Ismaili Centre

By Author: Ibrahim Machiwala Lodhi
Total Articles: 463
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The Ismaili Centre has great importance in Ismaili society. It serves as a multipurpose place for a faithful. An Ismaili does not enter the Centre for worship only but he also learns a lesson how to lead a life of chastity, contenment, tolerance, fraternity and balance. To promote economic and social development programs and cultural activities, the Ismaili Centre in different parts of the world have been built by the Present Imam, whose detail is given below:- (see other Ismaili centre entries)

Ismaili Centre, Burnaby, Canada:
The Burnaby Jamatkhana in Canada, a tree-lined suburb of Greater Vancouver, is the first Jamatkhana and Centre is a multi-purpose building. It cost over $. 10 million. In July 24, 1982, the Lieutenan-Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable Henry Bell-Irving, in the presence of the Present Imam, the Begum Aga Khan, Mayor Lewarne of Burnaby and other distinguished guests, performed the foundation ceremony.

The building was designed by the well-known Vancouver architect, Bruno Freschi, and was intended to be a blending of contemporary and classical Islamic architecture. An expression ...
... of walls in form and geometry in surface, the building accentuated with the use of natural light and a garden setting. The exterior is clad in sandstone, with an entrance portal of marble and copper domes. The windows are of amber glass. The consistency in the use of stone materials and traditional geometric patterns. The building faces a courtyard with fountains and a landscaped garden. The entire site is surrounded by plantings of London plane and cherry trees, which complements the building and the neighbourhood.

Professional teams involved in the project were: The Foundation Company of Canada (General Contractor); Mr. Duncan Stewart of Duncan Stewart Development Management Inc (Project Consultants); Bogue Babicki & Associates Ltd (Structural Consultants); Keen Engineering Ltd (Mechanical Consultants); WT Haggert & Co Ltd (Electrical Consultants); Mr. Garr Campbell and Torrence-Vagelotos Ltd (Landsscape Consultants); William Lam & Associates (Lighting Consultants); Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc (Acoustical Consultants); and Hanscombs (Costing Consultants).

The focal point of building is the prayer hall, emphasizing its primarily religious function providing facilities for prayer for the Burnaby congregation. The building also serves as the administrative headquarters of the Canadian Ismaili jamat includes a social hall, administrative office, council chamber and classrooms for religious education.

Ismaili Centre, Dubai:
The Present Imam announced the first Ismaili Centre to be built in the Middle East. The Ismaili Centre, Dubai, when completed, will be comparable in scope and standing to existing major centres in London, Vancouver and Lisbon, one underway in Dushanbe and other in advanced planning stages in Toronto. The foundation laying ceremony was performed on Saturday, December 13, 2003 in presence of the Imam, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Deputy Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and President of Department of Civil Aviation representing Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. The Centre, designed by Egyptian architect Rami El Dahana and likely to cost US$18 million, is to be built on 13,200 square metres of land gifted by Crown Prince.

In his speech, the Imam described the Centre as "a symbol of confluence between the spiritual and the secular in Islam." Situating one of the functions of the Ismaili Centre in the tradition of Muslim piety, the Imam noted that, "a prominent feature of the Muslim religious landscape has been the variety of spaces of gathering co-existing harmoniously with the masjid." He continued, "Historically serving communities of different interpretations and spiritual affiliations, these spaces have retained their cultural nomenclatures and characteristics, from rabat and zawiya to khanaqah and jamatkhana."

Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe:
The foundation stone ceremony was performed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on August 30, 2003 in presence of the Imam, President Rahmonov of Tajikistan, the Mayor Ubaidulloev and other distinguished leaders. The Imam launched a landmark cultural center in Dushanbe, marking a milestone in the 1300-year history of the jamat in Central Asia. The landscaped complex that will initiate a revitalization of cultural, educational and contemplative space and urban regeneration in Dushanbe, will also be the first permanent place of gathering and organization for the jamat of Central Asia.

Within an environment carefully designed to evoke the natural beauty of this region, the Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe will embody and articulate in a physical form, an architectural vocabulary that is quintessentially Central Asian, deeply rooted in Islamic traditions of intellectual search, of spirituality, of compassion, of generosity and of a shared understanding of pluralism. The prestigious site of 25,500 square meters is situated in the center of the city. Collaboration between and amongst architectural, engineering, landscaping and construction specialists from Tajikistan and Canada as well as consultative input from experts based in South Asia, Africa, the Near East and the Gulf will enrich the international dimension of this project. FDNA Architecture, Inc., which has taken a lead role in the planning and interior design, has to its credit, major cultural complexes, educational institutions and tourism development properties across North America, in Pakistan and in East Africa. Farouk Noormohamed, a principal with the firm, already has to his credit a number of Jamatkhana projects in North America. A range of multipurpose areas within the complex will include indoor and outdoor recreational and leisure space, facilities for exhibitions, lectures, the performing arts and musical recitals, as well as classrooms and meeting rooms and designated areas for contemplation and prayer.

Besides, the Ismaili Centre is under construction in Ottawa too.

