Champion of Islamic Architecture, the Aga Khan, Dies at 88
The Aga Khan IV, a spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community and a prominent champion in architecture and cultural preservation, died yesterday in Portugal at the age of 88.
As a 20-year-old Harvard graduate, the Aga Khan, born Prince Shah Karim Al-Hussaini, became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims in 1957, leading a global community of Shia Muslims. He is considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad, and treated elsewhere as a head of state, given the title of "his highness" by Queen Elizabeth that same year (the pair were friends, both ardent fans of horse racing, often watching sport together at Royal Ascot).
He was a lifelong philanthropist and champion of Islamic architecture. In 1967 he founded the Aga Khan Foundation, now known as Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), to support sustainable, community-driven development to tackle poverty, primarily in South and Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East.
Today the AKDN employs 96,000 people across more than 30 countries, according to its site, and channels $1 billion per year into development projects including hospitals, schools, universities, businesses and climate and cultural initiatives.
But one of his most enduring contributions is the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA), which was established in 1977. The accolade is awarded every three years with a monetary prize of $1 million, to projects that address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fields of housing, community development, historic preservation, and landscape design.
'The award was designed, from the start, not only to honor exceptional achievement, but also to pose fundamental questions,' the Aga Khan said in a speech at a 2013 awards ceremony in Lisbon. 'How, for example, could Islamic architecture embrace more fully the values of cultural continuity, while also addressing the needs and aspirations of rapidly changing societies?'
'How could we mirror more responsively the diversity of human experience and the differences in local environments?" he continued. "How could we honor inherited traditions while also engaging with new social perplexities and new technological possibilities?'
Since its inception, the award has recognized over 100 projects, ranging from large-scale public projects to modest initiatives that incorporate traditional craftsmanship and local materials. Recipients of the award include Zaha Hadid's Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut in 2016, and Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum's Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, which incorporates traditional brick construction and natural ventilation, also in 2016. Other winners include Foster + Posters, Denise Scott Brown, and Rafael Moneo.
The Aga Khan also extended his resources in architectural education, setting up programs for Islamic architecture at MIT and Harvard, establishing a Fumihiko Maki-designed museum in Toronto in 2014, and and in 2018, building the Aga Khan Centre in King's Cross in London, created as a place for education and cultural exchange and also designed by Maki.
With the Aga Khan's passing, both the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the efforts of the AKDN are expected to continue their work.
You Might Also Like
From the Archive: Tour Sarah Jessica Parker's Relaxed Hamptons Retreat
75 Small (But Mighty) Kitchens to Steal Inspiration from Right This Instant
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Family of young couple killed in Air India crash speak of their loss
The family of a couple who died with their daughter in the Air India plane crash have spoken of the comfort they take from them dying together. Zaheera Nanabawa said Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa would be missed 'tremendously'. Mr Nanabawa ran a recruitment firm while his wife volunteered at a local Islamic school in Gloucester where they lived. Speaking with other family members, Ms Nanabawa said her cousin was the 'glue' that held their family together. 'We'd often have fun at games nights and even when the older ones of us were not there Akeel would make a lot of efforts to engage with the young people in the family,' she said. 'They were away as part of their trip to Singapore and Malaysia, before they went to India, and we had two family events and we all really missed them there. 'We could kind of feel the lack of their presence. 'This whole news is absolutely shocking and devastating for us, and it will leave a hole within our family, but we are together and with each other where we can kind of console each other. 'They were so young in terms of their age and they were lifted together. They are going to be sorely, sorely missed. 'But we feel that their legacy is really going to live on.' Ms Nanabawa thanked the many people who had offered messages of condolences since the news of Thursday's Air India crash. 'As Muslims we pray a lot and we were thinking about what type of prayers they made,' she said. 'That they were lifted together from this realm at the same time, there is a lot of comfort in that. 'We are going to miss them tremendously but hopefully they're together. 'That does give us a lot of peace because they were so closely knit together as a family. 