpretation centre linking three historic sites -- Humayun’s Tomb, Sundar Nursery and Nizamuddin Basti.

The Capital will have its first sunken interpretation centre linking three historic sites -- Humayun's Tomb, Sundar Nursery and Nizamuddin Basti -- if multiple agencies required to give clearances come together and give the go-ahead for the project.

Interpretation centres, popularly known as site museums that detail the history of a cultural or natural heritage, have been largely missing from the Indian arena. The project, a first of its kind in the country, has been conceptualised and designed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

The plan envisages a sunken museum that will be constructed below the current parking lot outside the Humanyun's Tomb and will have underground passages linking the three sites. The proposed building will offer visitors to the World Heritage Site a more informed experience through historic nuggets in writing to exhibits, archival pictures and even craft demonstrations.

Citing details of the project that is awaiting clearances and funding, Dr B. R. Mani, Additional Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, said: “As part of the Humayun's Tomb – Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Project, the ASI and the AKTC are planning the country's first specially designed interpretation centre for the World Heritage Site that is today visited by over a million visitors each year of which at least 300,000 are school children.”

Union Minister for Housing and Poverty Alleviation and Culture Kumari Selja is keen that work on the special project commences during this year as it coincides with 150 years of the ASI, said Dr. Mani.

“Interpretation centres are today the norm at all international historic sites of repute. They are built to enhance visitor experience by providing insight into the site's history, architecture etc…In addition interpretation centres house visitor facilities and special areas for visiting school groups,” said Ratish Nanda, project director of AKTC.

Detailed transport planning, ground penetrating radar survey, heritage impact assessment studies have already been carried out by AKTC. The existing subways in Nizamuddin, near the Subz Burj, will be used to access the museum from the Nizamuddin Basti side, while similar linkages will be constructed between the Humayun's Tomb and the CPWD's Sundar Nursery. The three-way walk way will allow visitors access to all three sites.

“The museum at Humayun's Tomb will sit among the densest ensemble of medieval Islamic buildings and in order to ensure that no visual linkages are disturbed the AKTC architects have used the inspiration of North Indian baolis to design a sunken building,” Aftab Jalia, project architect, AKTC. “By creating sunken linkages to Sundar Nursery the impact of the road presently segregating the two sites will be also be minimised,” he said.

The museum will have a permanent exhibition area, an auditorium to screen films now being commissioned by AKTC for school groups; craft demonstration areas to showcase the glazed tile, sandstone craft traditions used for the Humayun's Tomb conservation, facilities for visitors, a souvenir shop and a café.

“In addition to architectural models, interactive displays and signages we also hope to display artefacts connected to the Nizamuddin area which boasts a 700-year living culture and has been the home for great poets such as Hazrat Amir Khusrau and Mirza Ghalib,” said Mr. Nanda.

The building will be energy efficient, as it has been designed to utilise natural light and ventilation to minimise dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Designated spaces for parking will be provided and separate bus drop off points will be created at the entrance zone to cater to larger tourist groups.

The project that will take up to 18 months for construction needs approval from multiple authorities, including the Delhi Development Authority for approval of concept design and area brief in view of the Master Plan requirements.

The Union Ministry of Urban Development's Land and Development Office (L&DO) will need to provide additional land for parking; the South Delhi Municipal Corporation will have to approve building plans and marginal diversion of the MCD road as per proposed design and the CPWD will have to give its consent to allow visitor facilities that are proposed to be built within the Sundar Nursery – including spaces for temporary exhibits.

Keywords: sunken museum, historic sites
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Del ... 458956.ece
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Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park
By Idris Tawfiq - The Egyptian Gazette
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:41:44 AM

It is really difficult to say whether it’s better to visit during the day or in the evening. Both have their attractions. In the day, the panoramic views of the surrounding area are truly splendid.

Al-Azhar Park

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In fact, the view of the Citadel from the promenade is perhaps one of the finest views anywhere in Cairo. In the evening, it is just such a romantic place to be, with music gently wafting through the air via discreetly placed loudspeakers, and a kinder climate helping visitors to enjoy the experience.

Whether you visit in the day or when it is dark, there is no doubt that a trip to Al-Azhar Park is one of the best visits you can make in Cairo. It is without doubt one of the best kept places, the cleanest and the most beautiful in the whole of Egypt.

The whole project is living proof, if any proof be needed, of what can be done if you have money to spend and the vision to use it well. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture spent thirty million dollars on the project, with the aim of providing a uniquely beautiful place where the people of Cairo, and foreign visitors alike, can go for recreation and enjoy stunning views of the surrounding historic monuments, as well as generating new life into a community. The once neglected area has now been the focus of regeneration for a whole community, not only restoring and repairing local monuments, but also providing jobs and business opportunities through the micro-loans which have been made available to local residents wanting to start up new projects.

The Aga Khan, leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims, made the decision to gift the city with a park as a way of showing that beautiful things can enhance the value of people’s lives and can actually generate economic growth. We are all sharers in the world’s resources, he declared, and as Muslims we are stewards of those resources.

Any visitor to Cairo would do well to head to Al-Azhar Park to get a feel of what the city is like. Being so close to Islamic Cairo and the monuments of El-Hussein and Al-Azhar, the Park can really showcase what Cairo is made of. Residents of Cairo who haven’t yet made a visit are missing out on a marvelous way of appreciating their unique and historic city.

