Please click on image for a report of the RAIC Gold award ceremony on November 27, 2013 in Ottawa, Canada.
His Highness the Aga Khan Receives RAIC’s 2013 Gold Medal for his Significant Contribution to Canadian Architecture
Author Archives: Malik Merchant, Editor
360° Panorama Photos of His Highness the Aga Khan’s Delegation Building
Introduced by Malik Merchant
Publisher-Editor, Simerg and Simergphotos
Born in Woking, United Kingdom, Martin Bloomfield is a designer photographer and an expert in 3D animation. He has travelled the world over, and now lives with his family in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Before leaving for Africa in 2012, Bloomfield spent some time in Ottawa where he took a series of powerful and stunning panoramic and 360° views of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building.
His set of five panoramic photos of the Delegation Building along with their incredible 360° views are featured at 360cities and we are pleased to offer the links below, with permission from Steve Hercher.
A couple of notes: Once you are taken to 360Cities from below, you may then do the following (4 or 5 being the highlight):
(1) Click on HIDE CONTROLS to view a clear picture;
(2) Click on FULL SCREEN MODE to see your entire screen filled with the photo (ESC to get out);
(3) When all CONTROLS are displayed, use the magnifying feature (+ or -) for close-ups; and MOST IMPORTANT
(4) Use your mouse (or finger as applicable for the device) to rotate the photo in any direction by using the compass above the magnifying option. This outstanding and superb feature will provide you with an enriching experience of the building and its architecture. You may also use the magnifying option in conjunction with the 360° rotating compass ball for yet another perspective OR
(5) As an alternative to (4) you may Left click on your mouse and drag it in the direction you want to move.
The 360Cities website has stunning photographs from all around the world taken by Bloomfield and many others like him. Also during your visit to 360Cities please learn more about panoramic picture-taking by clicking on their informative links such as How to and so on.
An Enthralling Visit to the Ismaili Imamat’s
Delegation Building in Ottawa
(Please click on images for panoramas)
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Exterior 1
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Exterior 2
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Exterior 3
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Interior 1
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat – Interior 2
Date posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013.
Also click on our most recent post Photo Essay: Celebrating Sussex Drive, His Highness the Aga Khan and, Five Years on, the Crystalline Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building
Note: This piece is repeated at www.simergphotos.com
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Photo Essay: Celebrating Sussex Drive, His Highness the Aga Khan and the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building
Sussex Drive with some other connecting streets in Canada’s National Capital Region, makes up what is known as the Confederation Boulevard or the “ceremonial and discovery route”. Some of Canada’s most important institutions and landmarks including the residences of the Governor General and the Prime Minister are on Sussex Drive.
Please click on image to read photo essay
The newest addition is the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat Building which was opened by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on December 6, 2008 in the presence of the 49th Ismaili Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan. The photo essay provides a comprehensive overview of Sussex Drive. You will find out exactly where the Delegation Building is located and how it impacts the architectural landscape of Ottawa with its magnificent glass dome.
Photo Essay: John F. Kennedy – the 35th President of the United States of America
A TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas.
Kennedy was the youngest man elected President; he was the youngest to die. On the 50th anniversary of the death of the beloved President, Simergphotos presents a unique collection of photos from his Presidential Library.
Please click: Photo Essay: Remembering President John F. Kennedy
(May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)
22 November, 1963: President Kennedy reaches out to the crowd gathered at the Hotel Texas Parking Lot Rally in Fort Worth, TX. Photo credit: Cecil Stoughton/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. Please click on image for article and more photos.
Ismaili Propagation in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent Before the Advent of the Ginanic Da’wah by Bashir Fazal Ladha
ISMAILI HISTORY
“The earliest contact of Isma’ili da’wah with the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent was well before the Fatimid empire was established. It began with the establishment of the Isma’ili principality in Yaman (Yemen) in the year 268 AH/881 CE by da’is Ibn Hawshab and Ali bin Fadl. From Yaman, da’i Ibn Hawshab sent his nephew da’i al-Haytham to Sind in the year 270 AH/883 CE….”
