A website dedicated to photographs and videos from Canada and around the world with an emphasis on nature, wildlife, food, travel and sport as well as art, architecture and culture. In culture, the focus will be on projects related to the work of His Highness the Aga Khan, his Ismaili Muslim community and Islam in general.
Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park through the lens of Muslim Harji
By MUSLIM HARJI
INTRODUCTION: THE AGA KHAN AND AL-AZHAR PARK
As I present photographs of Al-Azhar Park taken during my recent visit to Egypt, I am reminded of a beautiful prayer of hope that His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, expressed in his speech during the Park’s inauguration on March 25, 2005. He said:
“Thirty-five generations later, through the work done here by my institutions, it is my prayer that this park will be a continuing contribution to the people of this great city.”
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His Highness the Aga Khan speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the Al-Azhar Park in Cairo, March 25, 2005. Photograph: AKDN.
In the 1980’s the Aga Khan turned his attention to a site in Cairo, where garbage had been dumped for more than 500 years and was nearly 25 feet deep. After more than 15 years of work masterminded by his Trust for Culture, his vision has transformed the derelict site into a sequence of formal gardens filled with groves of fruit and flowering trees, fountains and an artificial lake studded with a modern lakeside café and a central allee of royal palms lines a path that has views of Islamic Cairo’s minarets and domes. Atop the dump site sit three new sunken reservoirs that provide invisible succor and a children’s playground and other special features. Shown in the image are: the 1992 park site, Al Darassa municipal dump (top left); on going work in shaping the Al-Azhar Park site in 1999 (top right); and the completed Al-Azhar Park which was inauguarted in 2005. Photos: Aga Khan Trust for Culture via Archnet.
His Highness the Aga Khan, welcomes HRH The Prince of Wales (now King Charless III) and The Duchess of Cornwall (now Queen Camila) to Al-Azhar Park in March 2006 at the beginning of their official 2-week to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India. Photograph: AKDN/Gary Otte.
The legacy of his ancestor’s founding of the Al-Azhar University more than a 1000 years ago lives on, although the university is now a major Sunni institution. The Al-Azhar Park that the 49th Imam has built has become the lung of Cairo and it is here that local residents come by the thousands with their families and young children to enjoy its greenery, the beautiful open spaces to run around and picnic, its restaurants as well as views of the surrounding historic districts including the Ayyubid Wall.
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Al-Azhar Park through the lens of Muslim Harji
I now let the Al-Azhar pictures do the talking in this 2nd post in a series of 4 pieces of my memorable visit to Cairo. Today, if His Highness were to return to Cairo, he would see how far his hopes have been realized and how much the people of Cairo enjoy the park that he conceived from what was for hundreds of years a dumpsite!
Photographer Muslim Harji and his wife Nevin live happily in Montreal, where, over the last 40 years, they have raised two children and run a successful business. Upon retirement in 2004, