|
Ismaili Centre
The Ismaili Centres are symbolic markers of the permanent presence of the Nizari Ismailis in the countries and regions in which they are established, characterised by the Aga Khan IV as 'ambassadorial buildings'. Each building is architecturally unique and functions as a jamatkhana (place of worship), but also incorporates spaces for social and cultural gatherings, intellectual engagement and reflection, as well as spiritual contemplation. They facilitate mutual exchange and seek to foster understanding between diverse peoples, communities and faiths. Collectively and individually, the Centres represent the Nizari Ismaili community’s intellectual and spiritual understanding of Islam, as well as the community’s social conscience, outlook and attitude towards the societies in which it lives. Nizari Ismaili Centres around the world Ismaili Centres have been established in London (1985), Vancouver (1985), Lisbon (1998), Dubai (2008), Dushanbe (2009), [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ismaili Centre, London
The Ismaili Centre, London is one of six such centres world-wide. Established in South Kensington more than thirty years ago, it is a religious, social and cultural meeting place for the Ismaili Muslim community in the United Kingdom and is the first such centre to be specially designed and built for Ismailis in the Western world. Establishment The Ismaili Centre, London was inaugurated on 24 April 1985 by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims. It was the first religious, cultural and social space specifically designed for the Ismaili community in the Western world. The Ismaili community had been in the United Kingdom since as early as 1951, when they established a religious, cultural and social centre at Kensington Court. It was moved to Palace Gate in 1957, but the needs of the growing community increased over time, and a site at Cromwell Gardens was acquired in the 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nizari
The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize independent reasoning or '' ijtihad''; pluralism—the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cultural and inter-religious differences; and social justice. Nizaris, along with Twelvers, adhere to the Jaʽfari school of jurisprudence. The Aga Khan, currently Aga Khan IV, is the spiritual leader and Imam of the Nizaris. The global seat of the Ismaili Imamate is in Lisbon, Portugal. Early history Nizari Isma'ili history is often traced through the unbroken hereditary chain of guardianship, or ''walayah'', beginning with Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who was declared Muhammad's successor as Imam during the latter's final pilgrimage to Mecca, and continues in an unbroken chain to the current Imam, Shah Karim Al-Husayni, the Aga Khan. Fatimid usurpation, schism, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isma'ilism
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept Musa al-Kadhim, the younger brother of Isma'il, as the true Imām. Isma'ilism rose at one point to become the largest branch of Shia Islam, climaxing as a political power with the Fatimid Caliphate in the 10th through 12th centuries. Ismailis believe in the oneness of God, as well as the closing of divine revelation with Muhammad, whom they see as "the final Prophet and Messenger of God to all humanity". The Isma'ili and the Twelvers both accept the same six initial Imams; the Isma'ili accept Isma'il ibn Jafar as the seventh Imam. After the death of Muhammad ibn Isma'il in the 8th century CE, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aga Khan
Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini, Aga Khan IV (b. 1936). Aga Khans claim descent from Muhammad, the last prophet according to the doctrine of Islam. Title The title is made up of the titles " agha" and " khan". The Turkish "agha" is "aqa" (Āqā) in Persian. The word " agha" comes from the Old Turkic and Mongolian "aqa", meaning "elder men", and means something like "master" or "lord." " Khan" means king or ruler in Turkish and Mongolian languages. According to Farhad Daftary, a scholar of the Isma'ili movement, ''Aga Khan''(...) H.H. the Aga Khan 'who is known amongst his followers by the following names: "''Hazarat Mowlana Dhani Salamat Datar, Pir Salamat, Sarkar Saheb, Huzur Pur Nur, Dhani Salamat, Hazar Imam, Dhani Pir, Aga Khan.''" ' is an honorific tit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamatkhana
Jamatkhana (from fa, جماعت خانه , literally "congregational place") is an amalgamation derived from the Arabic word ''jama‘a'' (gathering) and the Persian word ''khana'' (house, place). It is a term used by some Muslim communities around the world, particularly sufi ones, to denote a place of gathering. Among some communities of Muslims, the term is often used interchangeably with the Arabic word musallah (a place of worship that has not been formally sanctified as a ''masjid'' Fiqh of Masjid & Musalla or is a place that is being temporarily used as a place of worship by a Muslim). The community uses the term ''Jama'at Khana'' to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ismaili Centre, Vancouver
The Ismaili Centre, Vancouver, is one of six Ismaili Centres worldwide. It was the first purpose-built Ismaili jamatkhana and the first Ismaili centre in North America. It has accordingly been the subject of sustained, dedicated academic analysis, a case study of modern Islamic architecture in the West. Foundation and establishment Established by His Highness Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, the Ismaili Centre, Vancouver was the first of such centers in North America and the second in a series of six Ismaili Centres currently situated in London, Lisbon, Dubai, Dushanbe, and Toronto. The foundation ceremony for the new building was held on 26 July 1982, and construction was completed in 1985. During the silver jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan, the new building was opened by the former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.Karim H. Karim, 'Pluralism, Migration, Space and Song: Ismaili Arrangements of Public and Private Spheres', in ''Diverse S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ismaili Centre, Lisbon