PLEASE CLICK: Ismaili Propagation Before the Advent of the Ginanic Da’wah
Shaded in green, the Fatimid Caliphate at its height. Yaman (Yemen) is shown by blue arrows. The Ismaili da’wah into India originated in Yaman, when the Fatimid Empire was not yet established. Click on map for article.
Photo Essay: Chitral By Badrudin Kurwa
“The people everywhere were humble, friendly and welcoming. If you greeted them “Ya Ali Madad” they broke out in a big smile and hugged you. At the Jamatkhana in Shogore (and Booni) people could tell I was not a local, and they came one by one and met me without hesitation…”
Please click: Photo Essay: Chitral Through the Lens of an Eye Surgeon
Imamat Day Flag Raising Ceremony in Chitral. Please click on image for photo essay.
The Muslim Calendar, Muharram and Muslim and Non-Muslim Expressions on Imam Hussein (a.s.) and the Karbala Tragedy
Please click: Muslim and non-Muslim Expressions on Imam Hussein (a.s.)
This image of an oil on canvas painting by Abbas Al-Musavi commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein at the Battle of Karbala. Its focus is his half-brother Abbas ibn Ali on a white horse. This image was uploaded into Wikipedia Commons as a donation by the Brooklyn Museum and is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The painting is a gift of K. Thomas Elghanayan in honor of Nourollah Elghanayan. Please click on image for article on Imam Hussain.
The emigration (Hijrah) of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 AC was a significant event and later adopted to mark the beginning of the Muslim Era. The Muslim New Year begins with the month of Muharram. The coming of the New Year is observed by offering of special prayers at night and reflection on the life and times of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
The twelve months of the Muslim calendar and major Muslim festivals. Image by Simerg.
Amongst the Shi’a Muslims, the first part of the month of Muharram is also an occasion which is marked with a sense of sorrow and solemnity. The 10th of Muharram was the day when Hazrat Imam Hussein (a.s.) together with most of the members of his family and close companions were martyred on the fields of Karbala….Please click Muslim and non-Muslim Expressions on Imam Hussein
Ya Hussain Wallpaper, designed by Mohammad Sajjad.
Please click for article. Wallpaper credit: Sajjadsgraphics.blogspot.com
The Story of an Ismaili Farmer Who Has Served the Mahuva Jamat All His Life by Salman Bheriyani
“The jamatbhai…was blind and for ‘wudu’ he used to draw water from a nearby well. Gulamhusen made sure that he was there to help the jamatbhai in the daily ritual. Through acts such as this, Gulamhusen began to serve the jamat of the town”….Read More
Long serving Ismaili, 77-year-old farmer Gulamhusen Alibhai Jamani of Mahuva, India, with a medal that was presented to him to recognise volunteers. Please click on image for story.
Simerg’s Volunteer Series (previous stories):
- His Highness the Aga Khan’s Visit to India: For His Ismaili Followers and Volunteers, “A Dream Come True” and “An Experience of Being Lifted Away to Another World”
- Stories of Ismaili Volunteers: An Eye Surgeon’s Courageous Journey to Chitral for His Nazrana of Time and Knowledge to Mawlana Hazar Imam
- The Spirit of the Ismaili Volunteers at an Extraordinary Place
- Volunteers, the Unsung Heroes of the World-Class 2008 Ismaili Golden Jubilee Games Celebrating the 50th Imamat Anniversary of His Highness the Aga Khan
- Rajabali Mecklai, 85, Serves the Vancouver Ismailis and Community at Large with Dedication and Distinction
We invite contributions for the series. Please click STORIES OF ISMAILI VOLUNTEERS.
His Highness the Aga Khan III: Historic First Landings in East Africa in 1899 and the USA in 1906
The Old Boma where His Highness the Aga Khan was received with great honours by the Chief of the District, Surgeon-Major Gaertner, and all the Europeans, among them the author of the article. Please click on image to read accounts of both the East Africa and USA visits.
