Muslim Harji, Al Azhar Park Cairo, Simerg, simergphotos, Barakah

The Al-Azhar Park: Cairo’s “Green Lung” was once a dump site for centuries and the Aga Khan transformed it into a must visit world-class park

Introduced by MALIK MERCHANT

Please click: CAIRO’S AL-AZHAR PARK

The Aga Khan’s gift to Alberta is the Aga Khan Garden at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden in the outskirts of Edmonton. If you are in Edmonton, spend a day visiting the vast Botanic Garden that also includes the Indigenous Garden, Kurimoto Japanese Garden and the Patrick Seymour Alpine Garden. In the past year, I have made two trips to see the Aga Khan Garden. Please see my first post HERE and the second one with my daughter HERE (combined with visits to Waterton Lakes National Park and the Kananaskis).

Thousands of miles away in bustling Cairo, where the Aga Khan’s ancestors, the Fatimids, built one of the oldest universities in the world, the Al-Azhar, the Aga Khan one day, in the 1980’s, walked through a centuries old dumpsite. He decided to build a park on top of the site and after years and years of effort the dump site became one of the most beautiful parks in the world. Montreal based photographer Muslim Harji recently visited Egypt and began a special series of 4 exclusive photo essays with Street Foods of Cairo. We now present his 2nd photo essay and it is dedicated to the Al-Azhar Park.

Al Azhar Park beautiful wedding photo. Simerg.
A newly wedded couple share a beautiful moment at Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park. Please click on image for Muslim Harji’s exclusive photo essay. Photograph: © Muslim Harji.

Date posted: May 31, 2023.

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50th Anniversary Photo Essay: The Historic Landing of Man on the Moon

On  July 16, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were strapped into their Apollo spacecraft on top of the vast Saturn V rocket and were propelled into orbit in just over 11 minutes. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface. We have for our readers a magnificent collection of photos from humankind’s single greatest technological achievement…PHOTO ESSAY

Please click on image for story and photos.

 Date posted: July 18, 2019.

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Photo Essay: Sacred Spaces by Canadian Photographer Muslim Harji

“One of the finest and most informative photo essays on this great blog! Thank you, Muslim, for this superb and illuminating work,” and “May you travel for another 100 years and keep taking (and posting) such great pictures” are just a few of the many responses from our readers to Muslim Harji’s photo essay on SACRED SPACES published at www.simergphotos.com. PLEASE CLICK ANYWHERE ON THIS PARAGRAPH or on the photo below to see Harji’s “Excellently written and well-researched piece!” And when you are at Simergphotos visit its home page for links to an amazing array of over 120 photo pieces!

Please Click: Sacred Spaces

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Date posted: Sunday, November 20, 2016.

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@Simergphotos – An Ismaili Wedding in Badakhshan Through the Lens of Muslim Harji

Muslim and Nevin Harji have just returned from a remarkable trip to Badakhshan, which is located in one of the most remote corners of the earth, in the midst of the magnificent Pamir mountains. The Harjis were fortunate to be invited to an Ismaili wedding in the small village of Namadgut (near Ishkashim). The whole village consisting of forty Ismaili families was involved in the preparation and celebration of the wedding. We continue our special series on Badakhshan with this special photo essay An Ismaili Wedding in the Pamirs Through My Lens by Muslim Harji.  

A bride-to-be is pampered with a manicure and pedicure before her wedding in a small village in the Pamirs.   Please click on image for Muslim Harji's photo essay.

A bride-to-be is pampered with a manicure and pedicure before her wedding in a small village in the Pamirs. Please click on image for Muslim Harji’s photo essay.