The Ismaili Centre, Lisbon, is one of six Ismaili Centres worldwide. Established in the Palma de Baixo area of Lisbon in 1998, it is a religious, social and cultural meeting place for the Ismaili Muslim community in Portugal. Establishment In December 1996, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio laid the Foundation Stone of the Ismaili Centre, and on 11 July 1998, it was officially opened by President Sampaio and His Highness the Aga Khan. The Ismaili community in Portugal has grown since the 1970s, necessitating the need for this new, permanent marker of their presence in Portugal. On July 13, 2023, the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa awarded the Portuguese Order of Merit to the Ismaili Centre, Lisbon. Architecture The Ismaili Centre, Lisbon is a distinct architectural complex residing in a large space of 18 thousand square meters, 12 thousand of which consist of gardens and patios. The main religious and meeting space of the local Ismaili Muslim c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa. D Long, B Reich. p.157 Established in the 18th century as a small fishing village, the city grew rapidly in the early 21st century with a focus on tourism and luxury, having the second most five-star hotels in the world, and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, which is tall. In the eastern Arabian Peninsula on the coast of the Persian Gulf, it is also a major global transport hub for passengers and cargo. Oil revenue helped accelerate the development of the city, which was already a major mercantile hub. A centre for regional and international trade since the early 20th century, Dubai's economy relies on revenues from trade, tourism, aviation, real estate, and financial services. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe
The Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe (russian: Исмаилитский центр) is one of six such centres world-wide and is an Ismaili jamatkhana. It was the fifth purpose-built Ismaili Centre, and the first in Central Asia. Background Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan, a country characterised by an unusually extensive Ismaili population for over a thousand years. The region of Badakhshan, which spills over northeastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ... and North Pakistan, is the only part of the world where Ismailis make up the majority of the population. Under Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Soviet rule, the religion was discouraged, but since 1991 has increased its public prominence, and the Personal Representative of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ismaili Centre, Toronto
The Ismaili Centre, Toronto is a congregation place (Jama'at Khana) and community centre in Toronto, Ontario, CA Canada, the sixth such Ismaili Centres in the world. Situated in a park that it shares with the Aga Khan Museum adjacent to the Don Valley Parkway in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Centre represents the permanent presence of the Ismaili Muslim community in Toronto, Ontario and Canada. Construction and development The Ismaili Centre, Toronto is situated along Wynford Drive in Toronto's Don Mills neighbourhood. It is visible from the adjacent Don Valley Parkway, and shares a site with the Aga Khan Museum. The two buildings are surrounded by a landscaped park. In November 2002, the Aga Khan Foundation acquired the site and announced plans to demolish the Bata Shoes Head Office in order to construct it. The Ismaili Centre had its foundation ceremony on May 28, 2010. The ceremony was performed by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Aga Khan, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ismaili Center Houston
The Ismaili Center Houston will be the newest of seven such centres worldwide. It was the first to be built in the USA and the third Ismaili Centre in North America, after the Ismaili Centres in Vancouver and Toronto. Establishment Aga Khan Foundation USA has owned the 11-acre site since 2006. The establishment of an Ismaili Center was announced by His Highness the Aga Khan during his Golden Jubilee visit to the USA in 2008. A design preview was held on November 15, 2021, where architect Farshid Moussavi discussed the project with KTRK-TV’s Melanie Lawson. In July 2022, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. announced that it had begun construction. As of this date, no formal ground-breaking had taken place but construction is expected to be finished by the end of 2024. Architecture and design Designed by London-based Farshid Moussavi Architecture, the Center will be a contemporary interpretation of traditional Persian ornamentation, including ceramic mosaics, and screens d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of the world's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, fashion, gastronomy, and science. For its leading role in the arts and sciences, as well as its very early system of street lighting, in the 19th century it became known as "the City of Light". Like London, prior to the Second World War, it was also sometimes called the capital of the world. The City of Paris is the centre of the Île-de-France region, or Paris Region, with an estimated population of 12,262,544 in 2019, or about 19% of the population of France, making the region France's primate city. The Paris Region had a GDP of €739 billion ($743 billion) in 2019, which is the highest in Europe. According to the Economist Intelli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