“….The enthusiasm and veneration for His Highness at his arrival [in Bagamoyo] as well as during his whole stay was tremendous and will linger in the memories of all who, like me, had the honour to be present” — Otto Mahnke…Read More
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Clip of page from the Washington Herald dated January 27, 1907 containing article on His Highness the Aga Khan. Please click on image to read accounts of both USA and East Africa visits.
“The Pope and the Dalai Lama of Tibet are great spiritual chiefs, but in them the principle of inheritance is absent” — The Washington Herald, 1907…Read More
Unique Moments from the Extraordinary Life of His Highness the Aga Khan III – the Beloved 48th Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims
“On 2nd November, 1877 my beloved grandfather was born here in Karachi. Through 72 years of Imamat, he guided his spiritual children to happiness and prosperity….Many many memories come to our minds as we think of him. He achieved in his life, for our community that which could only have been accomplished normally in a period of many generations. The tributes that the world has paid him bear honest testimony to his great life and work” — His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, 49th Ismaili Imam
The 48th Ismaili Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan (1877 – 1957), seated on a wheelchair with members of his family with his successor, the present Imam, Prince Karim Aga Khan, standing at extreme right. Others in the photo (l to r), grandson Prince Amyn Muhammad , and the 48th Imam’s two sons, the late Prince Sadruddin and Prince Aly Khan who is seen holding his daughter Princes Yasmin Aga Khan. Photo: Zul Khoja Collection, Ottawa.
November 2, 2014 marks the 137th birth anniversary of the 48th Ismaili Imam, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan III. Born in Karachi in 1877, he assumed the reign of Imamat at the age of seven, and ruled the Ismailis for 72 years, becoming the community’s longest-serving Imam. He passed away on July 11, 1957, and willed that the mantle of Imamat should pass to his grandson, the present 49th Imam, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.
We are pleased to provide our readers with links to diverse articles, stories and photo essays related to the beloved 48th Imam, who has been described in one of the pieces as the Imam of the Socio-Economic Revolution. Please click on the following selections:
BIOGRAPHY, DECORATIONS, IMAM’S WRITINGS AND TRIBUTES
His Highness the Aga Khan III, 48th Imam of Shia Imami Ismailis, in full regalia. Photo: Jehangir Merchant Collection.
1. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah – An Astonishing and Extraordinary Personality
2. Literary Reading: Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III – Successor and a Son Reflect on Accomplishments of the 48th Ismaili Imam
4. Literary Reading: Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III – The Road to Happiness and The Concept of Life
5. “Work No Words” by His Highness the Aga Khan, and Other Rare Ismaili Historical Quotes on Service
7. Literary Reading: Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III – Long Reign Ends
8. Literary Reading: Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III: The Face of Imamat
9. The Memoirs of Aga Khan – World Enough and Time: A Translator’s Voice
ANECDOTES
The late Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III pictured with Badrudin Adatia. Recalls Adatia: “I wanted to take picture of him with us and I asked his permission. The room was dim, however, and I didn’t have a flash on my camera. Although he was very sick and could not even walk, he told me he would head toward the window where there would be better light. Imagine! I clasped my hands with respect and said, “No Khudavind. I will take the picture just as we are.” Photo: Badrudin Adatia collection.
10. I Wish I’d Been There: A Unique Moment in the Life of the Punjab Jamat
11. Yakimour 1954: A Golden Moment for an Aspiring Student – An Audience with the 48th Ismaili Imam, Aga Khan
13. On Meeting the Noorani Family – My Voyage to Europe
14. An Ismaili Youth’s Rare Moment With Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah
EXTRA ORDINARY VISITS AND THE JUBILEES
His Highness the Aga Khan at a reception by the Ismaili community in South Africa.
15. Lakhpaty’s Intriguing Poster for 48th Ismaili Imam’s Diamond Jubilee Shows Artistic Ingenuity
19. When His Highness the Aga Khan III First Visited East Africa and the USA
DEDICATION TO ISLAM AND THE MUSLIM WORLD
A group comprising doctors, health and public officials gathered on a street in Bombay about to begin the day’s work, during an outbreak of plague. Photo Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Copyright.
Date post updated: Saturday, November 1, 2014.