'If Akeel had survived or one of the others had survived without the others it would have been devastating. 'We do feel that there is a peace with them being lifted together.' Ms Nanabawa spoke of the couple's generosity with their time and would help anyone in need. 'Akeel would give his heart out to anybody at any time for anything,' she said. 'If you wanted something he would be there. He would constantly be just trying to give you things, whether it be a phone number to somebody that can help you with your car or dentist abroad. 'We believe this is part of their giving in this world and may they recoup in the hereafter.' She added: 'We're all just absolutely totally in shock. 'But seeing people coming to the family home, seeing the messages of condolences, finding out the things that we didn't even know that they were involved in that they were doing, we hope will continue to bring them benefit. 'As a family and as a community we've been inundated with lots and lots and lots of messages. 'We know the impact of this is going to be far-reaching and far wide and we thank the wider community for their messages of support. 'It's an opportunity for people to look at their own lives and reflect and just think about the wide meaning of life.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Tribute to 'kind and joyful' Air India crash victims
The "heartbroken" family of three victims of the Air India plane crash have paid tribute to their "kind and deeply respected" loved ones. Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and Sara Nanabawa, aged four, were returning from a surprise trip to India when their plane ploughed into a residential area. In a statement, the family said: "We are heartbroken as we await further information regarding our beloved family members. The news of this tragic incident has left us devastated, and we are still coming to terms with the enormity of what has happened." The plane was carrying 242 people when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India. Flight AI171 between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick took off on Thursday afternoon, but struggled to gain altitude and crashed 30 seconds afterwards. The plane hit a residential area, killing 241 passengers and crew. One passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the crash and was treated in hospital for injuries. Mr Nanabawa, Ms Vorajee and Sara were among 52 Britons killed in the tragedy. Hannaa's relative, Hussain Vorajee, from Gloucester, told the BBC: "We're saddened by the crash, they were beautiful souls who we have lost. "She was a lovely girl, the community is shocked, not just in Gloucester but across the country. "A very young family has been taken from us, this is something that we've never witnessed, something that has affected so many families. "I wouldn't wish this disaster on anybody and you just don't know what is around the corner." Derrick and Carol Francis, who live next door to the family's home, told the BBC "they were neighbours you cherished" and that they had felt like "parents" to the family. "They were joyous, such a happy couple," said Mr Francis, describing Sara as a "little angel" they had watched grow up. Abdullah Samad, imam at the Masjid E Umar mosque and head teacher of Sara's primary school, who was speaking on behalf of the family, said the whole community has been left shaken by the tragedy. "They were widely loved and deeply respected. His quiet generosity, her warmth and kindness, and their daughter's bright, joyful spirit made a lasting impact on everyone who knew them," Mr Samad added. "She was a ray of sunshine in her school, and they were a pillar of strength in our lives." Live coverage of the crash aftermath Messages deliver, bodies missing: Clinging to hope after Air India crash What we know so far about Air India flight AI171? What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Mr Samad added that the family regularly volunteered at the local Islamic school and for various local projects. "Hannaa was also a Director at Peace Inclusion, a grassroots organisation that works to build bridges between communities and promote understanding of Islam through education, dialogue, and shared humanity," he said. He said the pain of the tragedy is felt throughout the whole community. "Thank you for your compassion, your messages of support, and your understanding during this time of immense sorrow," he added. Sara's school, Al-Ashraf Primary School, said in a statement that it would be providing pastoral support to children and staff in the coming days. "This tragedy has struck at the heart of our school family. "We are devastated, and we now begin the difficult process of grieving together and supporting one another through the days and weeks ahead." Paying tribute to Akeel Nanabawa - who grew up in Newport, south Wales - and his family, a local councillor said the community was "deeply heartbroken and devastated". Farzina Hussain, who represents Victoria ward on Newport City Council, said Mr Nanabawa was "known by many" in the area. "He is remembered as a kind and caring young man, the outpouring of grief and kind words being shared across our community and social media are a testament to the lives he touched," she said. A special service will take place at Swindon's Hindu Temple later. Trustee Neetu Bhardwaj told the BBC: "We are not Muslims or Hindus in India, we are one human being. We have got one blood. When they hurt, we hurt." Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Girl killed in plane crash was 'ray of sunshine' Indian PM Modi visits scene of plane crash, as search for black boxes continues Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Tributes pour in for Britons killed in Air India plane crash
