DUSHANBE, October 12, 2009, Asia-Plus — Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev is meeting with His Highness the Aga Khan, the Spiritual Leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), here today morning.
According to press service of the Dushanbe mayor’s office, the sides will discuss cooperation between the Dushanbe mayor’s office and AKDN, including the Dushanbe Serena Hotel project issues.
Mayor Ubaidulloyev and his Highness the Aga Khan are also expected to discuss a number of other projects that are planned to be implemented in the Tajik capital under financial support of the AKDN.
We will recall that President Emomali Rahmon laid the foundation stone of the Dushanbe Serena Hotel in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan on October 30, 2006.
The Dushanbe Serena Hotel, a US$25million project whose 120 units will range from luxury rooms to long-stay apartments, will incorporate conference and shopping facilities, restaurants and a roof-top recreation centre and swimming pool. The hotel, to be managed by Tourism Promotion Services (a subsidiary of Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development) is being developed following a design from the award-winning architectural firm, ARCOP, a Montreal-based firm.
When completed, the Dushanbe Serena Hotel will join several Serena properties across the region to help strengthen tourism development in areas rich in cultural sites, physical attractions and economic opportunity. These include Serena units in Kabul, Afghanistan, and at Islamabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Gilgit and Swat in Pakistan.
