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

Located in the capital city of Kabul, Chihil Sutun Palace is one of the historic places built by Afghan King Shah Zaman Sadozai in 1796.

The palace served as home for many Afghan kings and emirs.

However, it was severely damaged when the civil wars erupted in the 1970s among the Mujahideen following the fall of the government of Dr. Najibullah.

In 2018, the palace was repaired by the Aga Khan Development Network in cooperation with the German government.

The palace is considered one of the historic heritage sites of Afghanistan.

New Delhi, December 2

In double joy for India, a project on holistic urban revitalisation of the historic Nizamuddin Basti community in Delhi, has brought laurels for the country in two categories in this year's UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The project has won the prestigious Award of Excellence, and another award in the Special Recognition for Sustainable Development category, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) said.

'Probably one of the earliest structures here; might pre-date the necropolis’

In the marvellous garden of a stucco work necropolis of the Qutb Shahi tombs, it is a deep stepwell of dressed granite. While curvy flowy lines and stucco decorations are the norm in the tombs complex, the stepwell is all about straight lines and minimalistic design. Recently restored to the way it appears in archival images from 19th century by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, the effort has been aided by US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Hyderabad: The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is likely to take up restoration works at the Paigah tombs upon the request of AIMIM MLA and floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi. In a meeting on Thursday, the legislator met the AKTC’s CEO Ratish Nanda, at his party’s headquarters Darussalam. Owaisi requested the AKTC to also take up the restoration of works at the Paigah Tombs complex, while lauding their conservation efforts at historic Qutb Shahi tombs.

It’s 24 karat gold—the kalash , or the finial, at the top of the Humayun’s Tomb. The gilded metal glistens in sunshine. Just some steps away is a much smaller tomb. Its dome is dotted with wild grass. But it too is as intense as its celebrity counterpart. The effect is caused by the dome’s enigmatic blue, which is neither shiny, nor pale. The shade appears fragile, and one fears it might wash out during the rains, or under the harsh sunshine.

Hyderabad: Telangana municipal administration and urban development minister K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) praised the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) for its “stellar” work on behalf of the state government. Acknowledging the state’s partnership with the AKTC to restore the Qutb Shahi tombs, KTR said that efforts are on to get World Heritage Site status for the Qutb Shahi tombs.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Afghanistan has launched an information platform to track threats to cultural heritage in the country.

The Aga Khan Cultural Services' list will be hosted on major social media platforms of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and will allow the group to log threats to sites of historical importance and bring them to international attention.

As the clock ticks to Tuesday’s deadline for American forces to leave Afghanistan, the arts and culture sector faces a sobering new reality. After the Americans leave, what will happen to Afghan artists and performers, cultural workers, and nongovernmental organization staffers engaged with heritage, traditional crafts and preservation? There are no answers, but their future depends not just on what the Taliban does, but how deeply civil society has taken root in Afghanistan over the past two decades.

Twenty years ago, the Taliban attached dynamite to two 6th-century Buddhas in the Bamiyan valley and famously blew the enormous statues to bits. The group’s reputation has since been synonymous with the destruction of cultural heritage, and many assume that their return to power will bring about a similar campaign of devastation.

But when the Taliban entered Kabul this month, they posted guards around the National Museum of Afghanistan, saving its antiquities from any feared looting. No vandalism or destruction of major heritage sites has yet been reported.

His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims; Charles M. Vest, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and Lawrence H. Summers, President of Harvard University 13 years to this day, launched ArchNet

President Hosni Mubarak today discussed with His Highness the Aga Khan an integrated plan for development of Cairo's largest park, and innovative cultural restoration and economic revitalisation projects being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in the capital's historic old city.

Hyderabad: The 16th Century Qutub Shahi Tombs are one of the main tourist attraction in the city. A heritage park is being added as a new chapter to this attraction.

The unique heritage park is likely to come up on 106 acres of land with the joint efforts of Aga Khan Foundation, Heritage Telangana and Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

A project is underway to preserve and restore 40 tombs, three mosques, seven wells, and other buildings. The first phase of this grand program of repair and renovation has been completed in 2018 and now the last phase of this program is underway.

Hyderabad: The 16th Century Qutub Shahi Tombs are one of the main tourist attraction in the city. A heritage park is being added as a new chapter to this attraction.

The unique heritage park is likely to come up on 106 acres of land with the joint efforts of Aga Khan Foundation, Heritage Telangana and Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

A project is underway to preserve and restore 40 tombs, three mosques, seven wells, and other buildings. The first phase of this grand program of repair and renovation has been completed in 2018 and now the last phase of this program is underway.

Hyderabad: A visitor to the historic Qutub Shahi Tombs will be mesmerized by its architectural beauty. The colourful enameled tiles were used in decorating the tombs.

Quli Qutub Shah bears intricate carvings. The enameled tiling of the tomb made it unique from the other tombs.

The Aga Khan Trust for culture CEO Ratish Nanda said, “Qutub Shahi Tombs are fine examples of Indo-Iranian architecture.”

From botany enthusiasts to social media influencers, everyone agrees Sunder Nursery is Delhi’s go-to spot to escape Covid blues.

Sunder Nursery is teeming these days.

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Delhi''s iconic Sunder Nursery, a 90-acre garden which was transformed into a horticultural paradise after a decade-long conservation work, is among the winners in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation this year.
Also, Koothambalam at Guruvayoor Temple in Kerala''s Thrissur has been chosen in the Award of Distinction category.

Rahim’s tomb, Delhi’s own monument of love built nearly 50 years before the iconic Taj Mahal, which stood in a ruinous condition with a “risk of collapse” has finally received a new lease of life after six-year-long “monumental conservation” work.

A multi-disciplinary team of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and support of a corporate conglomerate, worked extensively on the project which married traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.

(MENAFN - Wadsam) The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has committed to restore an ancient minaret in the city of Herat.

Presidential spokesperson Sediq Seddiqi said AKDN in a letter to President Ghani has vowed to help the Afghan government in restoration and protection of one of the five ancient minarets of Herat in Musallah complex that is on the verge of destruction.

India signed an MoU with Afghanistan in August for restoration of Bala Hissar fortress, pledging approximately $1 mn. Aga Khan Trust for Culture plans to compete project by 2022.

New Delhi: The restoration work of ancient fortress Bala Hissar in Afghanistan’s Kabul, which received financial aid from the Government of India in August, has started. The fortress is being converted into the country’s first archaeological park.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) Afghanistan, which is executing the project, plans to complete the work by 2022.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has recently restored the 12.5 hectare Chihilsitoon Garden in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Incorporating 10,200m2 of modernised or newly constructed rammed earth buildings, the project now provides high-quality facilities for visitors.

Once a 19th century royal garden that was transformed into a state property that welcomed visiting dignitaries in the 20th century, Chihilsitoon was looted during the Afghan Civil War of the early 1990s and left in a severely damaged state.