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

THE Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims and a scholar of Islamic history and art, yesterday lamented the destruction of historical treasures in Iraq and Afghanistan.'We are witnessing in Afghanistan, and now in Iraq, that the very survival of our heritage is today at risk, destroyed under the dust of our own indifference,' said the wealthy philanthropist, Prince Karim Aga Khan. 'We must renew our vigour to revitalize our shared heritage.'
The Aga Khan was in New Delhi to unveil newly restored gardens at one of India's major monuments and meet with Indian leaders to discuss co-operation with his foundation, which is promoting education, rural development, health care and the preservation of heritage sites in India.
At the sixteenth-century Humayun's Tomb in the heart of New Delhi, he decried the destruction of ancient treasures in Afghanistan and the looting of the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad.
'Whether through neglect or wilful destruction, the disappearance of ancient treasures of the past deprives us of more than history,' he said.
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture donated more than