AKTC Work in the world

Any Institutional activities in the world
Post Reply
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Humayun’s tomb gets a 24-carat gold crown

The Humayun’s Tomb – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of three in Delhi – has finally got a gold crown. A 24-carat gold finial has been installed atop the tomb’s majestic dome.

Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma will unveil it on Tuesday in the presence of senior officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and conservation agency Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Bhaskar Bhat, the managing director of the gold sponsor, Titan Company Limited, is also a guest.

More...
ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/04/17/restored-by-the-aga-khan-trust-for-culture-humayuns-tomb-gets-a-24-carat-gold-crown/
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Aga Khan Trust for Culture India: World Heritage Day‬ celebration with school children at the Humayun’s Tomb

April 18, 2016: Organized by the AKTC’s Nizamuddin Renewal Initiative, over 1500 students from various Delhi schools participated in the #WorldHeritageDay celebrations at Humayun’s Tomb Complex.

UNESCO established 18 April as the International Day for Monuments and Sites in 1983. It aims to raise public awareness about the diversity and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites and the efforts required to protect and conserve them.

/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/04/18/aga-khan-trust-for-culture-india-world-heritage-day%e2%80%ac-celebration-with-school-children-at-the-humayuns-tomb/
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Impact of AKDN Activities in the world 2016

Post by Admin »

https://youtu.be/6Px_jP1m7N0

A short video with numbers showing how AKDN work has impacted the lives of millions.
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Finial at Humayun's tomb restored

New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma today unveiled the restored 18-feet tall finial at Humayun's Tomb after the original piece collapsed two years ago due to sandstorm.

He said the finial was restored after two years of hard work. It took about 2 lakh man-days of work, and was specially made of 300 kg of copper with 99.4 per cent purity and 3.5 kg of gold.

The Humayun's Tomb conservation was undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India with the support of the Tata Trust.

Sharma said the restoration of the finial has also given confidence how a PPP model could be adopted if any damage happens to the monuments.

Meanwhile, the minister was positive on increasing India's share in global tourism to at least 1 per cent by 2020 from the current 0.68 per cent.

"We are addressing the three strength oftourism - cleaniness, safety and hospitality - in a big way. We hope to increase our share to atleast one per cent by 2020," he said.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/7351009_Fin ... tored.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Conservation of Wazir Khan Masjid begins

LAHORE

Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) with the financial help of US Embassy has started conservation of eastern façade of Masjid Wazir Khan.

Officials said Aga Khan Trust for Culture is providing technical help while US Embassy had provided funding of Rs1,120,096 for the project. Masjid Wazir Khan was built in 1634 AD on the orders of Hakim Ilmuddin, the then Prime Minister of 5th Mughal King Shahjahan.

The mosque is located inside Delhi Gate and is situated in middle of the Walled City of Lahore. The mosque is known as a masterpiece of Mughal architecture due to its style, solid structure, profusion and delicacy of its decorative motifs.

More...
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/122188- ... jid-begins
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Delhi’s Aga Khan heritage

Post by Admin »

http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/5jvoe9a ... itage.html

Sat, Jul 09 2016. 01 32 AM IST

Delhi’s Aga Khan heritage

A mammoth undertaking to restore and develop Delhi’s Nizamuddin will end this time next year. How has it transformed one of the most historic and touristy areas of the country?

This could be the closest thing to paradise. Here, the world is all grass and birds, air and sky. Sunflowers sway gently in the afternoon breeze. Tiny manicured gardens are laid out one after the other. Stone benches are placed discreetly behind green hedges—just the place for lovers wanting to hide from prying eyes. There are water pools, an amphitheatre and a long water channel with walkways on either side. In the distance, a kite suns itself on the dome of a small monument.

The edifice looks nothing like the typical Delhi ruin—dilapidated, scarred, defaced with “love” graffiti scrawls. The ceilings and walls inside retain their beautiful original patterns, making the centuries-old building look more like its early self.

When I first visited the Sundar Burj about a decade ago, it had the feeling of a very different, very forgettable place. The monument is in the middle of other ignored ruins at the Sundar Nursery, next to the touristy Humayun’s Tomb in central Delhi’s Nizamuddin area.

This is much more than a place to buy plants; it runs parallel to a part of Mathura Road that stretches from the Nizamuddin police station all the way to the Delhi Zoo. Today, the Sundar Nursery, the Khilji-era Jamaat Khana Masjid and the tomb of the Mughal-era poet Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan are in the final stages of redevelopment. The mosque is in the premises of the Nizamuddin dargah, the famous Sufi shrine that has lent its name to the area. The work is being done by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), named after the philanthropic leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.

Sundar Burj in its before and (below) after state. Photo courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Sundar Burj in its before and (below) after state. Photo courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Photo courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Photo courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture

The Switzerland-based charitable institution, part of the Aga Khan Development Network, focuses on revitalizing Muslim communities globally—it has had a presence for many years in this historical quarter of Delhi. It has not only restored monuments, but has also initiated education, health and development programmes in the messy and vibrant Muslim neighbourhood that is the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti.

The AKTC is working in collaboration with government agencies as part of the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative. This was the first public-private partnership in monument conservation in India. This time next year, the project will complete a decade—the AKTC’s agreement with the Union government ends in 2017.

The trust’s most noteworthy accomplishment has, perhaps, been the restoration of Humayun’s Tomb, a Unesco World Heritage Site, in 2013. Ten years ago, the monument to the second Mughal emperor had a leaking dome, missing tiles, collapsed walls, damaged stone facades and tonnes of cement slapped on in attempted repair by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The seeds of its redevelopment were sown 20 years ago. In 1997, the AKTC announced plans to restore the gardens at Humayun’s Tomb as a “gift to India on the 50th anniversary of India’s independence”. In 2004, at an award function at the tomb, then prime minister Manmohan Singh requested Prince Aga Khan to continue their work in the country. On 11 July 2007, the AKTC signed a memorandum of understanding with government agencies, including the ASI, the Central public works department (CPWD) and the municipal corporation of Delhi.

There continue to be those who believe ruins should look like ruins, that dilapidated monuments acquire their own individuality. And that by getting rid of all their supposed flaws, we lose an understanding of the role they play today. What would happen to all the stories that only ruins can evoke?

Sam Miller, who has written a book on his long walks in the Capital, is one of them. “Generally, with Delhi ruins I wish there was a greater stress on conservation and less on rebuilding,” he says.

