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

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.

NEW DELHI: Malaysia plans to use the archaeological conservation expertise of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in efforts to preserve the country’s heritage sites, says Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik.
Muhammad Bakhtiar said he was highly impressed with the work carried out by the organisation in Hyderabad and Delhi.
“We are looking at the model they are using to carry out the conservation work. Possibly, we will invite them over to help us revive our Unesco sites,” Bakhtiar told Bernama.

CAIRO – 23 January 2019: Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani convened with the director of the Aga Khan Cultural Services Foundation in the Ministry of Antiquities' headquarters on Jan. 22 to discuss means of cooperation in the development of Cairo’s historical districts.

The meeting was attended by Assistant Minister of Antiquities for Technical Affairs Mustafa Amin, and Sherif Arian, CEO of Agha Khan Cultural Services Company - Egypt.

Hyderabad: A search for Hakims’ tombs in Google will take you to a monument in Pakistan! However, the little less known fact is that there are two such tombs in the heart of Hyderabad, located within the seven tombs complex.
The restoration work on Hakims’ tombs being done by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is nearing completion and is expected to be thrown open for visitors soon, said Ganesh Reddy, Manager Operations for AKTC.

GEORGE TOWN, Dec 21 — The Penang government renewed its collaboration with Think City and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture for another three years to complete key public realm improvement projects in the heritage zone.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the three partners agreed to the extension with the aim of completing the North Seafront conservation works at Fort Cornwallis and the establishment of a Maritime Museum in the Syed Alatas Mansion.

THE AGA KHAN VISITS THE RECENTLY RESTORED BALTIT FORT IN THE HIMALAYAS 1996-01-01

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.

Prince Karim will celebrate his diamond jubilee as the Aga Khan this July. From the beginning of his time as Imam, he has been quietly supporting humanitarian and environmental work throughout Africa.

"We can say with conviction that Africa's moment has come." With this the Aga Khan brought a 2016 keynote address to a culmination. While he commended the continent's resilience, economic progress and a widening acceptance of diversity, it was this one sentence that summed up his optimism about the continent.

Hyderabad: The Aga Khan Trust for Culture in collaboration with the State government and Tata Trust has completed conservation works on 25 monuments and landscape restoration over a 20 acres zone at Qutb Shahi Heritage Park.

The restoration initiative had master-craftsmen clocking 1,50,000 man-days of work to restore structural stability and grandeur of the monuments, a press release from Aga Khan Trust said.