In what used to be a rubbish dump, the whole neglected area of el-Darassa has been transformed into something beautiful. Eighty thousand truckloads of rubbish had to be cleared away to prepare the site. In doing so, the contractors discovered a one and a half kilometre stretch of Ayyubid wall, dating from the twelfth century, which has now been restored. They even discovered enormous blocks of stone from Pharaonic times, complete with hieroglyphic inscriptions, which were used in part to build the wall.

Building on what was once a refuse tip meant that the ground was very saline and unsuitable for vegetation. Skillfully chosen plants, shrubs and trees, which thrive in such an environment, now cover the whole area.

Some of the features within the park still leave visitors amazed. The hilltop restaurant, for example, has been designed and built in a style reminiscent of Islamic Cairo. The promenade which runs down the centre of the park, flanked on either side by rows of royal palms, contains within it a water feature that is both innovative and beautiful. What could be more beautiful on a hot summer’s day or a balmy Cairo evening than to hear the gentle trickle of water and the play of fountains?

In fact, in an age when many in the world’s media present Islam as backward and lacking in many of the advantages of a civilised society, Al-Azhar Park has unashamedly used an Islamic theme throughout, allowing visitors to rejoice in their proud heritage. The buildings and fountains and beautifully tended gardens lead one to appreciate the rich and noble heritage of Islam. Not only is the Park beautifully designed and laid out, but the Park is surrounded by monuments which are the envy of the world. Looking in every direction you see incomparable treasures of Islamic architecture, from the massive Mosque of Sultan Hassan, to the Citadel of Salah El-Din, the City of the Dead, the district of Darb Al-Ahmar and the university mosque of Al-Azhar, the oldest university in the world. No Muslim could visit Al-Azhar Park and not feel pride at what Islam has achieved in the past, and marvel at what it is still able to achieve.

The mainly Lebanese cuisine on offer at the Lakeside Café is hosted within a modern building on a traditional theme, with lamps and ornaments from Cairo’s Islamic past. Small rooms and corners afford privacy, within the context of a gracious setting, and all beside a lake and fountains overlooked by the Citadel.

One of the most interesting features in the Park, and one which never fails to delight visitors, is the set of fountains just inside from the Main Entrance, which shoot directly from out of the ground and catch people out as they try to pass through them.

Muslims read in the holy Qur’an in Surat Sad:

Gardens of Eternity, whose doors will (ever) be open to them;

Therein will they recline (at ease); therein can they call (at pleasure)

For fruit in abundance, and (delicious) drink…..

Holy Qur’an 38:50-51

What more beautiful image could there be for people living in a hot, dry climate, whose lives depend so much on water for life, than gardens under which rivers flow. The Park plays upon this theme and allows visitors to appreciate the beauty of Nature and the life-giving power and cleansing quality of water. Enough for visitors, in the midst of their recreation, to spare a silent thought for the Creator of such beauty and to give Him thanks.

As for whether it’s best to visit in the day or in the evening, perhaps you should make two visits – and then decide for yourself!




British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, is a lecturer at Al-Azhar University. The author of eight books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com.

http://213.158.162.45/~egyptian/index.p ... har%20Park
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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Sufi songs for the soul
Rakhshanda Jalil


Jashn-e-Khusrau: A Collection
Roli Books & Agha Khan Trust For Culture
Pages 221. Rs 1,995

Home to the 13th-century Sufi master, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, also known as Mehboob-e-Ilahi or Beloved of God, the Nizamuddin basti (meaning settlement) is a repository of a real, lived, Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb. The first qawwwalis were composed here and it was here that Amir Khusrau, the saint’s closest disciple, handpicked a group of singers – the qawwal bachchas – and trained them to sing in a new sort of way. As a celebration of pluralism, the festival of Basant was celebrated with joy and the whole area decorated with yellow flowers – a practice that continues to this day to mark the end of a bitter North Indian winter and the herald of a balmy though short-lived spring.

During the Jashn-e-Khusrau Festival, this legacy of syncretism is remembered in different ways: through performances of qawwalis from qawwals belonging to different khanqahi traditions; discussions with the singers to explore the nuances of their repertoire which consists largely of the songs, qawwalis, poetry in Persian, Braj and Hindavi composed by Amir Khusrau; heritage walks in the historically-rich area by volunteers from among the basti’s youth; as well as academic discussions and paper presentations.

In a rare example of a fruitful public-private partnership, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Central Public Works Department and the Aga Khan Foundation have taken the Basti Nizamuddin area under their wing and initiated a remarkable series of small changes, each of which are beginning to show remarkable promise. What is more, these efforts – as part of a larger project of urban renewal of historic cities — hold out enormous hope for cloistered communities such as the one in the Basti Nizamuddin area, a neighbourhood that for all its antiquity is cloaked in backwardness, neglect and apathy. One such effort is the Jashn-e-Khusrau, part of a five-year project called the Aalam-e-Khusrau funded by the Ford Foundation, and is meant to showcase the basti’s rich cultural traditions.

A lasting documentation of the event is a handsomely-produced and profusely illustrated coffee-table book, Jashn-e-Khusrau: A Collection (Roli Books), brings together performers, academics, activists, conservationists, musicologists, historians. The first section, comprising a selection of three essays, focuses on: the literary aspect of Khusrau’s work; the musicology of the qawwali tradition; and the patronage of this centuries-old tradition by Sunil Sharma, Regula Qureshi and Irfan Zuberi, respectively. This is followed by transliterations and translations of the kalaam itself, presented with the girehs as sung by the qawwals.