Conservation architect Ratish Nanda, who set up the AKTC’s India operations and has headed them since 2007, disagrees. “The monument is not a painting. It can’t look ruinous and yet be stable. Conservation effort on monuments left in disrepair will always require restoration and even reconstruction of missing or damaged elements.” The AKTC’s objective, he says, is to enhance the life of the buildings by removing modern materials like cement that have been added to them over the decades, and, wherever possible, restore the missing elements with original materials and design. He adds that the lime plaster applied to the surface of monuments will naturally acquire the patina of age within a few years.

Ratish Nanda at the Sundar Burj.
Ratish Nanda at the Sundar Burj.

So far, then, the AKTC has restored more than 40 monuments in the area, including the tomb of poet Mirza Ghalib and the 14th century Hazrat Nizamuddin baoli, or stone step well, where nowadays young men from Old Delhi come for their daily swim. It has worked in partnership with organizations such as the Tata Trusts, Ford Foundation, the ministry of tourism, InterGlobe Foundation and the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.

The construction of the Humayun’s Tomb Interpretation Centre, which is now on, is being talked about as Delhi’s first “sunken museum”. It will be an ambitious underground complex that not only connects the Mughal emperor’s tomb to Sundar Nursery but will also help familiarize visitors with the entire Nizamuddin area through exhibition galleries, a library, seminar halls, a crafts centre and café.

“I feel more than a sense of achievement,” says Nanda, who has compiled a two-volume catalogue of Delhi’s monuments and also oversaw the restoration of the tomb of Babur, the first Mughal emperor, in the Afghan capital Kabul. He was talking to me at his solar-panelled office in one corner of Sundar Nursery. “We have demonstrated a model for conservation-based development of historical city centres where the conservation needs of grand heritage buildings and those of communities are both fulfilled as is the city’s need for a major green space,” he says, adding that this is exactly what they have tried to accomplish in Delhi.

Delhi has many historical centres like Nizamuddin. You could focus on Qutab Minar as the focal point in Mehrauli. In Old Delhi, it could be the Jama Masjid, with its surrounding bazaars. In north Delhi, it could be the St James Church. So the renovation of Humayun’s Tomb and the adjoining Nizamuddin area could have important implications for the future of conservation of old buildings in India.

“The AKTC did what has not been done so far, and that is restoring the original appearance of monuments by using similar materials first used to construct them,” says Narayani Gupta, who has written many books on Delhi’s monuments. “They have shown that it is possible to coordinate a project involving historical buildings, gardens and communities and integrate it in a way that they complement each other.”

*****

The Nizamuddin area is clearly demarcated into its East and West localities, separated by Mathura Road. These two colonies are home to many of the city’s writers, artists and academics. Humayun’s Tomb is in Nizamuddin East; many of the balconies there offer a tantalizing glimpse of the monument—indeed, the tomb-facing apartments cost more; rents of Rs.1 lakh a month are not unheard of. Prices in Nizamuddin West are a smidgen cheaper.

The AKTC, however, is focusing on the Nizamuddin Basti. In this jumbled area with its narrow by-lanes and higgledy-piggledy houses, I once rented a studio apartment, opposite the Zamin mosque, which set me back just Rs.5,000 a month. My first-floor window opened on to the basti’s 14th century step well.

Last year, the AKTC convinced my former landlord, a lawyer, to raze his house and move it 3ft to protect the stone well. The new structure was ready last month. All the work on the house, from demolition to construction, was undertaken by the AKTC, with a part of the cost shared by the owner. The step well was restored in 2010—the AKTC had to manually remove tonnes of stone debris and flotsam that had collected in it over 800 years. The small monuments around it are still being repaired.

Farid Ahmed Nizami, the lawyer whose house was demolished and rebuilt.
Farid Ahmed Nizami, the lawyer whose house was demolished and rebuilt.

“My first experience of the conservation work done by the Aga Khan Trust was when I went to Kabul in 2004,” says Rakhshanda Jalil, author of Invisible City: The Hidden Monuments Of Delhi. Jalil talks of the devastation of Babur’s tomb during the prolonged Afghanistan crisis. Beautiful old trees had been chopped for firewood, the marble screen around the tomb was broken and the entire complex, which is perched on a bare hillside, was nothing more than wilderness. “Then, the AKTC transformed it.

“In India, I was fortunate to see a before-after makeover in the Nizamuddin Basti and Sundar Nursery area,” says Jalil, who has been chronicling the city’s old buildings since the early 1990s. “The work by the AKTC is in keeping with the spirit of urban renewal. They believe in local tie-ups, community involvement and, best of all, they seek public-private partnerships. No single NGO or institution—no matter how well-endowed or well-intentioned—can work in isolation. The AKTC is showing the way forward.”

The starting point to understand the AKTC’s work is Humayun’s Tomb. Even in its earlier dilapidated state, it must have inspired a variety of feelings. For it has been the stage for great historical events. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, took shelter here from the British, as did Partition refugees almost a century later. The building not only holds the remains of Humayun but also of Dara Shikoh, the prince regent who could have shaped a different history of India, had his promised throne not been usurped by his brother.

The throne-snatcher, emperor Aurangzeb, had the reputation of being one of India’s most intolerant rulers. While his name was recently removed from a major Delhi boulevard, the work by the AKTC has helped bring to the fore the name of Khan-i-Khanan, who overcame the barriers of faith to write verses in praise of the deity Krishna.

A visit to his tomb in Nizamuddin East doesn’t just offer an idea of how the monument looked originally, it also gives a sense of the background of the people who built it—and of those who are at work there now. The men skilled in excavating the earth are from Murshidabad in West Bengal, the stonemasons from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, the sculptors from Dholpur in Rajasthan, the lime plaster workmen from villages near Jaipur in Rajasthan. These craftsmen have been brought in from their villages for the restoration.

Craftsmen at Khan-i-Khanan’s tomb
Craftsmen at Khan-i-Khanan’s tomb

The AKTC’s chief engineer, Rajpal Singh, who offers this information, has overseen the work at all the restored monuments. “This craftsmanship runs in their blood and has been passed down the generations,” says Singh. It is possible that 400 years ago, the ancestors of these men were here at this spot, building Khan-i-Khanan’s tomb.

Today, these craftsmen earn Rs.750-1,100 a day, with an insurance and provident fund scheme as an added benefit. In fact, 75% of the AKTC’s conservation cost is spent on their wages. “Until now, we have generated 500,000 man-days of craftsmen work for conservation across 45 individual monuments,” says Nanda. He did not, however, disclose specific figures.

*****

About 60 stone-carvers at the AKTC have been with the project for over a decade. Stone-carver Attar Singh is one of them. His two sons, as well as his four brothers and their sons, work as stone-carvers with the trust. The AKTC is almost like his extended family.

Chief engineer Rajpal Singh credits his career to his genes. His father, who was with the ASI, had also worked on the great Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Eighteen years ago, much to the dismay of his family and friends, Rajpal Singh left the security of a permanent government job in the CPWD.

