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

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, will arrive on a six-day visit to Delhi mainly for discussions with Indian leaders on broadening the framework of activities of the Aga Khan Development Network in the country.
He will call on President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his deputy L K Advani and other leaders during his stay here.

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, today discussed with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha the scope of his development network in promoting education, health and rural development in India.

During the 45-minute-long meeting, the Aga Khan, who is on his first visit to India in 11 years, spoke about the potential for cooperation also in areas like micro credit, financial services, humanitarian assistance and in the promotion of non-governmental organisations, informed sources said.

The prestigious Aga Khan award for architecture will be presented at a glittering ceremony in the gardens of Humayun's Tomb here Saturday afternoon.
The high-profile award presentation ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Aga Khan, ministers, top diplomats, architects and bureaucrats.

The award, established in 1977 by the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture, is presented every three years.

Tucked away in a residential area of India's capital is one of its least-known tourist attractions ? the 16th-century tomb of the Emperor Humayun.
The magnificent red-sandstone tomb is said to have provided the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, but is rarely included in the 'must-see' list for visitors, who prefer to go to the more famous Red Fort, India Gate monument or Rashrapati Bhavan, the president's palace.

The Petronas Towers and a project to revitalise Old Jerusalem were among seven architectural achievements named as winners of the 2004 Aga Khan award for architecture.The prizes were presented by the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world's 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, yesterday.

The Aga Khan, billionaire spiritual leader of the world's 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, met Indian Finance Minister Jaswant Singh during an official visit here Tuesday. He is scheduled to inaugurate the restoration of a tomb of Emperor Humayun. The work was carried out jointly by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India. The Aga Khan, who is on the second day of a six-day visit here, was also to meet leaders of the Ismaili community.

Recreating History At Humayun?s TombOffering a glimpse of the great Mughal art of landscaping in the midst of Delhi?s concrete jungles, the restored gardens at Humayun?s Tomb were thrown open to visitors last week.
The first privately funded restoration of the garden of the tomb, which is a World Heritage Site, was completed last month. It was a joint effort of the Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the aegis of the National Culture Fund (NCF).

Ignorance and rejectionism lie at the heart of the conflict between the Western and the Islamic worlds, the Aga Khan, spiritual head of the world's more than 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, said.

Prince Karim Aga Khan urged a renewed effort to promote pluralism and tolerance through education, while also addressing festering political disputes and desperate poverty which have contributed to rising extremism.

Talking to a small group of journalists in New Delhi, he said the world was grappling with "a conflict of ignorance".

Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the world's 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, on Wednesday called on President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed issues of mutual interest.

Aga Khan, the 49th Imam of Ismaili Muslims, also held a joint meeting with Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, his Minister of State Ajay Makan and Tourism Minister Ambika Soni.

The meeting with the Prime Minister held at Dr. Singh's 7 Race Course residence lasted over half-an-hour, officials said.

Islamic spiritual leader Aga Khan, who runs a large number of philanthropic institutions in India, on Wednesday met President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed developmental issues.

Khan, who is here on a four-day visit, also called on Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

The spiritual leader is slated to meet Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today.

The 49th hereditary Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims, Aga Khan met President APJ Abdul Kalam in the capital on Wednesday at the sprawling Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Earlier, he met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

The spiritual leader, who is on a three day visit to India, has a host of programmes lined up in Delhi and Hyderabad.

Khan will meet the Vice- President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union ministers S Jaipal Reddy, Amibika Soni and Ajay Makan. He is also expected to meet President A P J Abdul Kalam.

President A P J Abdul Kalam today suggested an integrated approach to accelerate the pace of development in three key sectors -- education, health and rural development.
Kalam made the suggestion at a meeting with a delegation headed by the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Later the President had a one-to-one luncheon meeting with Khan.

The spiritual leader informed the President that his trust had undertaken various projects in the three sectors in India and adopted 600 villages in Gujarat for their development.

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, center, gestures at the inauguration of the newly restored gardens of emperor Humayun's Tomb built in 1565-72 AD in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 15, 2003. The Aga Khan Trust funded the revitalization of the gardens, pathways, fountains and water channels surrounding Humayun's Tomb, which is a world heritage site. Others in the pictures are not identified. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Speech By His Highness the Aga KhanInauguration ceremony of the Restored Humayun's Tomb Gardens
Your Excellency, Shri Jagmohan, Minister of Culture
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,

I would like to begin by expressing my warmest gratitude to the Government for inviting me to India, and to the Minister for Tourism and Culture, His Excellency Shri Jagmohan, for honouring this inaugural ceremony with his presence.

Whether through neglect or wilful destruction, the disappearance of physical traces of the past deprives us of more than memories. Spaces that embody historic realities remind us of the lessons of the past.'His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims was speaking at the inauguration of the restored gardens that surround the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun.

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, began a six-day official visit to India Monday during which he will meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and President Abdul Kalam, officials said.
It is his first visit to India in 11 years. He will meet Kalam and Vajpayee later Monday and is also expected to meet deputy premier Lal Krishna Advani and Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, an Indian government official said.

FOR the first time in 400 years, water channels in the 16th Century Humayun's Tomb were today reactivated to facilitate the water harvesting system in the tomb, making it the largest heritage site in India to have such a system.
The Tomb is also the only site to have a water harvesting system that covers two acres of constructed area and 30 acres of the entire site.

As twilight descended over the city on Tuesday, it saw the dawn of a bygone era at Humayun's Tomb as the Aga Khan unveiled the restored gardens of the monument with water flowing in its many fountains. Visitors were taken back in time to the 1560s, when the mausoleum was completed.
The restoration project, for which the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) had given US $6,50,000, tried to erase the colonial character the tomb's Moghul gardens had ''wrongly'' acquired over the past decades.

Union tourism and culture minister Jagmohan spent almost the whole of Sunday touring Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal to get a first-hand feel for problems relating to their upkeep, but he skipped visiting the work site of the controversial heritage corridor project linking the two. The minister had similarly gone on an inspection trip of Delhi's Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar some weeks ago. During the visit, he announced an additional Rs 1-crore grant for the upkeep of the Taj Mahal.

New Delhi: Religious leadership has always been linked with high finance. Uniquely, the institution of the Aga Khan has come to carry the ultimate lifestyle label as well. The triple burden sits lightly on the sharply cut shoulder pads of the present incumbent, revered by his 15 million followers in 25 countries as the 49th direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Anointed at 20, Prince Karim, now 68, has steered clear of both fundamentalism and the flashy life which killed his father, Prince Aly Khan.