Aga Khan Centre (nearing completion), London

Aga Khan Centre (nearing completion), London

View from one of the gardens at Victoria Hall, Kings Cross

Photos

  • Under the arches of Hasanabad. Mumbai, India.

    Photo by Hussein Charania. Community members relaxing with family and friends under the arches of the Mausoleum of Mowlana Hasan Ali Shah, the 46th Imam of the Ismailis.

  • Mausoleum of Rumi. Konya, Turkey

    Photo by Hussein Charania. One of the greatest Sufi poets of all time. Rumi's life and work are celebrated by millions around the world, in particular by those from Persian and Central Asian traditions.

  • Khor Dubai, the historic area of Dubai.

    Photo by Hussein Charania. The development of this area was launched by the UAE Prime Minister in March of 2008. At this time the Aga Khan was there on his official visit.

  • One of the many courtyards of the Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe

    Photo by Hussein Charania.

  • Dec 13th at the Aga Khan Lycée, Khorog, Tajikistan

    Photo by Hussein Charania. Photo taken by Shaheena during our time in Khorog. More info on the Lycée can be found here

  • Aminabad housing tower, Aga Hall Estate. Mumbai, India

    Photo by Hussein Charania. This apartment building is built on the original site of the Aga Hall estate, home to Aga Khan I, II, and III. This fountain's surrounding courtyard can be seen in the picture of the original estate .

  • Historic picture of Aga Hall, the secretariat of Aga Khan I (46th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims). Mumbai, India.

    This picture was shared by a resident of the current Aga Hall Estate, whose family has lived there since the time of Aga Khan I (~1870s). In his Memoirs, Aga Khan III wrote the below paragraphs which described this area in the 1800s. The next few pictures are of the current buildings within the estate and surrounding areas, of which there is a major redevelopment planned. "The Bombay of the mid-nineteenth century in which my grandfather settled was a much smaller, more compact city than its present-day descendant. The home -- or homes -- of my family covered a great deal of some of the more densely populous and prosperous parts; even in my childhood in the eighties it was a huge rambling place, taking in most of two divisions of the present city, Mazagaon and Byculla, stretching from Nesbit Road to Hassanarbad, my grandfather's tomb. This would be comparable to a large part of the West End of London or downtown Manhattan being a single enclosed estate...Aga Hall, our Bombay home, was his chief seat... My grandfather in his migration from Persia had brought with him more than a thousand relatives, dependents, clients, associates, personal and political supporters.. (who were) disposed in a series of houses and palaces around him, both in Bombay and in Poona. In course of time many of his Persian followers married Indian wives, many of them of Ismaili families. They and their children remained under my grandfather's protection and, after his death, under my father's and then under mine. When my grandfather died, there was a rough- and-ready and unofficial division of property, though not of leadership and responsibility, between my father -- his sole rightful heir as Imam -- and my various uncles and aunts. I was my father's sole and unique heir in accordance with Muslim law -- unlike my father in relation to his grandfather."

  • Aga Hall Jamatkhana

    Photo by Hussein Charania. The Jamatkhana within the Aga Hall Estate, also known as Wardi Jamatkhana.

  • Prince Aly Khan Hospital. Mumbai, India.

    Photo by Hussein Charania. Found within the Aga Hall Estate on land donated by the father of the present Aga Khan. This hospital is planned to be redeveloped as apart of the redevelopment of the whole estate. More on this hospital can be found here

  • Old Diamond Jubilee High School

    Photo by Hussein Charania. This school is also found within the Aga Hall Estate. It is no longer in use as a newer facility was built across the road. That completes the series of pictures of Aga Hall. To summarize the rich history of this area: Aga Hall used to be a part of a sprawling estate, and was home to Aga Khan I (46th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims) and his many dependents. After his passing, some of the land was inherited by successor to the Imamat (his son, Aga Khan II), and the rest was divided up amongst his other children as well as his dependents. The land which was eventually inherited by the current Imam (Aga Khan IV), has been generously donated for the use of the Ismaili community's housing projects, a hospital, a school , and a Jamatkhana. Aga Hall has an exciting future ahead with the plans for a major redevelopment.

  • Staircases of the Ismaili Centre, Vancouver

    Photo by Hussein Charania. More info on the Ismaili Centres can be found here

  • Foyer of Town Jamatkhana, Nairobi

    Photo by Hussein Charania. The old Darkhana of Kenya, where the Aga Khan recited Eid Namaz as a young boy. This foyer contains a display of pictures from that historic day, two of which can be viewed here.

  • Mausoleum of Mowlana Sultan Mohamed Shah, 48th Ismaili Imam. Aswan, Egypt

    The site of this Fatimid inspired Mausoleum overlooks the river Nile and was chosen by the Imam himself,

  • Tomb of Mirza Ghalib. Nizamuddin, New Dehli, India

    Photo by Hussein Charania. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture recently helped to restore this tomb of the famous poet "Ghalib", as well as many other spaces around the Nizamuddin Basti. They have now trained and employed youth tour guides (seen in this Photo) to take visitors around the area. More info on this renewal project can be found here.

  • Courtyards of the Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe

    Photo by Hussein Charania. This Centre has many open spaces with beautiful gardens and water features. A video of this centre can be found in the videos section, at the bottom of the main page.

  • Main entrance of the Ismaili Centre, Dubai.

    Photo by Hussein Charania. The design of this Centre was influenced by Fatimid architecture. Similarities can also be found in the historic area of Dubai. To see the photo of the day, click here.

Videos

Spirit, Art, Nature by the AKDN

Abruzzi Garden by Mahera Omar

AKAH by Ayan Kanhai Aman

Music video in Nizamuddin Basti

Ismaili Centre Dushanbe by VoVo Productions

My talk at TEDx Calgary

Alamut by Iran Program PressTV

Performance at the Aga Khan Museum

Video by Serena Hotels

Al-Azhar Park by AKDN

Aga Khan University by AKDN

Aga Khan Music Initiative

AKU's School of Media and Communications

The Aga Khan University Examination Board

AKDN's contributions to Education in Afghanistan

AKF Canada's Together Ensemble

Globe Cops by AKES, Kenya