At the Khan-i-Khanan monument, Singh leads me to the tomb chamber. Nothing could have prepared me for the surprise. I had been there a couple of years ago. Back then, the building looked beautiful from the outside but the tomb chamber was dark, musty and smelt of bat shit.

Now, craftsmen have scraped away decades of grime to reach the original surface of these walls. They have restored the patterns that had disappeared after years of abuse; the original designs were cleaned, not retouched. The aesthetics of the incised plaster-work are visible once more. Geometric patterns, symbols and religious calligraphy have re-emerged. The ceiling now displays a clear view of its floral patterns.

[The restored walls of the inner chamber of Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan’s tomb. Photo courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture]
Click here for enlarge

R.S. Fonia, the ASI’s joint director general and media spokesperson, compliments the AKTC for its “beautification of parks” but does not comment on “the main structure renovations” that are “traditionally the job of the ASI”.

One thing that this government-run archaeology department can certainly learn from the AKTC is how to bring local communities emotionally closer to their cheek-by-jowl monuments and offer them a sense of ownership. Traditionally, having a heritage structure next to your house can be something of a burden. You are not allowed to add an extra floor to your own house; you are not permitted to tie your goat to the stone wall; you cannot hang your clothes to dry inside the ruins (though people do). The attitude of the basti’s residents, however, is changing. “We used to think of our area as a slum,” says Feroze Qureshi, a meat- shop worker. “But (the social work by) Aga Khan has made us realize that our basti is very special and that it has monuments foreigners are interested in seeing.”

In its development initiatives in what may be perceived as a conservative neighbourhood, the AKTC has focused on women. Zenana Bagh,a garden for women, opened in 2010; self-help groups that allow women to earn by creating craft products were set up—one kiosk, selling such wares, opened last year at Humayun’s Tomb.

But there are critics also. A shopkeeper on Ghalib Road complained that “because of these Aga Khan people, a lot of our women appear on the streets without the hijab and some have even gotten jobs.”

This progress might be an even greater achievement for the AKTC than the restoration of Humayun’s Tomb. “We have shown that the private sector can fulfil government objectives,” says Nanda. “Our biggest success will be a time when we are not needed any longer in the basti.”

Although the AKTC may exit Delhi next year, there are no plans to quit India anytime soon. In January 2013, it signed up for another 10-year conservation project at the Qutb Shahi tombs in Hyderabad, Telangana. Nanda’s hope is that the AKTC will be granted an extension of at least two years in the Capital to complete work on the last remaining projects—the Union culture ministry’s response was still awaited at the time of going to press. Meanwhile, Nanda is pondering another interesting question: “Does Delhi want us to do more stuff?”
Mayank Austen Soofi

First Published: Fri, Jul 08 2016. 09 45 AM IST
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Using art for economic growth

By Sanjoy K Roy

Published: 17th Jul 2016 08:18:29 AM

Culture and tourism are primary drivers of local economies. Both creates jobs locally in a sustainable way. We need focused training, development funds for local heritage sites, marketing budgets and basic facilities such as toilets, cafes, visitors’ centres and green transportation. Delhi has over 1,099 listed heritage monuments, all waiting to be rediscovered. The Aga Khan Foundation’s work in this area is an example of integrated development.

Annual cultural festivals and daily shows at the backdrop of a heritage monument will allow tourists an opportunity to stay at night, boosting food and transport sector. Much of the income can be used in preserving the heritage.

Entertainment districts traditionally contribute to a city’s economy. Broadway offers $9-11 billion and West End £5-7 billion through its restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, bars and concerts. The Jaipur Literature Festival contributes over Rs 25 crore to its local economy.

Government needs to build sustainable projects, including theatres, museums, rehearsal spaces, galleries, digital labs in a public partnership.

Brazil has created a multitude of cultural centres, funded by the tax-payers and the city governments. The UK’s lottery fund is another example of creating a funding mechanism as is the US’ tax incentive policy to support the arts through private investment and endowments. Intervention through the arts generates wealth in a sustained manner, allowing people and communities to grow.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesund ... 532770.ece
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

My top ten memories of Pakistan

Three years is not much time in which to learn about a society as diverse, complex, and fascinating as Pakistan. However, for foreign diplomats, it is a fairly long tour. As I leave, I wanted to share with the Express Tribune readers what I hope will be an interesting and unique perspective on this great country; on some of the things that we, in the American government, have done with our Pakistani partners; and, of some of the things I have most appreciated during my time here.

I have lived in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan off and on since 1999, and I have always been impressed by the symmetry, the beauty, and the science of Mughal architecture. Lahore and Punjab boast so many examples of 16th and 17th century architectural excellence that it is like a giant museum, open for the edification of all comers. Walled City Authority, the Agha Khan Cultural Service Pakistan, and the Punjab Department of Archaeology are doing an exceptional job of restoring and interpreting these treasures. In the future, I hope that more Americans and westerners will come here and have the chance to see what I have seen.

4. Admiring Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage

Given Pakistan’s many architectural treasures, I’m pleased that the United States is doing its part to support their restoration and interpretation. We have completed 11 cultural preservation activities in Punjab alone, ranging from the shrine of Hazrat Sakhi Sarwar near Dera Ghazi Khan to the Lahore Fort’s Alamgiri Gate, to the Sunehri Masjid in Lahore. Currently, we are supporting the restoration of the Wazir Khan Mosque façade and Chowk in Lahore’s walled city. I had the chance to visit the site with our partners at the Agha Khan Cultural Service Pakistan.

More...
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/36212 ... -pakistan/
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Meet Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khanan, who was also the ‘bhakta’ poet Rahim Das

Extract:

Clearly a man of many parts, it is difficult to reconcile the bhakta Rahim Das – the Servant of Rahim (one of the 99 names name for Allah) – and the aesthete-courtier-military strategist seen in many gilded Mughal-era paintings. Yet, such a man existed. He lies buried in a vast and crumbling mausoleum on Mathura Road (once part of the Mughal Grand Trunk Road) at the mouth of Nizamuddin East in Delhi, in a grand edifice built by Rahim for his wife, making it the first Mughal tomb of its kind built for a lady.

Its proximity to the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, the thirteenth-century Sufi saint, makes it part of a cluster of over 100 monuments, mostly mausoleums and mosques, that together comprise the densest ensemble of medieval monuments anywhere in India. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), having successfully undertaken repair and renovation work on Humayun’s Tomb and several other monuments in its vicinity, has now turned its attention to Rahim’s Tomb as part of its Nizamuddin Urban Renewal initiative. While the conservation work being undertaken by the AKTC, in collaboration with the Inter Globe Foundation, is of great architectural significance laying out as it is a blueprint for conservation projects elsewhere in India, the intention to revisit Rahim’s legacy is equally laudable.