However, what makes this book truly a collector’s item, are the set of three Cds of qawwalis, each containing vintage sufiana kalam: Mun Kunto Maula, Tori Surat ke Balihari Nijam, Kahe ko Biyahi Bides, Teri re Main to Charnan Lagi, Eidgah-e Ma Ghariban, Chashm-e Mast-e Ajabi, Aaj Tona Main Aisa Banaungi`85 The CDs in themselves are enough reason to buy this book for where else do you get to hear such kalaam? What is more, where else can you get such a selection of qawwalis sung by the real qawwal bachchas now scattered in different cities, now belonging to different khanqahs.

When Nizamuddin Auliya died in 1325 at the venerable age of 87, mad with grief, Khusrau wrote:

Gori sowe sej par mukh pe dare kes

Chal Khusro ghar aapne, rain bhayi pardes

(The beloved sleeps upon her couch, her face covered with her tresses

Come, Khusro, let us go home, for night falls in these strange lands)

Seven centuries later, the area around the hospice continues to be venerated, people continue to flock to the bustling dargah that came up around the grave of the Sufi master and to the small shrine of Amir Khusrau who lies buried nearby. What is more, Khusrau’s words live in the music of the qawwals. A book such as this is a fitting tribute to an enduring legacy of love and longing that transcends the here and now.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/201206 ... /book2.htm

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120615/j ... 9p0Q_Lh5Gs
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June 13, 2012, 3:57 am
For Muslim Women in Delhi, a Breath of Fresh Air
By RAKSHA KUMAR

Raksha Kumar for The New York Times
Yasmeen Khan, right, at the “Pardah Bagh,” a park exclusively for women and children in Nizamuddin in south Delhi.Yasmeen Khan dons her burqa and steps out of her house in the Nizamuddin neighborhood of Delhi every evening to walk a short distance to a 10-foot-high stone wall. Behind the wall is paradise — a place where she can remove her burqa and hijab, enjoy cool fresh air in her hair, exercise and gossip with friends.

Hundreds of women regularly visit the “Pardah Bagh,” a park as large as a football field, exclusively for women and children. While there are other parks in the city marked only for women, particularly in Old Delhi, they are usually unkempt and frequented by men.
The women’s park in Nizamuddin is being maintained by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, a non-profit group which has been working with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to redevelop the Nizamuddin slum area for the past five years. “The concept of a ‘Pardah Park’ has existed in traditional Muslim societies across the world,” said Shveta Mathur, an architect and the program officer for the trust, “however, this is the first such park in Delhi that is well developed and extensively used by the community.”


Courtesy of Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Women and children come to relax at the ‘Pardah Bagh,’ in Nizamuddin in south Delhi.Mrs. Khan said she used to feel locked up inside her one-room, ground floor house, because she would not leave her home alone. “I only went out when my husband came back home early in the evening,” she said. “I craved for some open air, as did my children.”

The Nizamuddin slum is a densely populated settlement that has spread across 13 acres of land in South Delhi, with 15,000 residents and a transient population of at least 10,000 more, according to a survey conducted by the Aga Khan Trust earlier this year.


Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture
The open dumping ground which existed at the site of the park before it was developed.“Sometimes the lanes are so narrow that I have to angle myself to pass through them,” Ms. Mathur said. Because of the dense population and faulty sanitation, tuberculosis and asthma are common. “During community meetings we realized that many women wanted open spaces in their neighborhood and the freedom to be able to go there,” said Ms. Mathur, who also is an urban planner. Before the women’s park was developed, it was an open dumping ground.

“The green stretch of the park is a bit of a solace in the ever-busy, overcrowded slum,” said Jahaanarah, a 32-year-old woman who said she only goes by her first name and who frequents the park with her four children.

The park is divided in half, and the area farthest from the road has been turned into a children’s play area. “The kids fight all the time to use swings and slides first,” said Mumtaz Begum, the 42-year-old caretaker of the park. The other has exercise equipment for the women to use, including a thigh-firming machine. “Women come here to be burqa-free in open air,” said Ms. Begum, “but also to exercise. They are all health conscious.”

Farida Khannum, a professor of Islamic history at the Dr. Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies said the women’s-only park is a welcome addition to Delhi.

“The cultural background and the social setup of these women is such that don’t mingle with men, even socially, the way women in other parts of the city do,” Ms. Khannum said. “Their idea of personal space is different.”

“If the park had not been exclusively for women, the smiles you see on these women’s faces would not be there,” she said. “If you want to service the community, it should be according to the needs of the community.”

On most evenings, Mrs. Khan takes care of her two children, but on a visit to the park this week, she had the responsibility of four more. “They are my sister-in-law’s children,” she said, lightly pushing the swing her daughter was sitting on. “Life used to be hell when relatives came to our tiny home in large numbers,” she said. “Today I have an escape from every frustration and sorrow. I come here and forget the world.”

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/ ... fresh-air/
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The sound of a qawwali

Excerpt:

The final resting place of saint Nizamuddiun Auliya and poet Amir Khusrau is a cultural hub, finds Sudarshana Srinivasan

Fact file

Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia lived in a small village called Ghiyaspur on the outskirts of Delhi. He lived there for 60 years and was buried there. In his lifetime, he was frequently at loggerheads with the Delhi rulers but was also sought after for advice and blessing. Eight hundred odd years later, the dargah still retains the essence of what it must have been like all those years ago. Today, Ghiyaspur is better known as Nizamuddin.

