This lecture focuses on: methods of interventions on existing buildings and urban spaces for the enhancement of their historic significance; relevance of architectural qualities and urban characteristics of Islamic built environments to contemporary design; restoration and adaptive reuse of key buildings in Iran, Qatar and Oman; local architectural characteristics in comparison to high end Islamic architecture.

This lecture focuses on: the evolution of the Islamic world, through historical chronological outlines highlighting locational characteristics and organisational features; the principal architectural and urban elements of the Islamic city in different contexts, including ‘high’ and ‘peripheral’ traditional settlements; the urban context of the traditional settlements of Lahore in Pakistan and Harat Al Mudayrib in Oman. ArCHIAM. “The Great Urban Centres of the Islamic World” Part one of 10 presentations developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2018.

In the autumn semester of 2019, the Department of Architectural Engineering & Environmental Design in AASTMT’s Faculty of Engineering & Technology organized two courses on integrated urban rehabilitation. Both courses drew extensively upon the experience and methodology of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme. The metropolis of Cairo is often characterized by its capability to juxtapose tradition, historicism and modernity, to concoct a blend unique that is this sprawling city; home to over 20 million inhabitants. Nevertheless, questions pertaining to urban design are inherent, and Cairo remains a consistent hot-bed for opportunities toward urban growth and development of the built environment, toward the advancement and sustainability of communities that inhabit this city. The course aimed to understand the different theories, principles, processes, and urban design procedures and enhance students’ practical urban revitalization skills. The course examined the ways that existing cities have spread and been redeveloped. The course included a rich collection of ideas and projects that urban designers were generating internationally, notably the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme.

The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme repertoire of site conservation and socio-economic redevelopment activities follows a trajectory whereby traditional skills, that are directly related to the rehabilitation and conservation of historic monuments, are revived or, if needed, reintroduced. The impact that conservation and restoration of cultural heritage sites has on the development of skills of members of the local community can be profound. It is for that reason that the Programme seeks to undertake projects whose scope of economic benefits far exceeds the short-term creation of employment in the sphere of restoration and related traditional crafts. Indeed, it is with an eye on the direct and indirect employment opportunities that arise from project implementation and future operation of historical sites, that individuals are trained in a wide scale of professions – or in skills upgrading of those already engaged in a particular profession – through Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

Housing for all has been an ongoing concern of every government all over the world. Yet, the fact that there are more than a billion people who are homeless and another billion-plus people who are living in squatter settlements in our cities and towns challenges us, the architects, planners, engineers and social welfare activists to focus our attention on this key human issue. The formal and informal sectors in the housing process are integral to rapid urban and regional development. The Workshop on Community Architecture and Affordable Housing supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and conducted by Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai, India focused on the key issue of housing for all by selecting Indore, the financial hub of Madhya Pradesh, India for a detailed and critical inquiry into the policies, programmes and projects related to housing. Two projects were identified for the study, namely Aranya by Prof. Balkrishna Doshi and Slum Networking in Indore by Engineer Himanshu Parikh, which have been awarded the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) awards. This publication is a result of the Workshop.

The purpose of this lecture is to outline the significant place educational institutions have had throughout the history of the the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Potential explanations for this are articulated and the various and diverse reasons why certain schools were chosen as recipients frame the lecture. From the very first school awarded (the Pondok Pesantren Pabelan in Indonesia), the design and construction of educational facilities within Muslim communities around the world has been a key theme throughout the history of the Award.

These 28 case studies analyse projects that have been short-listed for or received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The five sets of case studies are of projects that are related respectively to education, housing, public urban spaces/ environments, public buildings and natural and built environments. The case studies may be used as part of wider studies of human life, behaviour and actions, and their impacts, across time, place and space, as well as to reflect on ways in which the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development may be realised. Through the case studies, learners are encouraged to connect theoretical learning to the on-the-ground realities and form a deep understanding of their own context and its interconnectedness with the rest of the world. Learners may be thus inspired and empowered, as they engage with real-world projects, to become ethical leaders who achieve positive and sustainable change that can transform our world for the better.