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

The Diwan at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden, a year-round pavilion and event space, has won two international awards for its design.

The Diwan has been awarded a 2023 International Architecture Award in the category of Exposition Centres, and a gold certification in the category of Public Building / Cultural Building from Grand Prix Du Design.

As Alberta’s Ismaili Muslim community commemorates five decades of history in Canada, many gathered at a ceremony Wednesday unveiling the final piece of the Aga Khan Garden.

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, gifted the $25-million garden to the University of Alberta and it opened four years ago in the U of A Botanic Garden southwest of Edmonton. The design also includes the Diwan, or pavilion, which was just recently finished, adding indoor gathering space. Additional donors funded construction of the Diwan to the tune of $5.5 million.