More...
http://scroll.in/article/814998/meet-ab ... -rahim-das
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

The next Taj Mahal? New life for historic tombs of Hyderabad, India

Hyderabad, India (CNN) — One after the next, they rise towards the sky in a sprawling green space on the edge of Hyderabad.

Etched with Islamic phrases and embellished by concentric patterns, archways, domes and halls, they're magnificent in their design and stature, eerie in their function and lonesome location.

These monuments are the resting places of the fearsome Qutb Shahi family, which ruled the Golconda Kingdom in southern India's Hyderabad region for 169 years in the 16th and 17th centuries.

But as the Qutb Shahi dynasty receded into history, their tombs were neglected, becoming dusty and decayed.

The Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, made up of 75 monuments spread across 108 acres, is being rejuvenated as part of a 10-year project aimed at restoring its grandeur.

The organization tasked with leading this project, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, describes the tombs as one of India's most significant Islamic historical sites.

While in the past the tombs were not a major tourist attraction, Trust spokeswoman Archana Saad Akhtar tells CNN they expect visitor numbers to increase tenfold after the restoration is complete.

More..
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/18/travel/hy ... index.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

How India Can Better Preserve Its Cultural Heritage

An interview with Ratish Nanda, a prominent conservation architect in India.

New York City, with a history of just about 300 years, has more than 29,000 protected heritage buildings. India, on the other hand, has designated only about 15,000 structures under that category, despite being over 2,700 times bigger in size and its history dating back to more than 2,000 BC. What’s worse, dozens of these structures are not even traceable today due to urbanization and neglect. This can, and must, change, says Ratish Nanda, a conservation architect whose organization has saved several monuments in the country from disappearing.

There are at least three keys to conservation, Nanda, who heads the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, a Switzerland-based non-profit group, told The Diplomat in an interview in his office within the complex of one of Delhi’s most celebrated monuments, Humayun’s Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose conservation his organization completed in 2013. Built in 1570, it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent and inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. (For images of Humayun’s Tomb, and other sites restored by Nanda’s group, check out this recent photo essay).

“For conservation to succeed, the civil society and corporates must partner with the government. There is no other option,” said Nanda, who believes that people in India generally care little about their cultural heritage. This is evident in the fact that the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, a non-profit group to “make the citizens aware of the importance of their cultural and historical environment and help them to develop a harmonious relationship with it,” has only 7,000 members. Its British counterpart has 2 million members.
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
The Aga Khan Trust, which has been involved in the conservation of cultural heritage in India for more than 15 years through a unique private-public partnership, is seeking to change that. “We have partnerships with the government, local communities, donors and foreign embassies,” Nanda said.

The second key, Nanda added, is “conservation and development can and should go hand in hand.”

The biggest challenge in conservation is to win the trust of local communities so that they cooperate. Local resistance can be overcome by including their wellbeing in the conservation plan — for example, by building inclusive facilities for those living around heritage sites, Nanda explained. He added that his organization has built toilets and constructed and repaired sewage systems in and around the monuments under its project.

Three, conservation should involve “multi-disciplinary efforts,” he continued, indicating that the traditional engineering-archaeological approach won’t help much. “We have 30 different disciplines in the office. We have historians, architects, engineers, finance experts, designers, artists, planners, photographers, and so on,” he said.

“We are successful because of the lessons we have learnt in 30 countries,” Nanda added, referring to the work of the Aga Khan Trust, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, a family of institutions created by Aga Khan IV, the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailism, a denomination of Shia Islam consisting of an estimated 25 million adherents around the world. France-based Aga Khan is one of the world’s 10 richest royals, according to Forbes magazine.

Some of India’s heritage sites are “gold mines,” Nanda said, and added that investing in conservation efforts can lead to huge economic gains.

“Conservation can fulfill many government objectives,” he said, citing revenue from tourism as one of them. “The number of visitors to Humayun’s Tomb has gone up by 1,000 percent after we completed the work, and we think it can further go up.”

Unemployment is a major concern for all governments, and conservation can help deal with it, at least to some extent, added Nanda. “Through conservation we have generated more than 500,000 man-days of work, so it’s employment creation,” he said, referring to the project to conserve Humayun’s Tomb.

The Aga Khan Trust has trained 2,700 youth in the project in various skills. Some of them are now heritage guides, Nanda said.

“We have also created women self-help groups, involving about 200 women who are making and selling handicraft items. These are women who had never earned even a penny in their lives earlier. And these are conservative women who are not allowed to work outside,” the architect said, referring to women living in Nizamuddin Basti, which is next to the Humayun’s Tomb and boasts the Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum of the 13th century Sufi saint of Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, who was much revered by the rulers of Delhi.

Conservation can also promote communal harmony, Nanda added.

India has witnessed numerous incidents of communal violence since the Partition of India and Pakistan during India’s independence from British rule in 1947.

Conservation leads to a better understanding of the other, Nanda explained. Those who are not Muslim enjoy qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music, and love Muslim food, he said, giving an example. “Had it not been for these cultural sites, many wouldn’t want to come to Nizamuddin Basti at all, thinking it’s a Muslim area.”

Aga Khan’s Ismaili denomination is considered a heretical sect by some Muslim communities, but Nanda’s organization, which focuses on preserving Muslim heritage around the world, has managed to gain cooperation from diverse Muslim communities.

Monuments, if well preserved, can also instill pride in the people and the nation, he added.

Conservation, he stressed, means “bringing a building to its original state, whatever the original builder constructed, and the building should last for the next 10 generations and be in a better state [than] that we inherited it in.”

http://thediplomat.com/2016/09/how-indi ... -heritage/

********
Finding Delhi’s Lost Monuments


Glimpses of historical treasures hidden within the bustle of a modern city.

Delhi has witnessed the birth and fall of several rulers, including the great Mughals, for hundreds of years before and during British rule. Though one of the most populated cities in India now, Delhi remains punctuated with historical imprints in the form of about 1,200 heritage sites. But the cash-strapped Archaeological Survey of India, a government agency mandated to look after cultural monuments, has barely managed to conserve fewer than 200 of those architectural treasures, leaving the rest to decay naturally or be claimed by the city’s homeless as their dwelling places.

Amid the budget shortage and resistance from squatters, there emerged a savior. Ratish Nanda, a conservation architect and the chief executive of a non-governmental organization, Aga Khan Trust for Culture, has helped prevent several ancient monuments from dying a natural death, through unique private-public partnership projects his group has undertaken. Nanda was once physically attacked by some squatters in Delhi, who saw him as a threat.

