Compiled from the resources of the Institute of Nautical Archaelogy “Drop a light bulb. Try to put it back together again. Drop three light bulbs. Stir the pieces. Then try to put them back together again. Drop six light bulbs, four glass vases, and a dozen wine bottles, stir the pieces, and try to put them all back together, as ...
News story -- The ninth Summer Programme on Islam was held at the University of Cambridgefrom 13 - 20 August 2011. Thirty-nine participants from 14 countries (Canada, India, Mozambique, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States) participated in the eight-day programme. The Programme's faculty comprised accomplished scholars from the IIS as ...
By Ali M. Rajput A map showing Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria. Some of the places Dr. Rajput visited in Iran were Tehran (inserted to original map), Qazwin, Alamut, Lamasar and Mashad (Eastern Iran, not shown above). Map: I am pleased to share with readers of Simerg an account of my memorable trip to the Ismaili Castle of Alamut, ...
By Muslim and Nevin Harji Exclusive to Simerg During the past 8 years, we have visited dozens of cities in over forty countries all around the world. We have to say that the magical quality of the Old City of Jerusalem is unsurpassable. Perhaps it is due to the glorious history of the towering stone walls and ancient buildings, or ...
An apricot, poplar and mountain stream at Garam Chasma in Northern Pakistan. Photo: © Ashden Awards Introduction: This photo essay is about two Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Agencies that have won the prestigious Ashden Awards for improving the quality of life in Northern Pakistan. The Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, Pakistan (AKPBS, P) and the Aga Khan Rural Support ...
A Gr 3 winner for Dalakhani and two promising maidens for Azamour. The Aga Khan Studs sires Dalakhani and Azamour enjoyed a successful weekend thanks to three progeny rich in potential for the future. Dalakhani's son FANTASTIC MOON showed an impressive turn of foot to come from last to first in the final furlong and snatch victory in the shadow of ...
News story -- The IIS hosted launch events for its new publication, A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community edited by Dr Farhad Daftary in London and Toronto. The book is the first of its kind, presenting research on the modern history of the Ismailis. Organised in four sections, the first entitled Nizari Ismailis: Syria, Central ...
"The Aga Khan Development Network agencies have been involved in micro-credit for more than 60 years. During that time, a variety of institutions offering a range of products tailored to specific needs have been established in many countries.... We have also extended loans for education and health care, which we believe can be important ways to break down the barriers to ...
Amir Khusraw coaching students Nasir Khusraw Collection Abu Mo'in Hamid al-Din Nasir ibn Khusraw is an important figure in the development of Ismaili philosophy. Much of his biography and philosophical ideology has been obtained through fragmented texts, both in poetry and prose. Born into a politically connected family, Khusraw was well-educated in the sciences and humanities. Having spent most of his ...
News story -- The Qur'anic Studies Unit of the IIS co-sponsored a conference entitled Autour du Coran de Gwalior: polysémie d'un manuscrit à peintures (The Gwalior Qur'an Manuscript: The Polysemy of an Illuminated Codex) which took place at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) in Paris. The manuscript at the centre of the conference is ...
Pranay Gupte: As you look at your extensive network, what is the thread that runs through all of them? Aga Khan: I think the starting premise is what are the inputs that are required in the parts of the world in which we are working that can have a beneficial impact on the quality of life if the people in those ...
A STORY FROM PYARA IMAM NI PYARI WATO By Sairab Abuturabi and Jaferali Bhalwani English rendition by Sakar H. Datoo Please remember the name, Farazdaq. It is a name well-worth remembering. You may ask, "why?" It is because he was the poet of the descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and the off-spring of Hazrat Ali (a.s.). The praise of the ...
News story -- The IIS is pleased to welcome 48 new students on its Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH) and its Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP). The students, who joined these postgraduate programmes represent the diversity of Ismaili communities in both background and origin, coming from Canada, France, India, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, UAE and the USA. STEP ...
"Have you not considered how God sets forth the parable of a good word (being) like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches are in heaven, Giving its fruit at every season by permission of its Lord? Allah coineth the similitudes for mankind in order that they may reflect." Quran: Surah Ibrahim: 14:24-25 14:24 Alam tara kayfa daraba ...
Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic, 31 August 2012 -- The University of Central Asia (UCA) inaugurated international standard football and tennis facilities at its Naryn Campus as part of the Kyrgyz Republic's Independence Day celebrations today. Kanatbek Muratbekov, Authorised Naryn Representative of the Government; Baatyrbek Jeenaliev, Naryn Mayor, AKDN and town officials and other townspeople were also present, were present to witness the ...
News story -- The IIS, in collaboration with I.B.Tauris is pleased to announce the publication of a new English translation of the last known work of 11th-century poet and philosopher Nasir-i Khusraw. "The things of this world are so many questions without answers," wrote Nasir-i Khusraw deciding to give the book the title Jami' al-Hikmatayn, or "the joining of the two wisdoms" ...
By Shujaat Ali Some years back, the local Ismaili community of Shimshal constructed a small but only one of its kind building known as Farmon Khona for safekeeping of sacred religious books, essential documents and other valuable resources when there was no concept of library and resource centre. Today, we are witnessing the construction of new buildings in every village of ...
He won his first Group 1 that year for the Aga Khan on Sarafina in the Prix de Diane. The Aga Khan Studs have renewed their contract until the end of 2013 with Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, their retained jockey in France. Lemaire started riding in the Aga Khan colours in 2010 and he won his first Group 1 that year for the ...
On 12 December 1965, The Sunday Times of London published Nicholas Tomalin's extensive and candid interview of His Highness the Aga Khan. Although widely read and regarded by some as one of the Aga Khan's most important interviews, what is not generally known is that a week later, on 19 December 1965, The Sunday Times published, under the title "Our Future ...
"The Smile of a Prince" By President Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor (9 October 1906 - 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal (1960-1980). Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called ...
Professional Development Training for civil service Kyrgyz Republic, 25 August 2012 -- The University of Central Asia's Institute of Public Policy and Administration has commenced a week-long training programme on trade and regional cooperation for 60 civil servants from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic in Issyk-Kul. The programme, which is part of the University's Canadian supported "Regional Cooperation and ...
Imran Aslam: You've always made this point that it takes time, it takes a lot of will, determination, courage, and we look at some of the projects like you have initiated in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. There are some concerns, which I think we needed to address here, certain perceptions that are needed to be cleared. When we talk about ...
A deserved Group 1 victory for the Arc runner-up. SINNDAR's daughter SHARETA showed her class at the Ebor Festival on Thursday when securing a first Group 1 win in the Yorkshire Oaks. This was a thoroughly well-deserved success for the four-year-old, who famously took second place against the colts in last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as well as in ...
This video introduces how the Aga Khan Foundation helps poor communities in Asia and Africa achieve self-reliance and create better lives. The DVD poses the difficult facts of global poverty: 3 billion people in the world eke out survival with less than $2.50 a day; nearly 1 billion people cannot read or write; and 400 million lack access even to safe drinking ...
"[The Aga Khan] is interested in the current debate on whether the hijab, the Muslim headscarf, should be worn in Irish schools and cautions against the issue being used to create division: "'My own sense is that if an individual wishes to associate publicly with a faith, that's the right of that individual to do that, whether he's a Christian or ...
News story -- The Qur'anic Studies Unit hosted an occasional lecture at the IIS by Prof. Mohammed Rustom of Carleton University based in Ottawa, Canada. The lecture, entitled Mulla Sadra on the Link Between Scripture and Idolatry, explored the creative manner in which the seventeenth-century Muslim philosopher-mystic Mulla Sadra Shirazi (d.1640 CE) tackles the problem of idolatry. Prof. Rustom pointed out that, ...
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 23 August 2012 - The Council of Europe has awarded its "Cultural Event" label, or designation, to the Aga Khan Music Initiative, a programme of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The Award was given in recognition of the series of master classes, presentations and concerts that the Music Initiative has offered through its "Performance, Creation and Outreach" ...
"Over these five decades, I have watched that world oscillate constantly, between hope and disappointment. Too often, disappointment has been the dominant story.... [One] response has been to revisit past glories, contrasting them with contemporary setbacks. Many Muslims in particular, recall a time when Islamic civilisations were on the cutting edge of world progress. They dream of renewing that heritage. But ...
