The Ismaili Centre, Toronto is a congregation place (

Jama'at Khana 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 a ...

) and community centre in Toronto, Ontario, CA Canada, the sixth such

Ismaili Centres 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- ...

in the world. Situated in a park that it shares with the

Aga Khan Museum The Aga Khan Museum (french: Musée Aga Khan) is a museum of Islamic art, Iranian (Persian) art and Muslim culture located at 77 Wynford Drive in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is dedicated to Islamic art and obj ...

adjacent to the Don Valley Parkway in

North York North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, the Centre represents the permanent presence of the

Ismaili Muslim 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-Sa ...

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 The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) is a municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which connects the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Highway 401. North of Highway 401, it continues as Highway 404. The parkway run ...

, and shares a site with the

. 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, together with the foundation of the Aga Khan Museum and their shared park. Construction of the $300 million development finished in 2014, and represents a significant addition and shift in the landscape of Toronto's cultural institutions. The building was opened by Canadian Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

and His Highness Prince Karim

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 ...

on September 12, 2014.

Architecture

The Ismaili Centre, Toronto was designed by Indian architectural firm

Charles Correa Charles Mark Correa (1 September 1930 – 16 June 2015) was an Indian architect and urban planner. Credited with the creation of modern architecture in post-Independent India, he was celebrated for his sensitivity to the needs of the urban poo ...

Associates in collaboration with Toronto-based Moriyama & Teshima Architects. A distinguishing feature of the building is the glass roof of the prayer hall, which recalls the

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

ling in many of the traditional domes in the Muslim world. The glass dome, which represented a difficult technical challenge, is made of two layers of high-performance glass, and fritted (made porous) to deflect the heat of the sun. A clear sliver of glass facing east toward

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

will run down the translucent roof.

The Park

The Ismaili Centre is set in a landscaped park, composed of both formal and informal gardens. Designed by Lebanese landscape-architect Vladimir Djurovic, the park connects the Centre with the adjacent Aga Khan Museum. Djurovic described his vision for the park as one that "captures the essence of the

Islamic garden An Islamic garden is generally an expressive estate of land that includes themes of water and shade. Their most identifiable architectural design reflects the ''charbagh'' (or ''chahār bāgh'') quadrilateral layout with four smaller gardens di ...

and translates it into an expression that reflects its context and contemporary age." Designed to suit the climate of Toronto, the gardens capture the beauty of the four seasons. The park also provides space for educational programming, outdoor gatherings, as well as offering areas for tranquility and relaxation.

References

External links

*{{Cite web, title=The Ismaili Centre, Toronto , url=http://www.theismaili.org/ismailicentre/toronto , accessdate=May 31, 2010
Aga Khan Museum
Added December 28, 2012

Added December 28, 2012 Mosques in Toronto North York

Charles Correa buildings Charbagh gardens in Canada Shia Islam in Canada

Construction and development

Architecture

The Park

See also

References

External links