Revival

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture along with the Archaeological Survey of India, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Public Works Department is working on the cultural and economic revival of the Nizamuddin basti. It aims to integrate the community with its cultural heritage. To know more visit http://www.nizamuddinrenewal.org/

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ ... epage=true
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Africa & the Green Economy 2012
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/45f321a4 ... z1yLUFGZbQ

June 19, 2012 10:02 pm
Aga Khan Trust: Good for people and the planet
By Sarah Murray

Given the difficulties facing Africa’s rapidly expanding urban centres, policy makers might be forgiven for not putting the provision of city parks high on their list of priorities. Yet this is something the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) – the cultural agency of the Aga Khan Development Network – is focusing on in several African cities.

The trust believes parks are vital public spaces whose social and environmental role goes far beyond offering picnic areas or views.
“Obviously, there are many pressing problems in cities, but parks are not just physical spaces,” says Luis Monreal, general manager of the AKTC. “In reality, these cities need social spaces where different populations can meet at leisure.”

In Cairo, the AKTC has used the site of a 500-year-old dump to create a 30-hectare green space, the Al-Azhar Park, which opened in 2005. More recently, the park project was extended to include the restoration of ancient buildings and the 12th-century Ayyubid wall.

In Bamako, the capital of Mali – a city that is home to more than 1m people – the AKTC has rehabilitated a colonial-era botanical garden built by the French. The park encompasses areas of indigenous flora, open lawns, flower gardens, wooded areas and a medicinal garden, as well as jogging and cycling tracks and nature trails.

More recently, in April, the trust signed an agreement with the Kenyan government to take on the restoration of the Nairobi City Park. The idea is to protect from further encroachment a space that, according to Mr Monreal, has already lost 40 per cent of its territory and to restore the park’s physical and ecological infrastructure.

Such projects clearly have environmental benefits. Parks help conserve natural resources and create habitats for wildlife. “These places are tremendous reservoirs of biodiversity,” says Mr Monreal. “A park can
create a microclimate, regulate the rainfall in the city, contribute to aquifers and provide a home to chimpanzees, birds and small mammals.”

In cities, green areas can also mitigate what is known as “urban heat island” – a phenomenon whereby the surfaces of buildings absorb solar radiation and return it to the air as heat. Trees, shrubs and vegetation not only provide shade but also help reduce city temperatures by returning moisture to the atmosphere, preventing the sun’s heat from
being absorbed and retained by buildings.

However, says Mr Monreal, parks serve people, as well as the planet. In addition to providing recreational spaces, he says that they have the potential to become educational resources for schools programmes on ecosystems.

Moreover, in many African cities, open spaces are places that bring together some of the diverse ethnic groups that are increasingly migrating from rural to urban areas. “This multi-ethnicity can generate friction because people lack knowledge of each other,” he says. “Parks are social spaces where family groups can meet in a relaxed
atmosphere at a time of leisure. So in a way they contribute to policies of integration."
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A beacon of hope for youngsters

240 youth of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti complete vocational training courses

The Agha Khan Trust for culture in partnership with Housing and Urban Development Corporation conceptualised and conducted three to nine-month-long vocational training courses for 240 youngsters and women of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti. The courses concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony at a Municipal Corporation of Delhi school here on Thursday.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Del ... 557813.ece
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Significance of restoring the tomb of Babur by AKTC

Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Babur, the first Moghul emperor
Wine and tulips in Kabul

Foreign invaders have always had a difficult relationship with Afghanistan. The diary of Babur, the first Moghul emperor, offers some lessons in how to manage—and to enjoy—the place

ON A bright winter’s morning lines of plane trees and immaculately tended rose bushes fall away down terraces where men crash out on carpets and sheepish young couples sit as close together as they dare. The plants are fed by a central water channel, the signature feature of a Moghul garden. Below is the brown smog of Kabul; beyond, snowy mountains.

The tomb of Babur, the first Moghul emperor, blasted and pock marked during the civil war of the 1990s, has been lovingly restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Some visitors come because it is now Kabul’s most tranquil public space; some because Babur is emerging as an unlikely national hero in a country short of leaders worth admiring. People pray at the foot of his low, simple grave. One enthusiast sacrifices a buffalo to him every year, and distributes the meat to the gardeners who tend the place

More....

http://indiamydreamland.blogspot.ca/201 ... peror.html
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Children Convey Sufi Message of Love

A 'sufi' message of love, tolerance and pluralism echoed in the bylanes of Nizamuddin Basti when local children took the initiative to preserve their heritage through an improvised form of 'dastangoi'.

An open air setting in the heart of the Basti, with a view of families in the neighbourhood in their balconies and windows and children up in the roofs flying colourful kites, Chausath Khamba provided an ambience apt for a theatre performance of Qissa Baoli ka (The Story behind the Baoli).

It also served another objective – the reuse of a dilapidated space for cultural events centred on themes associated with the Basti.

Around 40 children from the Basti, who were shortlisted after auditions by the Urdu Academy, tried to make the story of the construction of Hazrat Nizamuddin Baoli, built in the 14th century despite objections from king Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, came alive last weekend in a culmination of a 45-day theatre workshop.

The 50-minute play was an Aga Khan Trust for Culture initiative in the form of Urban Renewal project that aims at improving the quality of life of residents and collaboration between AKTC and Urdu Academy for past two years has seen children and youth from the Basti getting trained in theatre

More.....
http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=768140

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Nizamuddin Basti: Centuries-old Delhi urban sprawl lives in secular harmony


By Madhusree Chatterjee

New Delhi, June 28 - As the summer heat settles on Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti every morning, the 700-year-old urban sprawl in south Delhi comes to life blurring the boundary between the past and present. It is a strange cluster of old Mughal buildings, archaeological relics and new concrete homes that exist in secular harmony in the Indian capital.

