DUSHANBE, April 15, Asia-Plus – On March 27, 2008, His Highness the Aga Khan, Spiritual Leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, officially opened an Ismaili Center in Dubai — the fast-growing metropolis of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), press release issued by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Tajikistan said.
The Ismaili Center Dubai is the fourth such institution in the world and the first in the Middle East. The opening ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan – senior members of the ruling families.
The Center is comparable in profile and architectural standing to the Ismaili Centers in London, United Kingdom; Vancouver, Canada; and Lisbon, Portugal. The Centers offer a range of cultural and educational activities in the cities in which they are located. Ismaili Centers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Toronto, Canada are under development.
The Ismaili Center Dubai is a domed structure inspired by the Fatimid architecture of old Egypt and Syria. The Centre was constructed with the use of traditional materials and craftsmanship. Its seven domes were built in brick and wood by Kashmiri masons using increasingly rare traditional construction skills. The Center will house an Early Childhood Learning Center which will offer an educational program to young children on a secular and non-denominational basis at the highest international standards of excellence.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, His Highness the Aga Khan described the Center as “not only a place for peaceful contemplation, but one that is set in a social context. It is not the place to hide from the world, but rather a place which inspires us to engage our worldly work as a direct extension of our faith.”
These aspirations will apply equally to the Ismaili Center in Dushanbe, which was announced in 2003 by His Highness the Aga Khan and His Excellency President Emomali Rahmon. Calling it “a place where people will come together to share their creativity and their wisdom,” the Aga Khan said the Dushanbe Center would “recognize and promote the plurality of traditions and forms of expression to which Central Asia has been a welcoming home and eminent crossroads over the centuries.”
