Global Ismaili Muslim Artists to be Featured in New Print Magazine to be Launched by UK Based Artany Art Gallery in December 2023; Deadline for Submission is October 12

9 September 2023

UPDATE, September 9, 2023: This is an update to a post featuring UK based Ismaili Muslim artist Taniya Dharani who has created a special platform to support the Ismaili Artist Community around the world through Artany Art Gallery and Advisory (AAGA). Readers can view Taniy’as beautiful artwork as well as learn about her motivation and purpose for establishing AAGA below, after this special announcement about the launch of a new print magazine.

Established and Emerging Ismaili Artists: Submit Your Details to be Included in New Print Magazine

In her latest venture, Taniya Dharani is launching a special quarterly print magazine in collaboration with Ismaili Artist Alliance, led by Shakeel Bhamani, and Ismaili Artists Worldwide, led by Rubina Rajan, to support the global emerging and established Ismaili artists. The first issue will be printed on December 12, 2023 and will feature a special section on Global Ismaili Artists. Artists are advised to submit their details no later than October 12 by clicking on Magazine Registration.

Taniya is passionate about Ismaili artists and seeks to promote their artworks in an international context and bringing their artworks to the international art market. The Ismaili Muslim community is culturally diverse and the artists are globally dispersed. She works with artists and team members from international backgrounds such as China, USA, India, Canada, Uganda, and Pakistan, among other countries. The commercial aspect of Artany has facilitated sponsoring artists from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria and other countries. Through Artany, Taniya also offers strategic mentorship to emerging artists to enhance and encourage their creativity.

With the deadline for the print edition fast approaching, Taniya is requesting all Ismaili artists to contact her by clicking on Contact – ARTANY or submitting their details at Magazine Registration.

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Taniya Dharani Creates an Inspirational Platform for Ismaili as Well as Emerging Global Artists from Around the World

“Supporting the Ismaili Artist Community is enormously valuable to me. I wanted to create a platform that I wish I had when I was an aspiring artist…Students in high school and college who are interested in the arts can also apply for internships at Artany within the department of graphic design, marketing, content creation, website management, and business development. In order to provide internships, we have now collaborated with the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad” — Taniya Dharani, Founder, Artany Art Gallery and Advisory

Taniya Dharani, founder Artany Art Gallery and Advisory. Ismaili artistic expressions, Simerg, Insights from Around the world — *Taniya Dharani, founder of Artany Art Gallery and Advisory.*

By ARTANY ART GALLERY AND ADVISORY
(Special to Simerg)

“Supporting the Ismaili Artist Community is enormously valuable to me. I wanted to create a platform that I wish I had when I was an aspiring artist,” says Taniya Dharani, founder of Artany Art Gallery and Advisory (AAGA).

A digital gallery space and art consultancy, AAGA focuses on emerging Ismaili artists with a global audience and specializes in contemporary art. The artistic narratives and skills of up-and-coming artists from various multicultural origins are artistically rendered by Artany. Along with supporting the Ismaili artistic community, we mentor them and aim to elucidate their work on a global scale.

How did she find her way into the artistic world?

Taniya explains: “Without the support of their family, friends, and loved ones, I don’t believe anyone can become a practicing professional artist. I consider myself fortunate to have a family who supports what I do, has faith in my artistic and entrepreneurial approach, and is very understanding of my development.”

Having thus found a way to build a solid platform, AAGA now seeks to encourage both the global emerging artist community and the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.

Taniya obtained a Master’s degree in Art Business from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London with an emphasis on establishing a platform for commercial as well as aesthetic promotion, encouragement, and instruction of up-and-coming artists. Having come from a diverse and cosmopolitan background, Taniya seeks to use her vast knowledge and professional experience to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western cultures. She is able to interact effectively and appropriately with a wide range of stakeholders due to her bilingual skills and understanding of both Far Eastern and Western cultures, including those of India, Namibia, and England.

Aga Khan by Taniya Dharani, Ismaili artistic expressions simerg insights from around the world — *Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, by Taniya Dharani, UK. Credit: Artany Art Gallery and Advisory*.