The government schools open shutters, a gymnasium for Muslim women sees its first batch troop in to get into shape, the health care clinics, vocational training schools and computer centres begin their grind for the day.

Last weekend, 240 women and youths of Nizamuddin Basti were awarded certificates for successfully completing job-oriented skill training.

A universe of contemporary livelihoods flourishes around the 16th century mausoleum of the scholar-king Humayun in the Nizamuddin Basti, restored to its original glory by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture under a 20-year integrated project.

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http://www.nerve.in/news:253500466871
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Community health programme ‘Sehat Aapaa’ identifies women and children in need of medical intervention

On some days she has the door slammed in her face, on some days she is treated with suspicion. There have been mishaps on the job, and several unpleasant instances, yet, each time she reaches out to a woman in need of help, all misgivings are forgotten.

Meet Shabnam -- also known as ‘Sehat Aapaa’-- a community health worker who goes door-to-door identifying expectant women and children in need of medical intervention in Delhi’s Nizamuddin basti. “Sometimes people don’t allow me in, sometimes women are suspicious and want to know why I offer to take them to a dispensary for check-up or help them procure medicines. It is hard to cajole pregnant women and their families to agree for health checks and proper medication,” said Shabnam, who is one of the nine others who work as ‘Sehat Aapaa’ as part of the community health programme being run by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture under its Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Initiative. The community health care project was started in January this year, after the Trust learnt of poor maternal and children facilities in the basti.

More.....

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Del ... 631790.ece

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International philanthropic organisation Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in collaboration with the Urdu Academy, is hosting a play of historical significance in Delhi next month

The play seeks to highlight how masons succeeded in constructing the baoli for revered Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.

Boasting of a 700-year-long living culture Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti seems to have forgotten, the children of this area are trying to revive its historic importance through this play. Forty children from the basti will perform and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be invited to the event.

According to director Nadeem Khan, the play will propagate the Sufi message of love, tolerance, pluralism. It will basically tell how masons, who were building the fort at Tughlaqabad for Tughlaq king Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq during the daytime, worked at night to construct the baoli for Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Del ... 634441.ece
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A tale of two localities

By herald
August 16, 2012

The article highlights the differences in restoration approaches between the public and private sectors

http://herald.dawn.com/tag/aga-khan-trust-for-culture

*******

Nila Gumbad, New Delhi

Excerpt:

Plans to integrate the 16th-century Nila Gumbad with Humayun’s Tomb complex have finally got off the ground with the signing of a MoU between the ASI & railways which allows the service road bifurcating the two monuments to be shifted to the other side of Nila Gumbad. The work is being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) & will also include repairing of cracks and tile work on the dome, reopening of doorways now blocked with masonry, removal of cement repairs made in the 20th century, restoration of the decorative plasterwork, & rebuilding of collapsed portions of the northern & western arcade walls.

http://pixels-memories.blogspot.ca/2012 ... delhi.html
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2012 Label for Council of Europe Cultural Events

The Council of Europe "Cultural Event" label recognises exceptional and innovative cultural and artistic projects which address key challenges of today’s European societies and convey strong messages related to the Council of Europe’s mission and values.

The following projects have been awarded with the Council of Europe “Cultural Event” label for 2012:

1. The Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI) for its "Creation, Performance and Outreach Programme” which contributes to the revitalization of cultural heritage of traditional music forms in Central Asia, Caucasus, Europe, North Africa and North America by connecting musicians and educational institutions. AKMI organises concerts and produces DVDs and CDs of a high artistic level. AKMI’s contributes greatly to the Council of Europe’s work on intercultural dialogue and the “Artists in Dialogue” initiative.

http://www.akdn.org/aktc_music.asp?type=p
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Bamako’s Parc National
Posted on October 7, 2011 by brucewhitehouse


Excerpt:
The new park, which sits on 17 hectares of land, was funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and is run in partnership with the Malian government.*

http://bamakobruce.wordpress.com/2011/1 ... -national/
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AKTC - Afghanistan Newsletter #32 (Spring/Summer 2012) - English version

http://archnet.org/library/documents/on ... t_id=13041
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Renovated parks in Nizamuddin thrown open to public

Press Trust of India / New Delhi October 12, 2012, 19:35

Once an active zone for drug peddlers, parks in Hazrat Nizamuddin area now bustle with people and children who now throng in large numbers.

The DDA park, which is located at a land of five acres at the edge of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti in south Delhi, was frequented only by two per cent of the local population till 2008 when it was taken up for landscaping.

It was a haven for drug peddling in the area and the local people feared even stepping inside the park.

Four years later, the park was opened to the public today after being landscaped as part of a project by Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

After exhaustive community consultation, the landscape design was made and distinct usage was allotted to each of the three major parks.

"Thus there is now a Women's only Pardah Bagh with an attached Children's Park, a park for Community elders and events and the larger park being inaugurated today for youth sports and an overspill from the Barat Ghar," an AKTC statement said.

The landscape design also reflects the historic nature of the settlement and there has been a predominant use of natural materials such as sandstone, quartzite stone and hardy Delhi flora such as Ashoka, Alostonia, Spathodia, Chandni and Bougainvillaea.