He remains determined to save the city’s heritage. A group of photography enthusiasts visited one of his ongoing projects in the Nizamuddin district in central Delhi to capture the impact and the challenges of his work.

http://thediplomat.com/2016/09/finding- ... monuments/
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Post by Admin »

When/Where is the Aga Khan Award for Architecture ceremony this year?
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Government of Afghanistan and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to rehabilitate Kabul’s historic heritage

Brussels, Belgium, 5 October 2016 – A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conservation and rehabilitation of Kabul’s key historic areas was signed today on the sidelines of the Conference on Afghanistan in Brussels.

The agreement between the government of Afghanistan, represented by the Ministry of Urban Development, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) – an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) - encompasses a multi-year partnership for urban planning activities and the implementation of a number of projects that will protect and enhance heritage assets of the capital city. This public/private cooperation aims to further develop aspects of heritage management principles outlined in the Government of Afghanistan’s Urban National Priority Program (UNPP).

http://www.akdn.org/press-release/gover ... s-historic
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Aga Khan memorandum signed

EGYPT’s Ministry of Antiquities signed a memorandum of understanding with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) last week that is intended to broaden institutional engagements through joint ventures and exchange programmes in the field of museums and archaeology, reports Nevine El-Aref.

The memorandum, signed in Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park, aims at mapping out areas of common interest for potential collaboration. According to the memorandum, both sides are to launch a series of joint initiatives that will engage a constituency composed of museum and conservation specialists, scholars and the general public.

Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mustafa Amin said that the memorandum aimed to develop joint ventures in the fields of conservation, museum programmes, archaeological research and exhibitions.

Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, director-general of Historic Cairo, told Al-Ahram Weekly that among the most important articles of the memorandum was collaboration between the Ministry of Antiquities and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, in exchanging professional staff and works of art on a loan basis for temporary exhibitions as well as scientific research projects.

He also said that the Aga Khan Programme for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) had been launched at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. The programme, dedicated to the study of Islamic art and architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design and conservation, prepares students for careers in research, design and teaching, and aims to enhance the understanding of Islamic architecture worldwide.

Luis Monreal, general director of the AKTC, said that there were other facets of cooperation between the foundation and the Antiquities Ministry, including the restoration of several buildings in Egypt. He said that a technical committee was to be established through the composition of a steering group to monitor the implementation of the memorandum of understanding and to identify further avenues of collaboration.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/17580/4 ... igned.aspx
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Wazir Khan Masjid face conservation completed

LAHORE

Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) in collaboration with Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP) has completed the conservation and rehabilitation work of northern facade of Wazir Khan Mosque.

A colourful ceremony was held here Thursday in which a plaque was unveiled by Norwegian Ambassador Mr Tore Nedrebo and WCLA DG Kamran Lashari. AKCSP CEO Salman Beg, members of the Wazir Khan Mosque Committee, as well as representatives of the conservation team that worked on the various phases of the project from July 2014 – June 2016 were also present at the ceremony.

The WCLA officials said the project was completed with the generous financial support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Aga Khan Trust for Culture and facilitated by the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA). They said built in 1634-35 by Hakim Ilmuddin during the regime of Shah Jehan, the Wazir Khan Mosque complex was a primary central element of the Walled City and included the mosque itself, the Chowk (an introductory urban space) a row of shops (hujras) integrated in the entrance system meant specifically for calligraphers and bookbinders, and additional shops on the eastern and northern façades built into the body of the monument.

More...
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/160479 ... -completed
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

The Women of Nizamuddin Basti: Aga Khan Trust for Culture brings a new light into their lives

"So much changed. When there was a wedding in the family, for the first time I did my own shopping. I felt so good that I didn’t have to ask my father or bother," said Rukhsar happily.

"She isn't married," chipped in Farah from another corner, intending to explain why Rukhsar mentioned 'father and brother', instead of husband. After all, traditionally it is the husband who takes care of a woman’s needs. Not that Farah’s husband has been a great help in that department.



"Hardly anything is left to spend on me madam; after paying for the children’s school fees and ration for kitchen. My husband has a small income," Farah revealed, with extreme reluctance. She doesn’t like to share her story as it brings up bad memories. But today she is financially independent, and is proudly running her household.

***

Rasheeda has three sons, one of whom has cerebral palsy and is paralysed from the waist down. She was born in Nizamuddin Basti and grew up making and selling needles at the Nizamuddin market. Today, she is a fine crochet artist with the Insha-e-Noor family, earning a salary of Rs 12,000 per month and supporting her son’s health care.

http://www.firstpost.com/living/the-wom ... 90938.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

The Mirror Palace

Mughal culture reveled in great opulence


The chief features of Sheesh Mahal are gilt work (placing of pure gold), pietra dura work (inlay of semi-precious stones into white marble), marble perforated screens and the aiena kari (convex glass mosaic work) with monabat kari (stucco tracery)

The Royal Fort of Lahore is one of the extraordinary structures of its kind in the world. Located in the northwest corner of the walled city, the Fort is a mark of its earliest days. Roaming in the Lahore Fort you would listen the stories of love, adventure, beauties and attractiveness of queens and princesses in silk gowns and flowing dresses, Kings and Princes in armors and glittering crowns, warriors, slaves, soldiers, writers, poets, actors, revolutions, court intrigues and courtiers, courtesans, assassinations, castigation, coronations, and much more. Surely these tales would leave you breathless and mesmerised.

......

At present the administration of the Lahore Fort is again documenting and studying the Sheesh Mahal in consultation with Aga Khan Trust for Culture so the building is conserved and prevented from other threats.

More...
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/11 ... or-palace/
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

The Express Tribune > Pakistan

Heritage conservation: Award for Shahi Hammam celebrated


LAHORE:

The ‘Award of Merit’ given to Shahi Hammam under 2016’s UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation on September 1 was celebrated at a ceremony at the site in Lahore on Thursday. The work on Shahi Hammam was completed in June 2015. The main objectives of the conservation effort were to re-establish the monument as a bathhouse through the exposure, conservation and display of the remains of the original waterworks and drainage system through archaeological excavation, structural consolidation and restoration of the historic floor levels. Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan CEO Salman Beg said the project was undertaken with a high degree of technical proficiency.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2016.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1243598/her ... elebrated/

******
Shahi Hammam becomes a hub of foreign tourists

LAHORE

The internationally recognised Mughal Era’s Turkish bath site Shahi Hammam has turned out to be the first priority of international visitors and tourists.

Statistics collected by The News revealed that since its inauguration in June 2016 as many as 5,000 international visitors and delegates had visited this site while over 50,000 local visitors including students, corporate entities and government functionaries had visited the site.