Ismaili Centre, Houston:
It was inaugurated in Houston, United State on June 23, 2003 in presence of the Imam, Governor Perry, Anita Perry, the First Lady of Texas, Mayor Wallace, leaders and representatives of the Congress of USA, the State of Texas and the city of Houston, Consuls General and distinguished guests. Its design architect was the ARCOP Group of Montreal, Canada, the General Contractor for the project, Durotech of Houston. Its senior design architect however was Mr. Ramesh Khosla of New Delhi.

Ismaili Centre, Lisbon:
It was opened a $. 30 million Ismaili Centre in Lisbon on July 11, 1998 in presence of the Present Imam and the Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio. An 18,000 square meter complex of building and courtyards is set amidst a landscaped park off busy thoroughfares on the edge of central Lisbon. The edifice, which combines Islamic and Iberian architecture styles and is decorated with hand-painted tiles, has a prayer hall , classrooms, conference rooms and exhibition spaces. The Indian architect Raj Rewal and Frederico Valsassina of Lisbon have incorporated into the design of the Centre, a Manueline inspiration from Jeronimos Monastery and a diversity of Islamic architectural influences from Andalusia to Persia and Mughal India to Turkey. Domes are suspended on pre-stressed cables, whilst granite and steel in geometric trellises recall Islamic decorative forms but also provide structural support. Fountains and gardens of indigenous flora unite to furnish a refreshing environment, which reflects a profound Muslim concern.

One day before the inauguration, the Imam sent special message to the world Ismaili community, in which he said, "On Imamate Day 1998 another happy event will take place which is the formal inauguration of the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, Portugal, by the Excellency the President of the Republic of Portugal, also among with the Ismaili Centres in London and Burnaby, Canada, this Centre in Lisbon will stand as a major edifice in the system of buildings, places and spaces for the use of my jamat worldwide. It is my hope and wish that the Lisbon Centre, like those in London and Burnaby, will be a proud and elegant symbol of our tariqah and will also contribute to desirable dialogue between different cultures and civilizations."

Ismaili Centre, London:
In 1951, a religious, cultural and social center was established by the Ismaili jamat at Kensington Court, and in 1957 was moved to Palace Gate in the Borough of Kensington. In order to meet the increased needs of a growing community, the majority of whom had settled in or around London, a site for a new center was identified in 1971 at Albany Street in the London Borough of Camden. Architects were commissioned to prepare a submission for presentation to the local authorities. This submission was later withdrawn when planning agreement could not be reached with Camden and the present island site on the Cromwell Road was acquired. Plans for this site, reflecting the Ismaili community's requirements for a place of worship as well as a place of gathering, were submitted in tender to the Greater London Council. Final allocation of the site was adjudged on the basis of appropriateness of use, quality of design and price tendered.

Lord Soames, the President of the Council in the presence of the Present Imam performed the foundation stone ceremony on September 6, 1979. The construction on the site began on July 7, 1980.

The architects, the Casson Conder Partnership, were presented with an unusual design brief. The new building had to make available a substantial amount of space for use by the jamat itself as well as by others. Space was required for the religious education, senior citizen, youth and other institutional activities, such as committee meetings, seminars and receptions. In addition, the design had to meet the desire for the inclusion of a substantial public exhibition gallery. This gallery, the Zamana Gallery is managed by the Aga Khan Foundation, a non-profit international philanthropic agency, which owns most of the community's social development institutions.

The Ismaili Centre is opposite the Museum of National History and the Victoria and Albert Museum, presenting a variety of imposing and elaborately modeled facades, very different from each other in terracotta, brick and stone. Its exterior site has used material and colours which are compatible with those of the surrounding buildings while at the same time in keeping with the traditional Islamic idiom and its colours of white, light greys and blues.

In addition to the main prayer hall, there is a minor prayer hall and a group of classrooms for the religious education. It also contains a multi-purpose social hall, two committee rooms, a council chamber and a reading room, as well as administrative and other offices. The main prayer hall is situated on the second floor, where the building stretches to the limits of the site; it ends a progression through generously designed foyers and staircases, including a long concourse at the approach to the prayer hall itself. At the first floor level, the social hall opens off the main stair landing, so that most of the floor area, from one end of the building to the other, can be used as one space for receptions and audience events. Plans for the ground floor level of the building were conditioned by the need to encourage gradual dispersal to avoid crowd surges on to the pavement and, in the other direction, to absorb visitors quickly into the building upon arrival. Thus, the new entrance tunnel to South Kensington Underground Station, the widened pavements outside the deeply recessed entrances, and the generous outer hall are all planned to minimize the impact on the public pavement at peak periods. The usual roof garden has been designed by Sasaki Associates, with additional advice from the landscape architect, the Lanning Roper. The sight and sound of running water, the play of light and shade, the array of colourful plantings and the integration of the interior and exterior spaces reflect Islamic precedent and add to those aspects of the building which subtly draw from the traditions of a faith, Traditional elements of Islamic interior decor have been the inspiration for many details of the Ismaili Centre. It intended to create the characteristic at atmosphere, the intimacy, the sounds and the play of light usually associated with interiors of Islamic buildings.