Alberta Premier Visits the Aga Khan Garden
On Monday, members of the Canadian Jamati and AKDN leadership met with the Honourable Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta, at the Aga Khan Garden, Alberta, to discuss continued collaboration with the Government of Alberta. After a tour of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Premier Kenney reviewed plans for future additions, including an indoor pavilion for year-round programming and a learning dock for students.
The Aga Khan Garden brings to life the principle of pluralism, of which Mawlana Hazar Imam has been a life-long advocate. A gift to the University of Alberta, it celebrates over 40 years of partnership and serves as a symbol of the continued intellectual, educational and cultural collaboration between the University and the AKDN.
The 4.8 hectare Mughal-inspired garden takes inspiration from traditional Islamic landscape design to create a strikingly contemporary space, where people can come together to contemplate, celebrate milestones and learn about nature. The Garden features secluded forest paths, granite and limestone terraces, still pools that reflect the prairie sky, a waterfall that tumbles over textured stone and a fruit orchard extending around the Calla Pond.
The Aga Khan Garden was selected as a preeminent example of Canadian landscape architecture by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), receiving its 2020 Award of Excellence.
During his speech at the inauguration ceremony in 2018, Mawlana Hazar Imam remarked that, "the Garden of Islamic tradition is also a place where the flow of refreshing water reminds us of Divine blessing. It is a place for meditation, and quiet renewal. But I would likewise emphasize that the Garden, throughout history, has also been seen as a social space — a place for learning, for sharing, for romance, for diplomacy, for reflection on the destiny of the human race.”
Take a video tour of the Aga Khan Garden, Alberta.
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Image (from left to right): Council for Prairies President Fauzia Lalani-Khudabux, Council for Canada President Ameerally Kassim-Lakha, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, AKDN Representative to Canada Dr. Mahmoud Eboo, Council for Edmonton President Zahra Somani.