Introduction: The series "Thanking Ismaili Historical Figures" continues with Khalil Andani paying a tribute to the School of Ismaili Philosophers who lived in a vibrant age of intellectual thought during which they reasoned, debated and wrote on a wide range of philosophical and theological issues. In his thank you note, Andani takes some key Islamic and Ismaili concepts as expounded by ...
Healthy Hints When okra is used in traditional recipes, it generally absorbs a lot of oil. This recipe celebrates the natural moisture from the okra which helps you to use less oil in cooking. You get a significant amount of fibre from just one serving. 1½ tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil 1 tsp garlic paste 1 tsp ginger paste 1 small (¼ ...
Healthy Hints Fish is a good source of low fat protein and the brown rice in this recipe brings a helping of healthy whole grains. To balance this dish you could add a side salad or some steamed crunchy vegetables. 200 g brown rice, washed 500 g tilapia fillet 1 tbsp garlic paste 1½ tsp salt 1 tsp paprika powder 1 ...
Colt tops Arqana sale at 1.2 million Euros. SEA THE STARS' first European yearlings fulfilled their promise this weekend at Deauville, with the highlight being sales-topping 1.2 million Euro colt out of ALPINE ROSE. This colt, offered as Lot 120 by the Ecurie des Monceaux, represents the Aga Khan Studs on both sides of his pedigree as his dam ALPINE ROSE ...
The Aga Khan Studs announced today that the champion sire Redoute's Choice will shuttle to France and stand at the Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval for the 2013 Northern Hemisphere season. Redoute's Choice is the leading sire son of international champion sire Danehill and has established himself as the dominant Australian sire since retiring to Arrowfield Stud in 2000. He has ...
Islamic Arabic Calligraphy - Let life happen and be thankful to Allah Do not dwell on the negative as it will soon come to pass The great Muslim poet Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi's Ramadan poems 13th century AD: "O moon-faced Beloved, the month of Ramadan has arrived. Cover the table and open the path of praise." "The month of fasting ...
Honouring Lives Lived By Malik Merchant Publisher-Editor, www.simerg.com See details below for Simerg's new initiative. Top portion of image shows plaque commemorating Ismailis who were killed in a WWII raid in Burma. Bottom half is a surreal image by Sarite Sanders of Aswan's Fatimid cemetery. Commencing September 15, 2012, Simerg will be offering to all its Ismaili readers around the world ...
The Archive is a unique website dedicated solely to the Ismaili Imamat's speeches, interviews and writings and has been granted special permission to reproduce His Highness the Aga Khan's speeches. It brings together readings from akdn.org, iis.ac.uk, theismaili.org, aku.edu, archnet.org, pluralism.ca, institutional publications, printed materials, media Web sites and other sources. With over 500 readings it is the most comprehensive, public ...
'Let me also comment on the sharpening of cultural conflict within Western societies. 'The past few years have been a dispiriting time in Europe -- in part because of what many describe as a clash of civilisations in Europe's midst, triggered by the rapid growth of minority populations. Perhaps, under a revitalised leadership, Europe can lead the world in meeting that ...
Supplement pays off for filly with a bright future. SARKIYLA has barely put a foot wrong during her brief racing career to date, with four wins to her name and a third place in only five outings. The daughter of Oasis Dream did not make her first public appearance until May of this year and after winning the Listed Prix Bagatelle ...
Imām 'Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib once proclaimed this soul-quaking utterance in his "Sermon of the Great Explanation": "I am the Sign of the All-Powerful. I am the Gnosis of the Mysteries. I am the Threshold of Thresholds. I am the companion of the radiance of the divine Majesty. I am the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. I ...
'In the 1990s, the term "failed state" gained currency to describe the situation in places like Afghanistan and Bosnia or Liberia and Somalia. Today, such descriptions simply divert attention from the real issues. For, apart from Weapons of Mass Destruction, HIV/AIDS or climate change, the greatest global threat today is not failed states -- states themselves do not fail -- but ...
