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

On 19 February 1959, the 48th Imam was finally laid to rest in the mausoleum which had taken over 18 months to construct.

On July 19, 1957, Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah, 48th Imam, was laid to rest in a temporary place created in the grounds of the villa Noor al Salaam in Aswan.

Familiares y amigos asistieron ayer a los funerales de la viuda del difunto Aga Khan III, la "begum" Om Habibeh, en un mausoleo que domina el Nilo a su paso de Asuán (Alto Egipto).

Colocados en un ataúd recubierto de un manto blanco llevado por el nieto de su esposo, el príncipe Karim, actual Aga Khan, los restos mortales, rodeados de allegados, atravesaron el Nilo a bordo de un barco ambulancia hasta llegar a la otra orilla, donde se levanta la villa Nour El-Salam. En ese lugar la "begum" y su marido pasaban el invierno.

One of world's wealthiest men, leader of Ismaili Muslims focuses on local projects to enhance sustainable developmt.
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, has been called one of the world's wealthiest men and is a seasoned philanthropist, but he is doing more than giving his millions away in developing countries. The spiritual leader of 15 million Shiite Ismaili Muslims spread over 25 nations, the Aga Khan is changing the face of global philanthropy by establishing innovative ventures and providing microfinance for small-scale enterprises through economic development institutions.

When the official inauguration of Cairo's Al-Azhar Park unfolds this weekend, it will do so in two stages. The first is a private, invitation-only affair on March 25, replete with ceremonial plaque dedications, rousing speeches, musical performances (by Yo-Yo Ma's acclaimed Silk Road Ensemble, among others), and a guest list padded with visiting dignitaries and their security details.
The second is a more populist, people-power affair on March 26, featuring nothing fancy save an opening day for the masses.

Looking across Al-Azhar park, your eye is immediately drawn to the stark brown walls of the citadel and the jaunty domes of the Muhammad Ali mosque. But as you look off to the west, the city drops below the horizon, leaving only a surreal panorama of scattered minarets floating behind a grassy foreground.

Crocodile, snake, lizard, cow and sheep hides have been used since prehistory for creating durable leather goods, but at the Darb Al Ahmar craft exhibition at Al Azhar Park you can see something new in the ancient art

Dream of green the al azhar park looks gorgeous, but can it live up to its lofty aspirations?Sunset at the Al Azhar Park Source: Ursula Lindsey

Blocks from the sprawling, majestic Mohamed Ali's Citadel at the heart of Cairo lies one yet-unknown tourist complex sprawling at record pace in the midst of an impoverished town - you would have not known it had ever existed unless you stumble upon it on an unintended detour from the Citadel. Either that or you have serious interest in the Aga Khan.
Amidst the decrepit villages of the Egyptian capital unfamiliar to visitors, one extremely ambitious project has recently been undertaken with the creation of a vast, green open space in a once run-down area of Cairo.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/754/fe1.htm Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 18754 - 10 August 2005
Issue No. 754

Crafting the past

A vocational training programme will revive and preserve mediaeval handicrafts in Islamic Cairo. Nevine El-Aref reports on the first phase of the project

The creation of the 30-hectare (74-acre) Al-Azhar park, undertaken in the historic district of Cairo by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, is proving to be a catalyst for urban renewal in one of the most congested cities in the world.
Egypt's capital, with a population of 17 million, has one of the lowest ratios of green space to urban population in the world - an area the size of a footprint per inhabitant, according to one estimate. Al-Azhar Park therefore provides much-needed leisure and recreational space while functioning as a 'green lung' in the heart of the city.

CAIRO'S historic Islamic quarter, a maze of congested, rubble-strewn streets smelling of car fumes and uncollected trash, is being made over with the opening last fall of a 74-acre park and continuing efforts to restore some of the area's many monuments and noteworthy buildings.

ANCIENT TRASH DUMP: Cairo's new 74-acre park, Al Azhar, is located on what was a centuries-old rubbish heap in the middle of Cairo's historic old city.SARAH GAUCH
Egypt gets its own 'central park'
By Sarah Gauch | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

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.

Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottri on Monday received Rahim Agha Khan, Son of His Highness Prince Karim Agha Khan.The two sides reviewed programs and activities of the Agha Khan Network for developing cooperation between the Network and Syria in the fields of financing and establishing projects for preservation of archeological sites, rural development projects and small loans, in addition to other development cultural and tourist projects.
The two sides also discussed establishing a project for culture and tourist marketing in Damascus.

The Al-Azhar Park has risen through the Cairo smog 20 years after being given the green light, Nevine El-Aref reportsMrs Mubarak and Aga Khan at the official opening of Al-Azhar Park
Spreading over a hill in the heart of Islamic Cairo, the new Al-Azhar Park offers 15 million Cairenes, as well as tourists, some much needed leisure and recreational space with magnificent views of historic Cairo's countless architectural treasures.

Looking across Al-Azhar park, your eye is immediately drawn to the stark brown walls of the citadel and the jaunty domes of the Muhammad Ali mosque. But as you look off to the west, the city drops below the horizon, leaving only a surreal panorama of scattered minarets floating behind a grassy foreground.