Taniya grew aware of the necessity for a mentor and a platform for the encouragement of artists. After identifying a market gap, she made the decision to further her education by enrolling in the “Fundamentals of the Gallery Business” programme at the Sotheby’s Institute in Manhattan, New York, followed by a Masters in Art Business from the same Institute in London, England.

Her goal and objective is to make sure Artany’s team is in tune with both the contemporary and diverse Ismaili community and the larger world of artists.

Taniya Dharani, Ismaili artistic expressions simerg insights from around the world — *Portrait by Taniya Dharani, UK. Credit: Artany Art Gallery and Advisory*.

Today, Artany offers a portfolio of art investment collections that include original works by Ismail Gulgee, limited-edition “Ashtavinayak” serigraphs by Maqbool Fida Husain, and authentic Vaikuntham Thota.

The gallery continues to expand with works by Aquil Virani of Toronto, up-and-coming artists Zainab Khuwaja and Nizar Macojia from Texas, Dr. Mubarak Muhammad Ali from Pakistan, and Rukshana Hooda from India, to name a few. Their artistic styles of Islamic calligraphy, Sufi art, geometric patterns, realism, and contemporary are just a few of the several artistic genres they work in.

Ismaili artistic expressions simerg, insights from around the world — *Painting by Rukshana Hooda, India.* *Credit: Artany Art Gallery and Advisory*.

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Ismaili artistic expressions simerg, pakistani decorated bus, insights from around the world — *Painting by Dr. Mubarak Muhammad Ali, Pakistan.* *Credit: Artany Art Gallery and Advisory*.

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Nizar Macojia, Texas, USA, Ismaili artists, Simerg, insights from around the world — *Nizar Macojia, Texas, USA.* *Credit: Artany Art Gallery and Advisory*.

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Aquil Virani, Ismaili artists and designer, artistic expressions, Simerg Insights from around the world — *Aquil Virani, Toronto.* *Credit: Artany Art Gallery and Advisory*.

Students in high school and college who are interested in the arts can also apply for internships within Artany in the departments of graphic design, marketing, content creation, website management, and business development. In order to provide internships, we have now collaborated with the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad. We encourage Ismaili artists at all levels and of all ages to collaborate with Artany by either contacting Taniya Dharani or registering as an artist.

Date posted: January 24, 2023.
Last updated: September 9, 2023.

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Taniya Dharani is founder of Artany Art Gallery and Advisory, Ismaili artistic expressions, Simerg Insights from Around the world — *Taniya Dharani*

Taniya Dharani is founder of Artany Art Gallery and Advisory. She has worked as a contemporary artist, curator, and mentor for up-and-coming artists. She is a member of the associate team for the International Art Gallery at Global Encounters and is presently studying at the Bares Atelier in London to become a traditional classical realist artist. You can collaborate or sign up as an Artany artist, by clicking HERE. Please also visit Artany’s Gallery on Instagram.

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REVIEW SIMERG’S TABLE OF CONTENTS AND VISIT ITS SISTER WEBSITES

Before departing this website, please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought-provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos. The editor may be reached via email at mmerchant@simerg.com.

BBC Travel: The Karakoram Highway that Runs Through Pakistan’s Hunza Valley is Often Coined the Eighth World Wonder

4 September 2023

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The Karakoram Highway (KKH) cuts through some of the most astounding rock faces on the planet. Often coined the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, it’s a road trip of dreams, yet few have ever heard of it, or how it came to be. The highway stretches for 1,300 km from Pakistan to China, but Samantha Shea was particularly drawn to the 194km stretch of the highway that runs through the Hunza Valley, a region surrounded by the Karakoram Mountains that give the highway its name.