The monument had recently received Award of Merit in this year’s Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) in collaboration with Agha Khan Trust for Culture and with financial support of Norwegian government carried out the conservation of this Mughal-era public bathhouse over a two-year period.

Walled City of Lahore Authority officials said the primary objectives of the conservation effort were to reestablish the monument as a bathhouse through the exposure, conservation and display of the remains of the original waterworks, drainage and hypocaust system through archaeological excavation, structural consolidation and restoration of the historic floor levels.

The main reason why international tourists prefer visiting Shahi Hammam is presence of some other very important historical monuments nearby such as Delhi Gate, Masjid Wazir Khan, Well of Dina Nath and rehabilitated and restored Shahi Guzargah.

The visitors can also witness original city life while touring this area.

Nisar Ahmed, a local shopkeeper, said after conservation business activities in this area have flourished. “I am a seller of handmade mud toys and prior to the conservation and restoration of this area, I was living hand to mouth but now I am earning good as well as my children are also going to school,” he added.

On Thursday (today), WCLA has planned a colorful ceremony to commemorate the Award of Merit during which a plaque will be unveiled by Counsellor Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE) Arne Haug and DG Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) Kamran Lashari, in the presence of CEO Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP) Salman Beg, as well as representatives of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) conservation team that worked on the project.

Tanya Qureshi, media manager of WCLA, said the Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme recognised the efforts of private individuals and organisations that have successfully restored and conserved structures and buildings of heritage value in the region.

A total of 13 winning projects from six countries – Australia, China, India, Iran, Japan and Pakistan – have been recognised in this year’s Heritage Awards, she said, adding a panel of international conservation experts met in Bangkok to review the 40 Heritage Awards entries.

Salman Beg, CEO Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan, said the project has been undertaken with a high degree of technical proficiency and the restoration of Shahi Hammam has safeguarded a unique example of the 17th-century Mughal public bathhouse monument.

The team of international and local experts and artisans adeptly addressed the issues of significant structural damage and loss of fabric resulting from inappropriate alterations, poor conservation work and encroachments, he said.

He added that careful investigation and analysis were done for the conservation, including architectural consolidation and the preservation of frescos and other decorative elements.

Senior Architect, Rashid Makhdum, said Shahi Hammam was the first example of a monument conservation of its kind in Punjab and was the evidence of the success of the partnership between AKCSP and Walled City of Lahore Authority.

The project has also paved the way for similar monumental conservation in other parts of the Walled City, like the rehabilitation of the Chowk Wazir Khan and preparatory documentation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Lahore Fort as both these projects are being carried out with financial assistance from the US and Norwegian Embassies in Pakistan, he maintained.

DG WCLA, Kamran Lashari, said that the Hammam has now been established as a heritage museum-site that welcomes tourists and visitors from all over the world into the Walled City and is kept alive as a venue for talks, seminars and cultural and corporate events. “Since its opening, the Hammam has been visited by thousands of local as well as international visitors and is increasingly becoming the centre piece of tourism in the Walled City,” he said.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/167197 ... n-tourists

******

https://www.facebook.com/walledcitylahoreauthority/
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKTC Involvement in "The treasures saved from Palmira"

Video and photos at:

http://www.lavanguardia.com/cultura/201 ... lmira.html

Los tesoros salvados de Palmira
Siria ha intervenido unas 7.000 obras de arte de contrabando en la frontera con Líbano

Google translate:

Extract:

The treasures saved from Palmira
Syria has intervened some 7,000 contraband works of art on the border with Lebanon

.....

The next step, which, according to sources close to Abdulkarim, is the signing of a reconstruction agreement between the General Directorate, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (sponsored by the agahan, Ismaili spiritual leader, dedicated to the rescue and Preservation of Islamic heritage around the world), Unesco and possibly the governments of the European Union, the United States and Russia. Sources of the negotiations believe that the agreement could be signed before the end of the year, although the return of factions of the IE to the environs of Palmira may call into question the deadlines.
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Wu Man and Co, world music review: Group effort is a slow burn

Wu Man brilliantly demonstrated her technique with lyrical melodies, dramatic tremolos and percussive snaps, says Simon Broughton

Wu Man is probably the greatest player of the Chinese pipa, a sculptural-looking lute that dates back 2,000 years and is frequently played by angels in ancient Buddhist frescoes. Dressed strikingly in turquoise, Wu Man played two solo pieces to open this concert. Delicate and intricate, they brilliantly demonstrated her technique with lyrical melodies, dramatic tremolos and percussive snaps.

But this concert, presented by the Aga Khan Music initiative, was titled “Old and New Music from the Ends of the Silk Route” and Wu Man was joined by three Syrian musicians on saxophones, qanun zither and vocals plus Andrea Piccioni on frame drums.

Most of the music wasn’t traditional, but newly composed by sax player Basel Rajoub. So Gypsy Home featured a beguiling web of plucked strings on the pipa and qanun (played by Feras Charestan) with Rajoub adding Jan Garbarek-like decorations. The soft, beautifully focused vocals of Lynn Adib brought a welcome warmth and some brilliant scatting in the final numbers. We needed more of that excitement.

While there was lively interaction between the musicians, the pieces were predominantly slow, introspective and lacking in fire. It was only towards the end that all the musicians played together and realised the excitement of what could be a really creative combination.

http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/musi ... 12341.html
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Related link:

herat, Afghanistan Citadel restoration by AKTC

http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... pic&t=7912
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Humayun’s Tomb unites with 11 cousins

NEW DELHI: The profile of Humayun's Tomb has been enhanced. Nearly a dozen other garden tombs in the vicinity of the grand 16th-century Mughal edifice have also been designated as monuments of outstanding universal value by Unesco and recognised as world heritage.

......

In 2015, one the request of Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Archaeological Survey of India, Unesco included Isa Khan's Tomb, Bu Halima's Tomb and Garden, Afsarwala Garden Tomb and Arab Serai Bazaar as part of the world heritage site. In early this year, AKTC proposed further boundary modification, wh- ich was forwarded by the Centre to Unesco.

......

ASI and AKTC made a case to Unesco that the integrity of Humayun's Tomb would be compromised without the inclusion of these structures. "Each of these monuments continue the predominant architectural feature of red-white contrast developed at Humayun's Tomb, though the Mughals used lime plaster mixed with marble dust to mimic the more expensive white marble used at Humayun's Tomb," said a conservationist.