Ajay Chaudhry, Additional Commissioner of Police, inaugurated the landscaped DDA parks and youth from Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti played an inaugural football match.

Chaudhary complimented the efforts of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and assured women the police will have a zero tolerance towards drug peddlers and will keep this park and surrounding areas free from drug users.

Shveta Mathur, AKTC Programme Officer for Urban Planning, explained that community management of facilities such as the toilets had ensured appropriate use and encouraged the community to play an active role in park management.

The project was part of an AKTC entered into with the MCD, Central Public Works Department and the Archaeological Survey of India to undertake the Urban renewal project.

http://www.business-standard.com/genera ... lic/67671/

******
Nizamuddin park gets a makeover

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... pe-project
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Post by kmaherali »

Chaunsath Khambha to stand tall again

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is restoring this unusually structured tomb in Nizamuddin Basti, dome by dome.

Tucked in the narrow lanes of Nizamuddin Basti, a seventeenth-century monument — Chaunsath Khambha — is in the process of regaining its lost glory.

Under the careful ministrations of a group of engineers, architects and craftsmen, this unusually structured tomb is gradually ridding itself of its many “wounds” sustained in the course of four centuries.

Built around 1623-24 AD, the building houses the tomb of Mirza Aziz Kokaltash — son of Shamshuddin Atagh Khan, Prime Minister of Emperor Akbar. Mirza Aziz Kokaltash was also the governor of Gujarat, during the reign of Jahangir.

“Since it is considered auspicious to be buried near a saint’s grave, seven centuries of tomb building in the vicinity of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s dargah have made this area the densest ensemble of medieval Islamic buildings in India,” Ratish Nanda, Project Director, Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), said.

The trust is carrying out the restoration at Chaunsath Khambha, which is being co-funded by the Embassy of Germany, following an agreement between the two in 2011.

With 64 pillars supporting 25 domes, the monument has been constructed entirely in marble. Conservation experts said the building plan may have been inspired by that of Iranian garden pavilions such as Chihil Sutun (Hall of 40 Pillars), which also influenced the design of Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas at the Red Fort.

Conservation experts involved in the project said the monument had suffered severe damages because of excessive water seepage.

... contd.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/chaun ... n/1024863/
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Odinga, Aga Khan to witness signing of deal
Wednesday, 28 November 2012 23:24

By The Citizen Reporter
Arusha. Kenyan Prime minister Raila Odinga and His Highness the Aga Khan will today witness the signing of an agreement between the government of Kenya and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) for the rehabilitation of Nairobi City Park.

The Nairobi City Park Rehabilitation Funding and Technical Assistance Agreement (RFTA), as it is officially known, clears a way for the AKTC to begin works in the park starting in 2013, a statement released yesterday said. The model for the revised Nairobi City Park will also be unveiled today, marking a symbolic launch of the project.

“The primary objective of the project is to rehabilitate Nairobi’s City Park as a major metropolitan park that meets the highest standards in restoration, environmental practices and the financial self-sustainability,” the statement said.

Funds for the project will come from multiple sources, including the Aga Khan Development Network and grants, donor funds and other forms of project finance from reputable local and international organisations and agencies.

In addition, AKTC will also provide non-recoverable grants and seeks co-funding to redevelop the park. Operations are to be managed by a park operations unit, whose role will be to manage, maintain and attract visitors. Any possible revenue will be reinvested in social projects.

The agreement foresees collaboration through environmental improvements, landscape architectural conservation and enhancement and creation of new facilities. These activities will improve the quality of the site, making the environment safe for visitors to the City Park and provide the necessary infrastructure by respecting the natural and cultural heritage of the City Park and the people of Kenya.

The rehabilitation of the Park will be undertaken in phases. The first one will involve site surveys and collection of critical information incorporating physical, economic and significant natural conservation data. The second will consist of the actual project construction and the third will be operations and management of park activities.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is one of nine agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). With 10 park and garden projects now in its portfolio, the Trust has demonstrated that even in the most difficult contexts, parks can have a positive impact on a city if they are restored and maintained. In Cairo, Bamako, Kabul, Delhi, Zanzibar and other sites, AKTC’s rehabilitation of existing parks and the creation of new green spaces have made these places hugely popular among local populations and international visitors.

http://thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national ... -deal.html

********
Nizamuddin Basti to host cultural festival

A three-day ‘Apni Basti Mela’ in the Capital’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti is being organised by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in association with the Union Cultural Ministry starting this Thursday.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Del ... 139603.ece

Flavours of Nizamuddin - The second edition of Apni Basti Mela is bigger and more varied.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/flavo ... n/1038395/
Last edited by kmaherali on Sun Dec 02, 2012 6:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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29 November 2012 - Nairobi, Kenya: agreement to be signed by Mowlana Hazar Imam and Prime Minister Odinga of Kenya at 11am at the Museum for the City Park restoration.
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Aga Khan Trust for Culture to revitalise Nairobi City Park

http://www.theismaili.org/cms/1408/Aga- ... -City-Park

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Prime Minister Odinga, Prince Hussain, and other dignitaries discuss the model of the soon to be restored Nairobi City Park. Photo: Samwell Nyakondo

Nairobi, 29 November 2012 — “Culture is a trampoline for development and assistance for some of the poorest people in the world,” declared Mawlana Hazar Imam. He was speaking at a signing ceremony marking an agreement between the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the Government of Kenya to rehabilitate Nairobi City Park.

