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

Tajikistan's national airline on Thursday began passenger service to Afghanistan and officials announced plans to build five bridges connecting the countries.
Both moves apparently reflect increased confidence in Afghanistan's stability following the fall of the Taliban and growing recognition of Tajikistan's importance as a conduit for aid and materiel badly needed by Afghanistan.
The Tajikistan Airlines decision to open service between Dushanbe and Kabul, the Afghan capital, was largely in response to demand by businessmen, airline officials said. The flights are expected to go once a week.

Special equipment for monitoring the situation around Lake Sarez in eastern Tajikistan is now being installed by a World Bank project working on risk mitigation in the area, a step to ensure early warning for the vulnerable population in the region.'This equipment is for monitoring the situation around Lake Sarez, the dam and the Bartang valley, including seismic activity, landslides, water, wind speed and so on,' Rustam Bobojonov, a coordinator for the World Bank's Lake Sarez risk mitigation project, told IRIN from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, on Thursday.

Two experts from the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) are in [Tajikistan's] Mountainous Badakhshon Autonomous Region to see for themselves the condition of the Pamir-1 hydroelectric power station, particularly its tunnel, Asia-Plus learnt from an official from the organization, Matthew Scanlon. He said that AKFED intends to provide Pamir-1 with financial assistance as its first investment. The funds will be used to buy spare parts for turbines, a transformer and other components, and also to prepare for the autumn and winter seasons.

The spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan, today inaugurated a new bridge crossing a river between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.The 100-meter-long bridge across the Pyandzh river was created to promote trade between the two neighbors. It is the second bridge built in Tajikistan's southeastern Gorno-Badakhshan region and funded by the Aga Khan Development Network, which started funding developments in Tajikistan in 1993.

The Aga Khan arrived in Tajikistan on Sunday as part of six-day visit to that country and its mountainous neighbour, Kyrgyzstan, where he will lay the cornerstones for two of three campuses for the future University of Central Asia (UCA), the world's first internationally chartered institution of higher education.

The foundation stone of The Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe was laid on Monday afternoon by Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmonov on a 25,500 square-metre site in the centre of the city.President Rahmonov underlined the commitment of his government to provide enabling conditions for the development of institutions promoting 'freedom of conscience, pluralism and faith' as well as 'exchange of opinions and national accord in society.'

H.H. The Aga Khan, arrived at 5:00 PM at the Dushanbe Airport on August 29 where a large crowd was waiting to welcome him.On 30th of August, he attended the Dushanbe International Fresh Water Forum which is one of the main event of this 2003 Water Year. The Forum is held from 29th August to September 1st and the whole city is filled with boards and colourful reminders of this event.

His Highness the Aga Khan today launched a landmark cultural centre here marking a milestone in the 1300 year history of the Ismaili Muslim community in Central Asia.
The Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe, when completed, will be comparable in scope and standing to existing major centres in London, Vancouver and Lisbon and those at advanced planning stages in Toronto and Dubai.

Two experts from the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) are in [Tajikistan's] Mountainous Badakhshon Autonomous Region to see for themselves the condition of the Pamir-1 hydroelectric power station, particularly its tunnel, Asia-Plus learnt from an official from the organization, Matthew Scanlon. He said that AKFED intends to provide Pamir-1 with financial assistance as its first investment. The funds will be used to buy spare parts for turbines, a transformer and other components, and also to prepare for the autumn and winter seasons.

The Swiss Fela company has recently delivered satellite equipment for a monitoring system and for early warnings at Lake Sarez [over 3,000 m up in the Pamirs in eastern Tajikistan] to Tajikistan, Rustam Bobojonov, coordinator of a World Bank project on reducing the risk of Lake Sarez overflow, told Avesta on 4 August.He said the total cost of the equipment is 1.5m dollars.

Tajikistan's national airline on Thursday began passenger service to Afghanistan and officials announced plans to build five bridges connecting the countries.
Both moves apparently reflect increased confidence in Afghanistan's stability following the fall of the Taliban and growing recognition of Tajikistan's importance as a conduit for aid and materiel badly needed by Afghanistan.
The Tajikistan Airlines decision to open service between Dushanbe and Kabul, the Afghan capital, was largely in response to demand by businessmen, airline officials said. The flights are expected to go once a week.