Sisters who travelled to surprise their grandmother and a couple who lost their only son in a previous air tragedy have been named among the British victims in the Air India crash as their families wait for answers on what caused the disaster. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in a fireball on Thursday in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. A radiologist from Derby who had a 'newly discovered love of fish and chips' was on the flight with his family, the city's Hindu Temple said. Dr Prateek Joshi, who worked at the Royal Derby Hospital, moved to the UK from India in 2021, a colleague who worked closely with him said. Dr Rajeev Singh said: 'He often entertained colleagues with stories about his passions outside of work, including his newly discovered love of fish and chips and enthusiasm for walking in the Peak District. 'It is hard to accept that a man with such a passion for life, and his beautiful young family, have been taken in this way.' Two sisters in their early 20s on their way home to London after surprising their grandmother for her birthday are also said to be among the victims. A cousin who lives in Ahmedabad said fashion designer Dhir and product manager Heer Baxi had an 'amazing aura' and wanted to 'roam the world'. 'They both had aspirations to be successful enough to roam around the world along with the parents,' Ishan Baxi said. Both women knew 'what is right and what is wrong', he added. 'Right now no one is able to come to terms because they both came here just to celebrate grandma's birthday but, see, the tragedy – they came, they celebrated and they both left the world, everything is vanished right in front of our eyes.' A couple who had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy were on the plane, Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who leads the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, said. They were returning from a religious celebration in India. 'This couple had gone to India for a religious celebration – they were coming back and now this has happened,' Mr Guruji, 53, said. 'After what has happened to their son as well – it's just terrible to think about.' A family of three from Gloucester were also on the flight, their family said in statement issued through their imam. Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter, Sara Nanabawa, were 'widely loved and deeply respected'. Ms Vorajee volunteered at a local Islamic school and was also a director for an organisation promoting understanding of the religion, Imam Abdullah Samad said. Mr Nanabawa ran a recruitment firm called Iceberg Recruitment Services which had a branch in Ahmedabad, India, according to the company's website. Imam Abdullah Samad said: 'This young family was incredibly close-knit – devoted parents and their beautiful, young daughter. 'They gave their time and energy to awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts, always guided by a strong sense of responsibility to help others. 'They were widely loved and deeply respected. His quiet generosity, her warmth and kindness, and their daughter's bright, joyful spirit made a lasting impact on everyone who knew them.' Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 people on board the plane were killed when it crashed and struck a medical college in Ahmedabad. The British survivor spoke of the horror of watching people 'dying in front of my eyes'. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh told DD News 'I still can't believe how I survived' as he spoke from his hospital bed on Friday. The 40-year-old told the broadcaster the plane felt like it was 'stuck in the air' shortly after take-off before lights began flickering green and white – adding: 'It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been in contact with Mr Ramesh to offer consular support, Downing Street said. The crash site was visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, with video footage showing him talking to Mr Ramesh in hospital. There are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise. At least five medical students were killed and about 50 injured. Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash. Aviation experts have speculated about the possible causes of the crash, from both engines failing – possibly due to a bird strike, as happened in the so-called Miracle on the Hudson in 2009 – to the flaps on the aircraft's wings not being set to the correct position for take-off. Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, said it would provide 10 million rupees (around £86,000) to the families of each of those killed in the crash. The company said it would also cover the medical costs of the injured and provide support in the 'building up' of the medical college. Air India has set up friends and relatives assistance centres at Gatwick, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad airports to provide support in the wake of AI171's crash.