She writes in her excellent BBC Travel piece, Pakistan’s Epic Road Trip of Dreams:

“This impossibly beautiful section is where you can see pristine glaciers, alpine lakes and snow-capped peaks right from the comfort of your ride. However, as alluring as the journey is, it’s the incredible people and traditions of the Hunza Valley that make this part of the highway so special….Hunza is known for being the most liberal region, in part due to the predominance of Ismailism, a moderate sect of Islam known for promoting tolerance and women’s rights. Education and sports are encouraged for girls, and many go on to study at university and beyond.” READ MORE ON BBC TRAVEL

As an extension to Samantha Shea’s BBC piece on the Karakoram Highway and especially with regard to her comment about the Ismaili culture in Hunza, we invite our readers to read Ali Karim’s superb photo essay Ismailis of remote Northern Hunza rise high above the tallest peaks, and set a lasting example for us to follow which appeared in Simerg Photos in 2016.

Featured image at top of post: The mighty Karakoram Highway snaking along the valley in upper Hunza. The famous highway starts in Kashgar in Xinjiang, China, and runs 1,300 kms to Abbottabad in Pakistan before an extension of the highway southwest from Abbottabad meets the Grand Trunk Road Hasan Abdal, which is about 40 kms from Rawalpindi. Photograph: © Ali Karim/Simergphotos.

Date posted: September 4, 2023.

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Passings: A Loving Tribute to Azhar Chaudhry, Former Chief Photographer of the Daily Nation; Azhar Published Wonderful Pictorial Souvenirs of the Aga Khan’s Visits to Kenya in 1976 and 1981

31 August 2023

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Featured photo at top of post: Former Daily Nation chief photographer Azhar Chaudhry (d. November 2020, aged 75) looks on as His Highness the Aga Khan signs a copy of a special souvenir publication entitled “Smiling Safari” that Azhar published in 1976 to commemorate the 49th Ismaili Imam’s visit to Kenya in the same year. Photograph: Azhar Chaudhry Family Collection. See same image in black and white below, that includes the Aga Khan’s inscription in the souvenir.

By FAISAL (FAS) NADEEM

In the early hours of November 1, 2020, my beloved uncle Azhar Chaudhry lost his battle to live and I lost one of my heroes.

Azhar was only two years old in 1947 at the time of Indo-Pak partition and his family migrated from Indian Punjab to Pakistan’s rich farmlands of South Punjab. Soon after, his father took them to Kenya as he had found work on the railways.

In his early 20’s, Azhar had to go through a personal tragedy when due to some medical complications one of his legs was amputated. But he never had this get him down as he narrates his own story in Zarina Patel’s book “The In-between World of Kenya’s Media: South Asian Journalism, 1900-1992,” a limited edition of which was published in 2016.

Azhar was a self-made man through and through. He started his professional life as an apprentice with the Kenyan newspaper, The Standard, working as a Lino Operator and trained to become a professional photographer at the London School of Arts. From 1963 he worked for The Daily Nation and later on became their Chief Photographer and Picture Editor. His love and passion for photography remained in his DNA for the rest of his life and Azhar contributed to many important publications. In 1969, Azhar’s published his first book “Jomo Kenyatta: A man and his people”.

Being a keen traveler, shooter, safari enthusiast and photographer was a combination that opened several high-profile avenues for him. He travelled with former Kenyan President Moi and also with the Aga Khan, the founder of the Nation Group of newspapers, and documented the Aga Khan’s travels to Kenya through two special souvenir issues — Smiling Safari published in 1976 and Family Safari published in 1981.

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Smiling Safari by Azhar Chaudhry — *Cover page of “Smiling Safari — H.H. The Aga Khan on Tour,” photos by Azhar Chaudhry and text by Kul Bhushan, published by Azhar Chaudhry, 1976, 80 pp.; out of print.*

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Aga Khan Family Safari by Azhar Chaudhry — *Cover page “Family Safari — H.H. The Aga Khan on Kenya Tour,” pictures by Azhar Chaudhry, published by Azhar Chaudhry, 1981, 108 pp., out of print.*

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Aga Khan's inscroption in the smiling safari by Azhar Chaudhry, Daily Nation photographer — This black and white image appears in Azhar Chaudhry’s Family Safari, his second pictorial souvenir which commemorated the Aga Khan visit to Kenya in 1981. The Aga Khan’s signed inscription in the book reads “With every warm wish and admiration for such wonderful work. Aga Khan.”

