Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Your Excellency the Governor
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am very, very happy to be here this morning to be able to express to you my warm and deep gratitude for everything that you all have done to make this Park become a reality.

The existence of the Park is proof of brotherhood, proof of aspiration towards moving towards a common goal which is to create in Cairo a place which is beautiful where all generations could find happiness and peace, where all people from different economic levels could feel comfortable as they perambulate throughout this space.

Bi-'smi Llahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Rahim
Madame Mubarak, Excellencies, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Twenty-one years ago we had a vision that launched us on a journey of inquiry, exploration and discovery that took us through some 1,000 years of history of this extraordinary city.

It was a journey in which we engaged with historians, archeologists, architects and horticulturalists. We worked with engineers, statisticians, sociologists and urban planners. We met with neighbourhood residents and businessmen, artisans and entrepreneurs, young people and old.

The park was financed by the Aga Khan Trust for CultureA 30-hectare park built from scratch on what used to be a 500-year-old garbage dump topping one of Cairo's poorest neighbourhoods is ready for inauguration.
The opening ceremony on Friday will be presided over by Imam Aga Khan, the 68-year-old spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims who first devised the project more than 20 years ago.

His Highness the Aga Khan speaking with the First Lady of Egypt, Madame Mubarak, during the Al-Azhar Park inauguration ceremonies.The Park as a Catalyst for Social, Economic and Cultural Renewal

On Friday March 25, Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, a private agency which seeks to revitalize Muslim communities, will inaugurate the largest public park built in Cairo in over a century. The Aga Khan, who heads the trust, is the the leader of 15 million Ismailis, a Muslim sect. He built the 70-hectare Al Azhar park on an ancient garbage dump in the heart of Islamic Cairo.Cairo's 16 million inhabitants live in a city with very few green spaces. Urban expansion has led to the disappearance of many of the city's public parks.