Also see:
» AKDN photo gallery

Located in the Nairobi suburb of Parklands, the park once served as a community hub for leisure and cultural activities. In its heydey, it was a favourite spot for a fun outing. “I remember Aga Khan Primary School class picnics [at the park],” says one 55-year-old Jamati member. The long-time Nairobi resident delightfully recalls visits with the “brass band playing on Sundays, the goldfish pond and monkeys!”

The agreement builds on an April 2012 memorandum of understanding between the Government of Kenya, the Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture, the City Council of Nairobi and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to collaborate in the rehabilitation and restoration of the Nairobi City Park to international standards. Present with Hazar Imam for the ceremony, Prince Hussain, who had signed the MoU on behalf of AKTC in April, had noted at the time that it was “an important step towards ensuring that the historical and cultural heritage, as well as the significant biodiversity of Nairobi City Park, is conserved now and for the generations to come.”


Mawlana Hazar Imam and Prime Minister Odinga tour an exhibition of the work of the AKTC Historic Cities Programme, accompanied by Prince Hussain, Dr Idle Farah and Luis Monreal. Photo: Samwell NyakondoThe forested 60-hectare park was established in the 1930s and is a testament to a time when trees covered much of Nairobi. Today, as a heritage site under the care of the National Museums of Kenya, it remains a natural preserve and a sanctuary for birds, insects, mammals and plants. A recent biodiversity survey of the park identified 988 species of flora and fauna — including some rare varieties — and no less than 58 species of indigenous trees.

The rehabilitation project will take place over several years, and will include a new restaurant, educational facilities, a botanical garden, an exhibition ground, an open air theatre and sports facilities. The works will also improve the park’s amenities and public safety, as well as provide the necessary infrastructure to maintain its natural and cultural heritage.

With ten park and garden projects in its portfolio, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has shown that proper restoration and maintenance of green spaces can contribute to improving quality of life in cities. Parks and gardens can also be economic generators that drive — directly and indirectly — a broad advance of positive change.


Signing the agreement (from left): Professor Karega Mutahi, Dr Jacob Ole Miaron, Dr Idle Farah, P.T. Odongo, Luis Monreal. Photo: Samwell Nyakondo“The Trust for Culture deals with cultural issues, environmental issues, and seeks to invest in the rehabilitation of cultural assets in the developing world,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam. “We are able to demonstrate that the support these sorts of initiatives give is as good as a micro dam or a ring road or an irrigation channel.”

Kenya’s Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Raila Odinga, who was the guest of honour at the ceremony, remarked on the government’s aspirations for the park: “City Park in particular has the mission of upholding our country’s tradition and cultural heritage while preserving the natural heritage and ecosystems,” he said. “Creating green spaces in urban areas constitutes a significant improvement in the quality of the environment and people’s living conditions.”

The signing ceremony took place at the Nairobi National Museum, and also included the unveiling of a model of the restored park. Signatories to the agreement included Luis Monreal, AKTC’s General Manager, Professor Karega Mutahi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Dr Jacob Ole Miaron, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture, Dr Idle Farah, Director-General, National Museums of Kenya, and P.T. Odongo, City of Nairobi Town Clerk.


A close-up view of the Nairobi City Park model. Photo: Aziz Islamshah
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Aga Khan pledges to restore park’s glory

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/ ... index.html

By PETER LEFTIE

Image

His Highness The Aga Khan (L) with Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga after signing an agreement to rehabilitate Nairobi City Park at Nairobi National Museum yesterday. PHOTO BY BILLY MUTAI.

Posted Friday, November 30 2012 at 02:00
In Summary

His Highness the Aga Khan says the Aga Khan Trust will refurbish Nairobi City Park as part of plans to rehabilitate cultural facilities across the globe.

Monitor Correspondent
Nairobi

His Highness the Aga Khan and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga yesterday launched a major project to return the Nairobi City Park to its lost glory when they witnessed the signing of an agreement to rehabilitate the facility.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the National Museum, the Aga Khan announced that the Aga Khan Trust was committed to investing in rehabilitating cultural facilities that will impact positively on the lives of the poor people across the globe. He said that the Trust was undertaking 10 other similar projects worldwide, the Nairobi project being the second in the East African region after a similar one in Zanzibar. He projected that once rehabilitated, the Park would be able to attract millions of visitors drawn from all corners of the world every year.

Mr Odinga said the project would make a substantial contribution to improving the urban environment of Nairobi. He said the importance of green spaces in fast growing mega-cities could not be underestimated as they played a big role in improving the quality of the environment. “They have proved to be catalysts for economic activity and a source of employment, both directly and indirectly,” he said.

The Prime Minister was optimistic that once rehabilitated, the Park would help raise awareness among the public as a whole on the judicious use of environmental resources. Mr Odinga said his office was in talks with the Aga Khan Development Network for support in Cash transfer, Micro Franchising and youth programmes in the Coast and in early childhood investment in nutrition and health care and loving home.

Agreement signed

The agreement was signed by Local Government Permanent Secretary Prof. Karega Mutahi, his National Heritage counterpart, Prof. Jacob ole Marion, Nairobi Town Clerk Tom Odongo and Luis Monreal for the Aga Khan Trust.

The agreement paves the way for the Aga Khan Trust to embark on the rehabilitation exercise starting early next year.

The project will entail environmental improvements, landscape architectural conservation and enhancement and creation of new facilities which will improve the quality of the site, making the environment safe for visitors to the Park.

According to Prof Mutahi, who chairs the steering committee overseeing the Park’s rehabilitation and Mr Monreal, the general manager at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the project will entail giving a facelift to a football pitch which has remained disused for many years.