Azhar Chaudhry also graciously permitted Simerg and its sister blogs to reproduce a collection of his memorable photographs of the Aga Khan that were in the possession of his former colleague at the Daily Nation, the Late Sultan Jessa of Montreal. Please view the photographs by clicking on Azhar Chaudhry’s Photographs of His Highness the Aga Khan from the Collection of Veteran Ismaili Journalist Sultan Jessa (a version of the post was published earlier in Simergphotos.)

His Highness the Aga Khan visits a young patient at the Nairobi Aga Khan Platinum Jubilee Hospital during his visit to Kenya. Photo: Azhar Chaudhry. — *His Highness the Aga Khan visits a young patient at the Nairobi Aga Khan Platinum Jubilee Hospital during his visit to Kenya in 1976. Photo: ©* *Azhar Chaudhry. Please click on image or Barakah for a memorable collection of photos by Azhar Chaudhry*.

Azhar was a keen rifle shooter and represented Kenya’s shooting team at various world shooting events. He was part of the overseas teams that took part at the international shooting events of 1986 and 1990 at The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom (Bisley, Surrey).

A man of many talents, Azhar had developed his love for cooking into passion and from early 1990’s Azhar had become a full-time restaurateur. He successfully ran the famous Nairobi restaurant renowned for its steaks ‘The Professional’. Located in the heart of Nairobi and just opposite the Kenyan Parliament Buildings, this famous joint was based in the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. He ran this restaurant for a decade or so.

Azhar was a colorful man in his personal life too, and for various reasons he got married about 4 times but was never able to settle in a long-term marriage. During the first decade of the 2000, when Azhar was in his 4th marriage, he left Kenya and settled with his wife and two boys Ayman and Areeb in Nelspruit, South Africa. His first venture here was to run a butcher’s shop furthering his culinary skills. By 2005 he was keeping the family in Nelspruit and had moved himself to Johannesburg.

This is the time when I had planned to do an extensive family holiday in South Africa with visits to places such as Cape Town Peninsula, Robyn Island, Nelsprut, Kruger Safari Park, Johannesburg and Sun City. During this trip, we had the pleasure of spending time with his family in Nelspruit and then visited him at his newly opened Pakistani restaurant Dawat. I must say it was one of the best restaurants that I experienced in South Africa; it not only specialised in Pakistani cuisine but also served Chinese, Thai and Continental dishes including his famous steaks. Over the years many celebrities visited the famed Dawat which was located in Fordsberg (Johannesburg). Subsequently, he opened a branch in Cape Town as well. He sold both these restaurants to settle into his retirement days.

I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with Azhar in Pakistan during 2015 when he was accompanying his friend from South Africa, the world-renowned orthopaedic specialist Professor Charles Lautenbach who was in Lahore to deliver his research paper at a Conference. Professor Lautenbach had designed a procedure for treating bone infections, which he researched and continued to refine over the span of his medical career. He also trained a number of doctors from around the world in what became known as the ‘Lautenbach technique’. It was a pleasure to accompany Azhar and the Professor to a few private dinners. I was lucky enough to meet Azhar again for the last time in 2017 when he came to Lahore for dental treatment.

He then re-organised his personal life and settled in Port Alfred with his elder son Ayman who was completing his commercial pilot training there. I last spoke with Azhar on Aug 29, 2020, after he and Ayman had moved to their new place in Port Alfred by the river.

Sadly, during the last week of October 2020, when visiting his younger son Areeb in Cape Town, he felt poorly and had to be taken to the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 and never recovered from this episode and passed away during the early hours of November 1, 2020. Azhar’s last resting place is at Grassy Park Cemetery, Cape Town.

Rest in Peace Azhar. You will always be my hero. Your family — the Chaudhry clan — and your friends all over the globe will miss you dearly.

