Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Built by the Mughals in the 16th century as Azim Bagh and later utilised by the British to cultivate exotic plants, Sunder Nursery remained dilapidated for many years. The redevelopment project by the Aga Khan Trust of Culture began in 2008. For over a decade, the team worked towards preserving its heritage, ecological assets, and cultural landscape, finally inaugurating the 90-acre complex for the public in February, 2018.

The 14th century baoli in the Kotla Feroz Shah complex is another example of a stepwell still in use. the decrepit well still waters the gardens.

Once important community spaces, stepwells from centuries ago needn’t just be relics of the past for tourists and history buffs but can be used to conserve water in these arid times, even with dipping groundwater levels, say conservationists and historians.

According to Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) listing of ancient structures in Delhi, Arab Sarai was built in 1560 by Hamida Banu Begum, who was chief consort of Mughal emperor Humayan, to accommodate 300 Arabs she had brought back from Mecca.

The lofty eastern gateway of a walled enclosure built in the 17th century — which was originally a market built during Jahangir’s reign along side Arab ki Sarai, Nizamuddin East — has been restored to its old glory.

The restorer, Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), began restoration work in January 2017.

This week we travel to outskirts of Hyderabad to interview His Highness The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili Community and Founder and Chairman of The Aga Khan Development Network. He speaks about how he bridges the east and the west and brings different communities together. He says that the modern world suffers from ignorance rather than civilization. He also speaks about how his academy is devoid of caste, religion and sect. And about how his life changed after the World Trade Centre plane crash in 2001.

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, September 2013 - The Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad is a new, not-for-profit school situated on a 100-acre campus near the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. It will be inaugurated by the Union Minister of Human Resources and the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan, founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network.