More...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 042255.cms
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Conde Nast Traveller awards the best in travel & tourism

Extract:

Ratish Nanda, Projects Director of Aga Khan Trust for Culture, who was felicitated for his contribution to heritage conservation, commented, “I receive this award very humbly on behalf of the other contracts for art of conservation community. I think in India we have 1000s of years of heritage and we have all seen what better preserved heritage can do for tourism. At Humayun’s Tomb, we got a 1000% increase in visitor numbers as part of the conservation effort. Tourism and heritage can do a lot more together in a much more sustainable way than what we are doing now.”

http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/deta ... 5904&sid=1
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Govt. will strive to get Unesco World Heritage Site status for Qutb Shahi tombs complex and Golconda fort, says IT Minister

Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao said that the government would strive to get Unesco World Heritage Site status for the Qutb Shahi tombs complex and Golconda fort. “We will take all steps possible to make it happen. If budgetary support is needed, we will pitch in with that as well,” he said, presiding over the completion ceremony of Badi Baoli, inside the tombs complex.

The Badi Baoli is one of the biggest heritage step wells in Hyderabad and has been painstakingly restored as part of the conservation effort led by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) aided by Tata Trusts and backed by Telangana Department of Archaeology and Museums.

More...
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyd ... 983740.ece[/b]
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

New Music from the Ends of Silk Route

About

Aga Khan’s Music Initiative is where cultures combine in harmony and produce music that crosses borders and touches hearts. Witness the fusion of various cultures as instruments play in unison to give you one memorable evening. From Afghanistan to South Africa, Asia to Europe, artists come together to combine sounds and instruments that will result in nothing but a musical wonder.

Asia Society presents a staging by Aga Khan Music Initiative’s All-Stars Ensemble on the theme of “New Music from the Ends of the Silk Route”. This six-artist line up brings together some of AKMI’s most beloved artists-performers from Afghanistan, China, Italy and Syria- for a performance arranged for a unique combination of instruments which represent the Eastern and Western ends of the historical Silk Route as well as ancient and contemporary musical cultures. These include the pipa, an instrument introduced to China in ancient times that originated in Central Asia; qanun, a core member of any Arabic taht; Afghan rubab, considered the national instrument of Afghanistan but also used among Kabuli musicians to perform Indian classical music; tabla, the best known Indian percussion instrument; a variety of frame drums, one of the most ubiquitous instruments in the Muslim world; and saxophone, a European invention that has become a universal instrument used by musicians from South India to South Africa to perform myriad forms of traditional, fusion and contemporary music.

Be a part of this musical journey at The Royal Opera House that holds a glorious past for the music in this city. Bombay was in its glory days in the 1900’s, and at its peak of social, artistic and cultural dynamism. An integral part of this movement was the Royal Opera House Mumbai, first inaugurated by King George V in 1911. It still holds relevance and reverence in the cultural fabric of contemporary Mumbai, and is in fact India's only surviving opera house till date. One of the last standing Baroque buildings in Mumbai today, the Royal Opera House Mumbai, with its long standing association with art, literature, theatre and music and has hosted Operas and live performance of artists like Bal Gandharva, Prithviraj Kapoor, Dinanath Mangeshkar and Lata Mangeshkar.

About Asia Society:

Asia Society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future.

Venue

The Royal Opera House

Mathew Rd, Opera House, Girgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400004

https://insider.in/new-music-from-the-e ... an28/event
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

AKMI Ensemble

The Aga Khan Music Initiative Ensemble presents a rare artistic encounter that both celebrates and reimagines time-honoured musical meetings as the Initiative’s leading artists perform a newly-created repertoire of compositions, improvisations and contemporary arrangements inspired by tradition. This group of music innovators demonstrates the transmission of ancient musical traditions to a talented generation of performers who are developing them in new directions, exemplifying musical creativity that has historically been inspired by the meeting of cultures.

This six-artist line up brings together some of AKMI’s most beloved artists-performers from Afghanistan, China, Italy and Syria- for a performance arranged for a unique combination of instruments which represent the Eastern and Western ends of the historical Silk Route as well as ancient and contemporary musical cultures.

These include the pipa, an instrument introduced to China in ancient times that originated in Central Asia; qanun, a core member of any Arabic taht; Afghan rubab, considered the national instrument of Afghanistan but also used among Kabuli musicians to perform Indian classical music; tabla, the best known Indian percussion instrument; a variety of frame drums, one of the most ubiquitous instruments in the Muslim world; and saxophone, a European invention that has become a universal instrument used by musicians from South India to South Africa to perform myriad forms of traditional, fusion and contemporary music.

http://www.akdn.org/akmi/performance/akmi-ensemble

******
Akbaruddin Owaisi visits Qutub Shahi Tombs

AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi visited Qutub Shahi tombs and took up detailed inspection of ongoing conservation work.

He was accompanied by Luis Monreal, Director General Aga Khan Trust of Culture, Ratish Nanda, CEO Aga Khan Trust of Culture, Kauser Mohiuddin, MLA Karwan, B. Janardhan Reddy, Commissioner GHMC, Ravi Kiran, Zonal Commissioner GHMC and other officials

It is learnt that Aga Khan Trust of Culture had signed an MOU with erstwhile Govt. of Andhra Pradesh on 9th January 2013 for preserving and developing the tombs as heritage structure and also taking up conservation of landscape and urban environmental rehabilitation in Qutub Shahi tombs and Deccan Park (which is adjacent to the Tombs)

More...
http://www.siasat.com/news/akbaruddin-o ... s-1110836/
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Chowk Wazir Khan ready to receive tourists

* WCLA in collaboration with Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan completes renovation work * Project was funded by US Embassy

LAHORE: Following the removal of encroachments and completion of its reservation work by the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA), Chowk Wazir Khan is once again ready to amaze tourists with its new expanded and encroachment-free look.

For the past three decades, Chowk Masjid Wazir Khan was facing heavy encroachments especially shops, which were rented out on nominal rates. However, the WCLA initiated the project of rehabilitation, restoration and renovation of this historic chowk. Officials said the historic forecourt adjoining the Wazir Khan Mosque has been undergoing a thorough rehabilitation and conservation effort since October 1, 2015, funded by the US embassy, and is in its final stage of preparation for its opening on March 16.

More...
http://dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/05-Mar- ... e-tourists
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Project to restore domed Qutb Shahi tombs

Intention of conservation works is to ensure that significance of the site is preserved and that its architectural integrity is maintained.

Hyderabad: The German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) will support the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in conserving three domed tombs in the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park.

The domes, known as Commander and the twin tombs of two ‘hakims’, will be restored at an estimated cost of Rs 55.6 lakh, which will be donated by GFFO.

