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

The complex juxtaposition of private practice and public visibility/invisibility
of contemporary Ismaili Muslims has certain parallels with other religious communities, but
it exhibits unique features. This community adheres to an esotericism that has shaped its
hermeneutic and communication practices. In a seeming paradox, the group is also extensively
engaged in the public sphere. However, its communal institutions are limiting the dissemination
of texts pertaining to the religious addresses and biography of the group’s leader,
Aga Khan IV. He is instead increasingly turning to architecture to communicate the community’s
worldview through a symbolic use of design