Date posted: August 31, 2023.
Last updated: September 1, 2023 (link updates.)

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As Chief Photographer of the Daily Nation for many years, Azhar Chaudhry was well-known by readers of the Daily Nation and widely respected by his colleagues in the East African media. Of course, many know him through his popular restaurants in Nairobi and South Africa. We invite our readers to submit their personal tributes and fond memories of Azhar Chaudhry by clicking on LEAVE A COMMENT.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Faisal Nadeem, nephew of Azhar Choudhry, former chief photographer of the Aga Khan's Daily Nation — *Faisal Nadeem*

Faisal (Fas) Nadeem is an electrical engineer and an IT specialist by profession and lives near Oxford, England. As a hobby, Fas spends his time researching on those who are near and dear to him, as well as his family who come from a humble Punjabi farming background. With facts not easy to come by, he relies on older members of his family for information gathering. Fas is widely travelled and has toured several countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Thus his interests span across many cultures and faiths. Fas, who has two grown-up sons, is surrounded by members of his extended family and has many friends in the UK who are from East Africa and the Sub-Continent. Fas may be reached by email at fasnadeem@gmail.com.

Please also click on Azhar Chaudhry’s photographs of the Aga Khan published in Barakah.

The Fatimid Caliphate is Represented in the Flag of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

29 August 2023

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Compiled by MALIK MERCHANT

The featured photo of Jordan’s flag at the top of this post is reproduced from the website Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Tokyo, Japan. The following textual material has been gathered from the Embassy’s website as well as the websites of North Carolina’s Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology and a-z-animals, an interesting educational website on animals that also provides factual and well-researched information on other topics while describing animals in a specific country.

The Jordanian flag, in its current form, was adopted in 1922. It is inspired, in shape and colours, by the Great Arab Revolt banner, which was raised from the plains of Mecca in 1916.

Each of the three stripes represents a different caliphate, with black representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate, while the red chevron encompassing the flag’s components represents the Hashemite Family, in addition to paying homage to the Arab Revolt. The Fatimids, who ruled in North Africa and Egypt from 909 – 1171 CE are the ancestors of the current 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, His Highness the Aga Khan, who is respectfully addressed by his Ismaili followers as Mawlana Hazar Imam — Our Lord, the Present/Living Imam.

The red triangle contains a seven-pointed star to symbolize the seven verses of the Surat Al Fatiha, the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an. The website A-Z Animals adds that the verses symbolize unity as well as include “humanity, virtue, humility, faith in one God, national spirit, social justice, and aspiration.”

The website of the Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology located in North Carolina, mentions that colours are used to represent beliefs, traditions, and concepts in many religious traditions. The article also notes that “the color green is associated with Islam because it is believed to have been the Prophet Muhammad’s favorite color. It is said he wore a green cloak and turban, and his teachings reference the color. The Qur’an states that green will be worn by the inhabitants of paradise.”

Article 4 of the Constitution of Jordan specifies the form and dimensions of the Jordanian flag as follows:

“The length of the flag shall be twice its width. It shall be divided horizontally into three parallel and equal stripes, the uppermost of which shall be black, the center, white and the lowest, green. At the end of the flag-staff the flag shall have a red chevron, the base of which shall be equal to the flag’s width and the altitude of which shall be half of the flag’s length. In the chevron, there shall be a white seven-pointed star of such a size that it may be one-fourteenth of the flag’s length. The star shall be so placed that its center shall be at the intersection of the lines bisecting the angles of the chevron, and the axis running through one of its points shall be parallel to the base of the chevron.”

Date posted: August 29, 2023.

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Savour Summer’s Final Days at Banff’s Lake Minnewanka and Canmore’s Grassi Lakes

24 August 2023

Bollywood’s Yasser Desai Sings a Beautiful and Heart Touching Rendition of Song Honouring the Prophet Muhammad, With Lyrics

21 August 2023

LYRICS

(the text of the lyrics corresponds to the flow of the song; refrains are therefore repeated in the text)