Arts, Culture, Music
The five projects selected for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were announced at a ceremony held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar on 24 November 2010. His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the Emir of Qatar and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser joined His Highness the Aga Khan in presiding over the ceremony.
Learn more about the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) on the AKDN website »
The recipients of the 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were honoured at a ceremony at the Al Jahili fort in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates on Sunday, 6 November 2016. The six winners of the 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture were announced on 3 October at a press conference held in the United Arab Emirates.
The recipient projects — which are in Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Iran, and Lebanon — offer creative responses to contemporary issues such as climate change, connectivity between people, and the challenge of adapting to new contexts.
This ceremony is the culmination of the 13th cycle of the Award, which His Highness the Aga Khan established in 1977 to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully addressed the needs and aspirations of communities in which Muslims have a significant presence. Over the past 39 years, prizes have been given to 116 projects across the world, from France to China.
Learn more about the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) on the AKDN website »
On 13 September 2019, he six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were acclaimed at a ceremony held at Kazan’s Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Learn more about the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) on the AKDN website »
AKYSB UK presents Singalong Saturday: This week we present a piece call ‘Yaqeen’ meaning belief. This composition by the Ismaili Community Ensemble celebrates the legacy of our beloved Imam and the love we have for him. The music fuses classical Western styles with Jazz, Arabic and Indian influences and is played by 20 musicians all of whom contributed to the music making process. The gentle strum of the rubab, beautiful call of the bansuri and the intricate rhythms of the tabla blend seamlessly with the jazzy sounds of the trumpet, saxophone and electric guitar.
The lyrics are sung in both English and Urdu and were devised by the vocalists themselves:
"From a moment to a memory,
Out of darkness, creating energy,
Every action builds your legacy,
One heartbeat to a symphony".
This piece celebrates the diversity of our Jamat and the beliefs and values that bind us.
AKYSB UK presents Singalong Saturday: Shukran is a beautiful piece collaboratively composed by members of ‘Ruhi’, a multi-cultural musical ensemble, celebrates diversity through music. It seamlessly brings together melodic, soulful raags from the East, spiritually uplifting styles from the Middle East, and upbeat rhythms of the West, also highlighting a rap! Diversity is also reflected in the lyrics covering four languages, Arabic, Hindi, English, Persian, taking inspiration from esteemed poets like Rumi. Embedded throughout the song are the heart felt sentiments of a murid for their Lord, with the words ‘Shukran! Ya Noor Azalee!’ Our gratitude, O Eternal Light!
From 1999 to 2007, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) undertook conservation work on the citadels of Aleppo, Salah ad-Din and Masyaf in partnership with the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums. Work focused in three main areas: conservation of the Citadels; training of antiquities staff, local craftsmen and building professionals in modern conservation practice (while the conservation projects were carried out); and development of re-utilisation plans for the Citadels, including management guidelines and investments in visitor infrastructure such as visitor centres, pathways, signage, etc.
You can read more about AKDN's work in Syria on the AKDN website »
To learn more about the Close to Home film series, visit the Close to Home website »
In October 2017, Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan visited the north of Pakistan to learn more about the effects of natural disasters. During his seven day trip to the region, Prince Aly Muhammad met with numerous families whose quality of life has been enhanced by the Network. This film, written, directed and voiced by Prince Aly Muhammad, is his personal account of his discussions with the communities in the region and how the Aga Khan Development Network is partnering with them to find solutions to the problems caused by natural disasters.
Learn more about AKDN's work in Pakistan on the AKDN website »
To learn more about the Close to Home film series, visit the Close to Home website »
Al-Khimyah, written and directed by Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan, explores the work of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in the historic city of Cairo, Egypt.
The film shines a spotlight on the 30-hectare Al-Azhar Park — converted from a mound of rubble — and the stories of local residents of the adjacent Darb al-Ahmar neighbourhood. Since opening in 2005 after 20 years of careful excavation and design, Al-Azhar Park has provided much-needed leisure and recreational space to the inhabitants of the city, and is today often referred to as "Cairo's green lung."
Located in the heart of Egypt’s capital, the urban oasis has become a popular destination for both locals and tourists. Landscaping features include walkways, fountains, lawns, and gardens overlooking a lake in the traditional chahar bagh style. Hundreds of young men and women have found work in the park, in horticulture and park maintenance: The park features over 300 different plant species — many native to Egypt — grown in a special nursery, and an orchard provides shade from the sun.
The park has also proven to be a powerful catalyst for urban renewal, evolving beyond the green space itself to include the restoration of monuments and public spaces, and socioeconomic initiatives including housing rehabilitation, microfinance, crafts apprenticeships, and healthcare.
The film is Prince Aly Muhammad's account of a city whose foundations were laid over a thousand years ago, which has seen a 500-year-old rubbish dump rebuilt into a lush green oasis, and a poor inner-city district transformed into a thriving community.
Learn more about AKDN's work in Egypt on the AKDN website »