“The project which began in 2013 will be completed in 2023. The money is being donated from the cultural conservation fund of GFFO,” said Ratish Nanda of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

More...
http://telanganatoday.news/project-rest ... hahi-tombs
kmaherali
Posts: 25105
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 3:01 pm

Post by kmaherali »

Music and Voices of the Silk Route celebrate Nowruz at Portuguese Parliament

Lisbon, 2 April 2013 – As part of a week-long programmes celebrating Nowruz, musicians from the Silk Route performing with the Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI) presented a specially curated concert programme in the Senate Room of the Portuguese Parliament. Nowruz marks the beginning of Spring, which is a cherished holiday in the Silk Route region. A second concert was performed at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon on the 27th of March.


The performances included artists from the Badakhshan Ensemble (Tajikistan), classical and folk music from Iran, as well as instrumental and festive music from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as a number of other artists. The event was open to the public.

Jointly sponsored by the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Assembly of the Republic (CoFA) under the direction of President Dr. Alberto Martins, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI), the performance was part of the Aga Khan Music Initiative’s week-long programme entitled Celebrations of Nowruz.

In addition to the concerts in Lisbon, several concert performances, lecture-demonstrations, film screenings and master classes were presented at the Théâtre de la Ville (Paris) on 23 and 24 March, the Scène Nationale d’Orléans (Orléans) on 26 March and at the Cité de la Musique, Marseille, on 27 and 29 March.

The programme, called Music and Voices of the Silk Route, was designed to present audiences with a broad perspective on the richness and diversity of the artistic traditions of the region. The concerts showcased new talents and offered an introduction to the tradition of celebrating the region’s most beloved holiday, Nowruz.

Nowruz, or literally “the new day”, marks both the beginning of spring and of the New Year for many Muslim communities in Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and elsewhere. It is celebrated on the day of the March equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or on the previous or following day, depending on where it is observed.

The Aga Khan Music Initiative is an interregional music and arts education program with worldwide performance, outreach, mentoring, and artistic production activities. The Initiative was launched by His Highness the Aga Khan to support talented musicians and music educators working to preserve, transmit, and further develop their musical heritage in contemporary forms. Music Initiative began its work in Central Asia, subsequently expanding its cultural development activities to include artistic communities and audiences in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. AKMI designs and implements a country-specific set of activities for each country into which it invests and works to promote revitalization of cultural heritage both as a source of livelihood for musicians and as a means to strengthen pluralism in nations where it is challenged by social, political, and economic constraints.

http://www.akdn.org/news/music-and-voic ... parliament
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

University of Alberta Botanic Garden

Post by Admin »

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-n ... nic-garden

Aga Khan drops $25 million gift on University of Alberta Botanic Garden

Juris Graney

Published on: April 7, 2017 | Last Updated: April 7, 2017 10:44 AM MD

North America’s largest Islamic-inspired garden is to be built in Alberta, a $25 million gift from the Aga Khan that is expected to attract up to 160,000 visitors a year.

Spanning almost 12 acres, the Mughal garden will become the centrepiece of the sprawling 240-acre University of Alberta Botanic Garden, located about 15 minutes southwest of the city.

Design work on the project began about six years ago after the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, visited the garden and suggested the idea.

Early stages of construction began in the summer of 2016 and the new garden is scheduled to open in time for the Aga Khan’s diamond jubilee celebrations in July 2018.

The University of Alberta is predicting that the Aga Khan Garden could increase attendance from between 60,000 to 70,000 annually to about 160,000.

An overview of the Aga Khan Garden.


Image

Speaking from New York earlier this week, Thomas Woltz, the principal and owner of the 45-person landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz, the company behind the project, said the garden was “a complicated site with a lot of different inherent odd geometries twisting through a valley with different small hills.”

So, at the behest of the Aga Khan, Woltz spent a year travelling to similar Islamic gardens around the world to undertake extensive research and to study their form and design.

“That trip is what helped us avoid the sense we were making some historical quotation without a deeper understanding of space, form, scale and what the garden would be made of,” he said.

The Aga Khan Garden amphitheatre.

“The challenge here is how do you have a contemporary interpretation of an Islamic garden that has many of the features we discovered in our research without it reading as a reproduction or anything artificial.

“Our job was to bring a coherent narrative that would capture a 21st century vision of the history of the Mughal garden traditions, Islamic architecture and landscape architecture.”

The dominant feature of the garden will be 16 covered, 18-foot high stone columns at the top of the garden designed to provide shade in the summer and offer some protection from the elements for visitors in the winter.

Stairs will lead down to a large central courtyard, known as a chahar bagh, which is divided by walkways into four grassed areas and surrounded by native plants.

The view looking back up to the top of the Aga Khan garden from the bustan.

On the edge of the chahar bagh will be a terrace floating in a tank of water that links to the Calla Pond that creates a separation between the formal and informal garden.

Flanking the water on either side orchards, or bustans, made up of local fruit trees including apples and cherries, will be dotted around ribbons of walkways.

Woltz said the movement of water around the site led designers to realize that some of the area could be dedicated to native plants and fruit trees.

“Mughal gardens are often thought of as vast pleasure gardens with ornamental shrubs and water features but in our research we realized that the roots of all of the formal language is actually in agriculture,” he said.

Behind the main courtyard will be a wooded walkway, known as the woodland bagh and an open-air amphitheatre.

Traditionally in warmer climates large date palms, olive trees and pomegranate would dominate the garden however the designers opted for more temperate-friendly trees like aspens, cedars and spruce.

Those plants and trees missing from the garden because of the incompatible climates will appear in relief carvings on the massive stone pillars, Woltz said.

Woltz said the garden “has lots of lessons of history and form of the Islamic garden tradition.”

“But the garden from the beginning was not intended to be a garden about faith or religion,” he said.

“The Mughal garden tradition is rooted in agriculture, the pavilions were really more for retreat, meditation, study and pleasure. There was no mandate from his highness to be a religious space or a religious garden.

The look from the top of the Aga Khan garden to the lake and the bustan.

“We read a lot about the fundamentals of Islam and the connection of Islam to ecology … but there was no intent to make this a religious space.”

Dean of Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, Stan Blade, said the rest of the facility will remain open during construction meaning people can still visit sites like the Alpine Garden, Japanese Garden and the Native People’s Garden.

Blade said once complete they expected attendance to balloon from between 60,000 and 70,000 annual visitors to 160,000.

This project is a continuation of a decade-long relationship between the University of Alberta and the Aga Khan.

In 2006, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the Aga Khan University and three years later, the Aga Khan was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree.

“This fits nicely into the overall idea of beauty, of culture, of diversity that people are going to be able to experience,” Blade said.

That increased attendance will mean the university will likely have to hire new people to maintain the garden and to be part of their interpretative programs.

Currently there is about 25 to 30 permanent staff and an additional 50 to 60 seasonal staff members.

“The current garden is beautiful… but when you look at this kind of opportunity, we are quite confident that this becomes a destination opportunity.

“This will take people’s breath away.”
Post Reply