In Mali, the Trust is able to improve local capacity to manage a precious architectural heritage, to train people in the skills of building with earth and to re-energise the traditions of handing down knowledge of restoration methods, appropri-ate technologies and materials to future generations. Con-servation efforts have been completed at the Great Mosque of Mopti, Djingereyber Mosque in Timbuktu and ...

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The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, through its projects, seeks to be a catalyst to improve quality of life by activating culture as a springboard for economic and social development. These projects are laboratories for ideas that can positively shape the future in ways that are meaningful, beneficial, and impactful. At their core is a message of opportunity, of potential, of ...

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The valleys of Hunza and Baltistan, high in the Karakoram, have undergone a transformation of habitat, customs and economic patterns. The Trust's intervention commenced with the conservation of the 700-year-old Baltit Fort. Here, restoration work was coupled with ongoing rehabilitation of traditional settlements, community involvement and the promotion of tourism to provide for the economic livelihood for the residents in the ...

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The 17th century Shahi Hammam fell into disuse during the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire and the chaos that followed. The 1,000 m2 complex was rehabilitated over two years and interventions included the exposure, conservation and display of the original waterworks, drainage and heating networks as well as the historic floor level, restoration of the original entrance, internal chambers ...

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The Trust's work in Lahore Fort began with the documen-tation of the Picture Wall - a 442 meter mural that spans the northern and western façades of the Fort. The project included digital documentation of the Fort, as well as a prototype project to restore a section of the Picture Wall and eventually other parts of the Fort. The Trust helps ...

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Hakim Wazir Khan, the Subedar of Lahore in the reign of the Emperor Shah Jahan, built this mosque and its associated structures in 1634-35. At the time, it was the largest mosque in Lahore. The complex includes the mosque itself, the introductory space of Chowk Wazir Khan, and a double row of shops. The architectural decorations on the exterior and interior ...

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In Gilgit-Baltistan, preserving indigenous values and intro-ducing contemporary living standards has been the key to the ongoing cultural development process. To encourage the participation of women in local economic activities, a pi-lot activity to provide young women from poor households' access to skills training and income opportunities began in 2003. Ciqam has since evolved into an effective vehicle to train women ...

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Images from around the world help tell the stories of how people are working to help improve the quality of life for millions of people in partnership with AKDN. Over the last year, partners and friends have submitted photographs from around the globe. As we mark the Diamond Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan, we have brought together a collection ...

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Babur's Garden (Baghe Babur) provided a much needed green space of beauty in the face of so much destruction. Rehabilitation of the 16th century Garden, where the first Mughal Emperor Babur is buried, not only re-establishes the historic character of the site, with its water channels, plant-ed terraces and pavilion, but also brings to life the array of monuments within its ...

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Built between the early 8th century and the first half of the 9th century, the Noh Gunbad Mosque is believed to be the oldest and most important early Islamic-era building in Afghanistan. It stands out as an early example of an innovative style for mosques, influenced by pre-existing Irano-Sassanid patterns. The remaining, rare, stucco decorations are believed to be in early ...

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In the 16th century, while the Mughals were building grand fortifications, mausoleums and mosques in north India, the Qutb Shahi dynasty also built majestic structures in their capital, present-day Hyderabad. Builders and patrons of learning, the Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled the region for 169 years in the 16th and 17th centuries. The complex includes forty mausoleums, twenty-three mosques, five baolis (step-wells), ...

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The location of Sunder Nursery, adjacent to Humayun's Tomb Complex and Nizamuddin Basti, largely follows the Mughal Grand Trunk Road connecting significant monuments. The landscape design aims to enhance the historic character of the nursery, attract visitors and provide a seamless pedestrian connection with Humayun's Tomb Complex. The project will create a major landscape space of truly urban scale, deriving inspiration ...

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In Nizamuddin Basti, known for its Sufi saints and shrines, the Trust is taking a synergistic, community-centred and collaborative approach to cultural and social development to develop public parks, strengthen urban basic services through interventions in three core areas of health, education and environmental sanitation, undertake conservation and rehabilitate public open space. The initiative includes conservation of several important monuments, cultural ...

