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

From botany enthusiasts to social media influencers, everyone agrees Sunder Nursery is Delhi’s go-to spot to escape Covid blues.

Sunder Nursery is teeming these days.

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Delhi''s iconic Sunder Nursery, a 90-acre garden which was transformed into a horticultural paradise after a decade-long conservation work, is among the winners in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation this year.
Also, Koothambalam at Guruvayoor Temple in Kerala''s Thrissur has been chosen in the Award of Distinction category.

Rahim’s tomb, Delhi’s own monument of love built nearly 50 years before the iconic Taj Mahal, which stood in a ruinous condition with a “risk of collapse” has finally received a new lease of life after six-year-long “monumental conservation” work.

A multi-disciplinary team of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and support of a corporate conglomerate, worked extensively on the project which married traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.

(MENAFN - Wadsam) The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has committed to restore an ancient minaret in the city of Herat.

Presidential spokesperson Sediq Seddiqi said AKDN in a letter to President Ghani has vowed to help the Afghan government in restoration and protection of one of the five ancient minarets of Herat in Musallah complex that is on the verge of destruction.

India signed an MoU with Afghanistan in August for restoration of Bala Hissar fortress, pledging approximately $1 mn. Aga Khan Trust for Culture plans to compete project by 2022.

New Delhi: The restoration work of ancient fortress Bala Hissar in Afghanistan’s Kabul, which received financial aid from the Government of India in August, has started. The fortress is being converted into the country’s first archaeological park.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) Afghanistan, which is executing the project, plans to complete the work by 2022.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has recently restored the 12.5 hectare Chihilsitoon Garden in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Incorporating 10,200m2 of modernised or newly constructed rammed earth buildings, the project now provides high-quality facilities for visitors.

Once a 19th century royal garden that was transformed into a state property that welcomed visiting dignitaries in the 20th century, Chihilsitoon was looted during the Afghan Civil War of the early 1990s and left in a severely damaged state.

Hyderabad: Build a new hospital building and restore the old building is the demand of alumni of Osmania General Hospital who are to meet in the city for their 4th Global Meet. The demand for a new building has been pending since 2010.

The Osmania General Hospital building is as old as the Charminar and High Court. Restoration of the Charminar and High Court have been carried out by experts while OGH has been left out.

Kalapana 2019 will present the work of two partners – Aga Khan Trust for Culture undertaking the conservation of 10 monuments at the Qutb Shahi Tombs; and Film Heritage Foundation

‘Kalapana’ – a Tata Trusts platform to celebrate the arts, engender dialogue with stakeholders and showcase the works of the Trusts’ partners, returns with its third edition focusing on the theme of conservation, one of the focus areas of the Arts, Crafts and Culture portfolio.

By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Almost five years after its conservation, Neela Gumbad, the blue-tiled tomb in the 16th century mausoleum complex of Mughal emperor Humayun, is likely to be unveiled officially on Saturday.

According to officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel will inaugurate the ancient domed building on August 31 with two other projects — a new museum displaying retrieved and confiscated antiquities at Purana Quila and new-fangled illumination at Qutub Minar complex.

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.

At a time when many areas in Delhi and multiple cities across the country are facing acute water shortage, Mughal Emperor Jahangir-built baoli at Arab Ki Sarai can become a harbinger of hope for water conservation. It is being revived with the twin purpose of heritage and water conservation.

Hyderabad: Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) which is working on the restoration of Qutb Shahi Tombs has now taken up the renovation of Paigah Tombs, also known as the Taj Mahal of the Deccan.

The nearly 150-year-old necropolis is located near Santosh Nagar.
Paigah Nawabs were next only to the Nizams in military, political and economic power who ruled Hyderabad State from 1724 to 1948.

Though Paigah Tombs are part of the historical and architectural heritage of Hyderabad they have been lying in a state of neglect for several decades.

LAHORE: The conservation of the western side of the world’s largest picture wall which is located at Lahore Fort has been completed by Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) in partnership Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), Pakistan Today has learnt.

It is pertinent to mention here that the conservation work was started in January 2018 in which experts from different countries of the world worked.

LAHORE: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) on Tuesday organised another session of ‘Meet the Expert’ during which conservationists and architects briefed participants on conservation methodologies of the picture wall of Lahore Fort that also happens to be the world’s largest picture wall, Pakistan Today has learnt.

WCLA had invited students and faculty members from all universities of Lahore which have architecture, history, fine arts and social sciences departments. Almost 200 participants were present in the session which was held here at the summer palace of Lahore Fort.

New Delhi: The Aga Khan Foundation on Tuesday partnered with the German embassy, which will provide Rs 41.5 lakh for rebuilding of a traditional ‘baoli (water stepwell) in the Humayun Tomb’s complex here.

It was announced during the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Aga Khan Trust for Culture Chief Executive Ratish Nanda and the German envoy Martin Ney in the Mughal-era Arab Ki Sarai premises.

The Arab Ki Sarai, an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument, houses an out-of-use stepwell.

Your Majesty
Honourable Ministers
Excellencies
Directors of the Prince Claus Fund
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with gratitude and admiration that I participate in this event today. It gives me the opportunity to express publicly the enormous respect in which I hold Prince Claus, and the very great importance I attach to the work of the Prince Claus Fund. I am saddened that Prince Claus cannot be with us tonight, and I am sure that all of you will join me in requesting Her Majesty The Queen to convey to His Royal Highness our warmest regards and best wishes.

Governor Perry,
First Lady of Texas, Anita Perry,
Mayor Wallace,
Leaders and representatives of the Congress of the United States, the State of Texas and the City of Houston,
Consuls General,
Distinguished Guests.

By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster, who was in the city on Thursday, announced a grant of over Rs 70 lakh towards conservation of the 17th-century tombs of Taramati and Premamati, located within the Qutb Shahi tombs complex.

It is the second time that the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant, a US Department of State initiative, is being awarded to the Qutb Shahi tombs.

Work on renovation of Chihil Sutun Palace – meaning Forty Columns in English – a cultural heritage from the 19th century, has been completed. The palace was built by Abdur Rahman Khan who was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901.

The palace, that includes a garden and a pavilion, is lying over 60 acres of land in Kabul’s Chihil Sutun area in PD7. It is expected to attract thousands of visitors from Kabul and other provinces of the country.

New Delhi: InterGlobe Foundation and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) Tuesday announced they would collaborate to conserve and restore Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan's tomb in the capital.
Popularly known as Rahim and immortalized through his dohas's or couplets, Rahim was amongst the most important ministers in Akbar's court. He was one of the Navratnas and continued to serve Salim after his accession to the throne as Emperor Jahangir.