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“One of the ways in which Ismailis have expressed their identity wherever they have lived is through their places of prayer, known today as the Jamatkhana. Other Muslim communities give their religious buildings different names: from ribat and zawiyya to khanaqa. And, in addition, there are other places where Muslims of all interpretations can come together, such as non-denominational mosques. What we dedicate today is what we identify as an Ismaili Centre – a building that is focused around our Jamatkhana, but which also includes many secular spaces.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam
Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto
September 12, 2014
Click here to view the source
“One of the ways in which Ismailis have expressed their identity wherever they have lived is through their places of prayer, known today as the Jamatkhana. Other Muslim communities give their religious buildings different names: from ribat and zawiyya to khanaqa. And, in addition, there are other places where Muslims of all interpretations can come together, such as non-denominational mosques. What we dedicate today is what we identify as an Ismaili Centre – a building that is focused around our Jamatkhana, but which also includes many secular spaces.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam, Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, Sept. 12, 2014
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/1288/
“Let me conclude by saying that if I were looking for a single word to sum up my intention and hope for the Aga Khan Museum, it would be the word 'enlightenment'. It is a word which has both cultural and spiritual significance. The history of the thought and the creations of man can perhaps be said to be a long path from one period of enlightenment to another. I would hope that this Museum will contribute to a new period of enlightenment, helping visitors from around the world to rediscover the common symbols that unite us all across the globe, across all civilisations, across time.”
Prince Amyn Aga Khan
Opening Ceremony of the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto
September 12, 2014
Click here to view source
Click here to visit the Aga Khan Museum's website
“Let me conclude by saying that if I were looking for a single word to sum up my intention and hope for the Aga Khan Museum, it would be the word 'enlightenment'. It is a word which has both cultural and spiritual significance. The history of the thought and the creations of man can perhaps be said to be a long path from one period of enlightenment to another. I would hope that this Museum will contribute to a new period of enlightenment, helping visitors from around the world to rediscover the common symbols that unite us all across the globe, across all civilisations, across time.”
Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Opening Ceremony of the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Sept. 12, 2014
Source: www.akdn.org/Content/1290/
Aga Khan Museum website: www.agakhanmuseum.org/
“It is not so often that we have an opportunity of this sort – to come together in a beautiful setting, in a wonderful spirit of friendship, and to dedicate such a splendid architectural accomplishment. As we inaugurate this building, we also have the opportunity to contemplate what it represents: the inspiring traditions of the past, the stirring challenges of the future, and the continuing search for peace through prayer.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam
Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto
September 12, 2014
Click here to view the source
Click here for information on Ismaili Centres
“It is not so often that we have an opportunity of this sort – to come together in a beautiful setting, in a wonderful spirit of friendship, and to dedicate such a splendid architectural accomplishment. As we inaugurate this building, we also have the opportunity to contemplate what it represents: the inspiring traditions of the past, the stirring challenges of the future, and the continuing search for peace through prayer.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam, Opening Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto, Sept. 12, 2014
Source: www.theismaili.org/ismailicentres/centres/speech-mawlana-hazar-imam-opening-ceremony-toronto
Ismaili Centres Website: www.theismaili.org/ismailicentres
“The new Toronto Museum will take as its theme the concept of light — suffusing the building from a central courtyard, through patterned glass screens. From the outside, it will glow by day and by night, lit by the sun and the moon. This use of light speaks to us of the Divine Light of the Creator, reflected in the glow of individual human inspiration and vibrant, transparent community. As the poet Rumi has written: ‘The light that lights the eye is also the light of the heart… but the light that lights the heart is the Light of God.’”
Mawlana Hazar Imam
Foundation Ceremony of The Ismaili Centre, Toronto,
the Aga Khan Museum and their Park
Toronto, Canada
May 28, 2010
Click here to view the source.
Additional Resources:
“The Challenge of Pluralism: Projects in Canada” from Under the Eaves of Architecture by Philip Jodidio. Click here to view.
“The new Toronto Museum will take as its theme the concept of light — suffusing the building from a central courtyard, through patterned glass screens. From the outside, it will glow by day and by night, lit by the sun and the moon. This use of light speaks to us of the Divine Light of the Creator, reflected in the glow of individual human inspiration and vibrant, transparent community. As the poet Rumi has written: ‘The light that lights the eye is also the light of the heart… but the light that lights the heart is the Light of God.’”
Mawlana Hazar Imam, Toronto, May 28, 2010
Source: www.theismaili.org/cms/1010/
Additional Resources
“The Challenge of Pluralism: Projects in Canada” from Under the Eaves of Architecture by Philip Jodidio:
http://archnet.org/system/publications/contents/5239/original/DPC1976.pdf?1384790003
“For many centuries, a prominent feature of the Muslim religious landscape has been the variety of spaces of gathering co-existing harmoniously with the masjid, which in itself has accommodated a range of diverse institutional spaces for educational, social and reflective purposes… The congregational space incorporated within the Ismaili Centre belongs to the historic category of jamatkhana, an institutional category that also serves a number of sister Sunni and Shia communities, in their respective contexts, in many parts of the world. Here, it will be space reserved for traditions and practices specific to the Shia Ismaili Tariqah of Islam.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam, Dubai, December 13, 2003
Source: www.theismaili.org/cms/820/
Additional Resources
“For many centuries, a prominent feature of the Muslim religious landscape has been the variety of spaces of gathering co-existing harmoniously with the masjid, which in itself has accommodated a range of diverse institutional spaces for educational, social and reflective purposes… The congregational space incorporated within the Ismaili Centre belongs to the historic category of jamatkhana, an institutional category that also serves a number of sister Sunni and Shia communities, in their respective contexts, in many parts of the world. Here, it will be space reserved for traditions and practices specific to the Shia Ismaili Tariqah of Islam.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam, Dubai, December 13, 2003
Source: http://www.theismaili.org/cms/820/
Additional Resources
"Muslim Spaces of Piety and Worship" by Karim Jiwani: http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=106346
Gallery: Muslim Spaces of Worship and Gathering: http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=109852