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The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has a long history in India, dating back to the establishment of the first Aga Khan school in Mundra, Gujarat, in 1905. Eight of AKDN's 11 agencies are operational in the country, implementing a range of programmes, in diverse fields from water and sanitation to maternal health and family nutrition, sustainable agriculture to disaster risk ...

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February 2018 - His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is on a 10-day official visit to Indian at the invitation of the Government of India. This visit is part of a series of visits that coincide with the commemoration of the Aga Khan's ...

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March 2018 - During his Diamond Jubilee year, at the invitation of the respective governments, His Highness the Aga Khan is visiting a number of countries with AKDN projects or where the Ismaili Community is present in large numbers. This gallery presents highlights from these Diamond Jubilee visits. ...

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In celebration of International Women's Day 2018 we are showcasing women from Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan and Tanzania who receive assistance from various AKDN agencies to empower them and provide a more secure future for themselves and future generations. ...

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Last 19th March, a select group of some of the most popular Instagram photographers, representing sectors including the culture, arts, fashion, tech, education, travel and style sectors, brought their unique lens on the world at the opening of the World of the Fatimids Exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. They are influencers in their respective sectors and help connect ...

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As members of the Master jury, we have carefully considered the nominations for the first Aga Khan Award for Architecture during our meetings in Geneva from June 30th to July 5th, 1980. Our deliberations were greatly facilitated by the thoroughness and technical competence of the nomination, review, and evaluation process conducted under the supervision of the Steering Committee for the Award ...

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As members of the Master Jury we have carefully considered the 216 nominations for the second Aga Khan Award for Architecture in two separate meetings in Geneva, January 24-28 and June 20-24, 1983. At the first meeting, thirty-six projects were selected for detailed technical review in situ. In the second meeting we selected the eleven winners. Our deliberations in both meetings ...

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As members of the Master jury we have carefully considered the 213 nominations for the third Aga Khan Award for Architecture in two separate meetings in Geneva, in January and in June, 1986. At the first meeting, 25 projects were selected for detailed technical review. In the second meeting we selected the six Award winners. Both meetings were consistently well organised ...

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The Master Jury for the 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architecture met twice. In January, it considered the 241 projects submitted by the Award's Nominators, and selected thirty-two to be studied in depth by Technical Reviewers. Then, at the end of June, the thirty-two finalists were reviewed on their own merits and in terms of the issues they reflect, the questions ...

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In this, the fifth cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, nine projects have been premiated. They were selected from an initial group of two hundred and fifty-nine nominations and a list of twenty-seven finalists that were visited on-site by a team of eleven technical reviewers. The Jury feels that they have discovered exemplary projects whose essence, directness and modesty ...

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Critical Discourse for Creative Transformations The Master Jury for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture met three times, October 3-5, 1994; January 25-27, 1995; and June 5-9, 1995. We reviewed 442 projects, twenty-two of which were reviewed in situ by technical reviewers. The jury deliberations led to a consensus that we should bring a more critical dimension to the message of ...

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The nine members of the Master Jury for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture met three times to select the winners from the 424 projects that were presented. Out of these, 24 projects were reviewed on site by a team of 12 distinguished reviewers whose presentations brought to the Jury the many complex aspects of each project. From the beginning of ...

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The nine members of the Master Jury for the 2001 Aga Khan Award for Architecture met twice to select the winners from the 427 projects presented. Of these, thirty-five were reviewed on site by a team of sixteen distinguished experts, whose presentations brought the many complex aspects of each project to the Jury's attention. As it pursued its deliberations, the Jury ...

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Members of the 2004 Master JuryThe Jury met for the first time in January 2004 and started by reviewing 378 projects that had been nominated for the Ninth Cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. After vigorous and concentrated discussions, the Jury shortlisted twenty-three projects that were proposed for On-Site Project Review. During the second meeting, in June 2004, the ...

