For many Ismailis, the Jamatkhana is a hub of communal life. It is where children are introduced to the values of Islam through volunteerism, caring for others, and engaged conversation. It is often the place in which our spiritual lives blossom and where lifelong friendships are formed. It is where our loneliness finds company and a space of solace and somewhere that anchors us. It is where we pray, where we learn, and where we meet.

The Jamatkhana is also a space where architecture, design, and community values come together. It is a space that has evolved to meet the changing needs of communal life and it is where the built environment, the world of the spirit, and the natural world fuse in novel and beautiful ways.

For more than 50 years, the Ismaili Jamat in Canada has centered itself around this space. What has the Jamatkhana meant for you?

Jamatkhanas in Canada: Architecture, Identity, Community, is a special photographic exhibition displayed at Calgary Headquarters Jamatkhana from July 5 - 15, 2024, and Calgary Northwest Jamatkhana from July 19 to August 2, 2024.