An ampi-theatre and a swimming pool as well as a food court will also be constructed at the Park to help it generate its own income.

Monitor Correspondent
Nairobi

His Highness the Aga Khan and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga yesterday launched a major project to return the Nairobi City Park to its lost glory when they witnessed the signing of an agreement to rehabilitate the facility.
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Video: Nairobi City Park revitalisation agreement with Aga Khan Trust for Culture

http://www.akdn.org/videos_detail.asp?VideoId=185
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Interview with Ratish Nanda of the AKTC on the restoration work in Nizamuddin.

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main54.asp ... istory.asp
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Luis Monreal, General Manager of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to speak at The International Colloquium organized by UNESCO

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=167123
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I wonder if Prince Hussain attended this Colloquium organized by UNESCO.
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Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme

The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (HCP) became operational in 1992 to highlight best practice to governments and decision makers and to show that historic sites could become assets for economic development and not burdens on scarce resources. HCP implements conservation, urban regeneration and park projects in historically significant sites of the Islamic world. It does so over long time-frames, by raising local standards and coupling monument and public open space conservation with environmental and community development, thus engaging in sustainable urban redevelopment projects, which offer a platform for new socio-economic uses.

Through this integrated approach, HCP seeks to demonstrate that strengthening cultural identity can go hand in hand with socio-economic progress. This Special Collection on Archnet features all of the projects and publications of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme.

Click here to view a list of Historic Cities Programme projects on Archnet. A list of HCP publications is available here.

http://archnet.org/library/images/sites ... n&key=1843
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Aga Khan Music Initiative, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture supports the Omnibus-Ustatshakirt Plus workshop-seminar initiative

Omnibus ensemble leads contemporary music workshop-seminar in Bishkek
Bishkek, December 5 / Kabar /. The Tashkent-based contemporary music ensemble Omnibus has teamed up with Bishkek’s own music performance collective Ustatshakirt Plus to organize a first-of-a-kind workshop-seminar for young performers and composers Academy of Contemporary Music.

During the week-long event, forty students drawn from Bishkek music schools and institutes are participating in intensive practical music classes and open performances, listening to lectures, and watching documentaries about contemporary music and musicians. The aim of the workshop-seminar is to introduce young and talented musicians from Bishkek to new trends in contemporary music, offer artistic and technical critique to young composers, and reflect on the role of tradition-based music in contemporary music culture.

The Omnibus-Ustatshakirt Plus workshop-seminar initiative is being supported by the Aga Khan Music Initiative, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, and CEC ArtsLink, a New York-based nongovernmental organization.

Theodore Levin, Senior Project Consultant to the Aga Khan Music Initiative remarked, “The Music Initiative is delighted to join with CEC ArtsLink in supporting this important initiative. We hope that the results will contribute strongly to the Music Initiative’s mission of strengthening cultural pluralism and cosmopolitanism in Central Asia.”

Established in 2004 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Omnibus specializes in the performance of contemporary concert music from around the world. The Ensemble, founded and directed by composer and conductor Artyom Kim, seeks new and experimental expressive possibilities in contemporary music, including tradition-based contemporary music, while simultaneously working to promote interest in contemporary concert music among a broad public in Central Asia.

http://www.kabar.kg/eng/society/full/5730
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Sunder Nursery blooms into a park
Jan 2, 2013, DHNS:
Green Neighbourhood

Located in the heart of Delhi, the humble Sunder Nursery nearby Humayun’s Tomb often goes ignored. At one time, it was called the Azim Bagh - containing some of the native and rare plant species of the Capital. Soon, it was rechristened Sunder Nursery and the British used it to experiment with different plant species to put them on roadsides as well as Lutyen’s Delhi.

Today, the nursery may not be living that glory but it will soon be developed into a miniature ecological park displaying different micro-habitats. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and the Aga Khan Trust, a private historical conservation group are jointly developing Sunder Nursery to be one of the few such parks in the region.

Sunder Nursery is no ordinary park. It houses at least nine tombs from the Mughal time and it is often called an archaeological park as well. The Aga Khan Trust plans to develop both the facets of the nursery.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/302 ... -park.html
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Post by kmaherali »

A New Paradigm for Cultural Conservation and Restoration

By Ratish Nanda

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture projects promotes the conservation and re-use of buildings and public spaces in historic cities in the Muslim World. The restoration and rehabilitation of historic structures and public spaces is undertaken in ways that can spur social, economic and cultural development. Individual project briefs go beyond mere technical restoration to address the questions of the social and environmental context, adaptive re-use, institutional sustainability and training. In keeping with this philosophy, on the completion of the Humayun’s Tomb garden restoration in 2003, a new project that would integrate conservation, socioeconomic development and urban and environmental development objectives in consultation with local communities and relevant stakeholders was planned.

More.....

http://designpublic.in/blog/a-new-parad ... storation/
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Civil Society News, New Delhi
Excerpt:

Reviving the Nizamuddin Basti, therefore, is a task that has much contemporary relevance. The inclusive and inter-cultural values associated with the basti in its heyday are even more relevant now. Also, the strategic midwifery that delivers new civic facilities in the basti could be the inspiration for overcoming similar challenges in the old quarters of other Indian cities.

The present conservation and urban revival effort is led by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which works through its arms, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).

A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2007 involving the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). A subsequent MoU was signed with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

http://www.civilsocietyonline.com/pages ... s.aspx?237
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