Special equipment for monitoring the situation around Lake Sarez in eastern Tajikistan is now being installed by a World Bank project working on risk mitigation in the area, a step to ensure early warning for the vulnerable population in the region.'This equipment is for monitoring the situation around Lake Sarez, the dam and the Bartang valley, including seismic activity, landslides, water, wind speed and so on,' Rustam Bobojonov, a coordinator for the World Bank's Lake Sarez risk mitigation project, told IRIN from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, on Thursday.

Winners of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture have been presented with their prizes at a ceremony at the Alhambra Palace, in Grenada, Spain.

Pakistani architect Nayyar Ali-Dada: Is there such a thing as Islamic architecture?
The award, established in 1977, aims to encourage architecture which respects the traditions of Muslim societies while responding creatively to the changing needs in the industrialised Islamic world.

The seven winning projects, chosen from 424 entries, were:

* Restoration of Hebron's old town on the West Bank

Shortly after we checked in at Hotel Tajikistan in Dushanbe, it shook. But this tremor was quickly dissolved into a rush of intellectual as well as emotional vibrations as we embarked on a remarkable journey of discovery. And while the sojourn in Tajikistan, which lasted for more than ten days, was designed around the visit there of the Aga Khan, with specific focus on the activities of the Aga Khan Development Network, I could not help looking at everything with reference to what is happening in Pakistan. We know about the great battles of history that have been fought in Central Asia.

The Tajik government and the spiritual leader of the world's Ismailis Aga Khan IV will discuss cooperation prospects during the latter's visit to the republic beginning on September 21.

Deputy chairman of the Tajik parliament Kozidavlat Komdodov told Itar-Tass that during the visit which will last until September 28, the Imam of the world's Ismailis will meet President Emomali Rakhmonov, the leadership of the commission for national reconciliation and government ministers.

Aga Khan IV will also meet Ismailis who live on the territory of the Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan.

I am forwarding you the description of the Tajik Padhramni as received. The message came in a mix of Pidjin English and Russian and we have translated it. Umed attended several Didars and has got infos on the others from his friends. He has presented a mix of observations from notes and memory and I hope the translation, though not perfect, is close to his text.

There were a lot of Irshads and Hidayats in the last few days, it was overwhelming!

21 sept-23 sept

Mowlana Shah Karim, Aga Khan IV, arrived in Dushanbe to meet with President, and leader of the opposition.

24 sept

In a powerful appeal to all Muslims in Afghanistan, Shia and Sunni alike, His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, outlined a basis for constructing a new and more stable civil order in Central Asia.

"All Afghans should, as promptly as possible, re-establish open and brotherly dialogue among themselves, as our Faith instructs us to do, so that Islam's ethic of peace becomes a national reality." "We are not allowed to live in hate."

In an appeal to all Muslims in Afghanistan, Shia and Sunni alike, the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, recently outlined a basis for constructing a more stable civil order in Central Asia.

"All Afghans should, as promptly as possible, re-establish open and brotherly dialogue among themselves, as our faith instructs us to do, so that Islam's ethic of peace becomes a national reality. We are not allowed to live in hate."

"All the Afghans should
promptly resume an open and fraternal dialogue, thereby turning
Islamic peace ethics into a national reality and putting an end to
hatred and division," Ismailite spiritual leader Aga Khan the Fourth
said during a meeting with people from the Gorno-Badakhshan
Autonomous Region of Tajikistan and the Afghan representatives,
who had arrived there from the neighbouring country.

Imam Aga Khan had spent one week in the republic at the

The leader of the world's Ismaili community, the Aga Khan -- who's visiting Tajikistan -- has addressed a crowd of more than eighty-thousand followers in the Pamir mountains.

It's only the second time that the Aga Khan has visited Tajikistan and many people slept overnight in the mountain valley ready for his arrival.

In a speech the Aga Khan called on Muslims to stop fighting each other and said that his greatest wish was for peace.