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The 2007 Aga Khan Award Master Jury recognises how architecture and the built environment define the diverse and divergent paths that lead to the capacious lifeworlds of contemporary Muslim societies. Our challenge was to judge the complex negotiation that architecture represents between, on the one hand, the sense of satisfaction and belonging that a building - a home - provides and, ...

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Press Release Issued by the MacJannet Foundation Medford/Somerville, MA, USA, 16 April 2009 - The Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation today announced the winners of the first annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship. The first place winner is the Urban Health Program based in Aga Khan University in Pakistan. This innovative and long-standing program run by Aga Khan University's Department ...

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People began gathering in mid-morning after the men and women had finished their early morning chores. The entire village of Kalan Guzar turned out for the meeting which was held in a big compound next to the school and the clinic. The men and boys, wearing woollen hats and turbans, sat cross-legged on carpets spread on the ground. The women and ...

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Aired on BBC World 3 July @ 0130, 0830 GMT and 4 July @ 1430, 2030 GMT [For broadcast times in your time zone look up www.bbcworldnews.com] From the Heritage Heroes Website: 22 June 2010 - "Zanzibar's Forodhani Park was shabby and decrepit until the Aga Khan Trust for Culture decided to restore it to its former condition. The project was ...

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30 June 2010 - The Building and Construction Improvement Programme (BACIP) and Water and Sanitation Extension Programme (WASEP) -- both programmes of the Aga Khan Planning & Building Service in Pakistan -- have been cited as Good Practice Cases in the 2010 United Nations Development Group's (UNDG) Millenium Development Goals (MDG) Good Practices publication. This publication, produced by the UNDG, includes nearly ...

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Governor of Punjab rewards Essa Khan of the Gilgit Serena Hotel for returning US$ 50,000 to a guest. Lahore, Pakistan, 27 July 2010 - The Governor of Punjab, His Excellency Salman Taseer, gave an award and cash prize to Essa Khan of the Gilgit Serena Hotel for returning US$ 50,000 to a hotel guest. The Governor held a ceremony at the ...

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Second Consecutive Social Performance Reporting Award The First MicroFinanceBank Ltd. Pakistan (FMFB-P), an institution of the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, was awarded a certificate of recognition in the silver category for reporting on social indicators to the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) by the World Bank affiliate, CGAP (Consultative Group for Assisting the Poor), in the year 2010. This is the ...

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International Symposium on Pastoralism in Central Asia 11 August 2011 - The Mountain Societies Research Centre (MSRC) of the University of Central Asia (UCA) and the National Centre of Competence in Research North-South (NCCR North-South) co-hosted an International Symposium on Pastoralism in Central Asia: Status, Challenges and Opportunities in Mountain Areas, 13-18 June 2011 in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The Symposium was ...

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From 23 - 25th July 2011, Khorog's Central Park was host to the fourth annual "Roof of the World" Festival. The University of Central Asia's School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) Khorog, along with other international agencies supported the participation of Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan musical groups in the festival. This is the second time this cultural-ecological festival is being ...

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Co-presented by Théatre de la Ville and the Aga Khan Music Initiative Paris, 7 October 2011 -- The Aga Khan Music Initiative and Théatre de la Ville team continue their three-year partnership with a two-day celebration of Pakistani music and poetry at the Théatre de la Ville in Paris on the 8th and 9th of October 2011. The weekend, featuring 20 ...

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"In the Footsteps of Babur: Musical Encounters from the Lands of the Mughals" Geneva, Switzerland, 18 November 2011 - As part of the opening of New Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum will co-present a concert of new music featuring music commissioned by ...

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Publication Based on 20 Years of Archaeological Research by Kubat Tabaldiev Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, 5 March 2012 - The University of Central Asia (UCA) has launched its latest publication, Ancient Monuments of Tien-Shan in Bishkek. Written by Kubat Tabaldiev, the book is based on twenty years of archeological research in the Naryn and Issyk Kul regions. It presents evidence of a ...

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Robert Dunn: My name is Bob Dunn and I have the privilege of serving as the President of the Synergos Institute. This is our first University for a Night in Europe, although we have held similar events for more than a decade in New York and quite recently in Johannesburg. It's really wonderful to see some old friends and some new ...

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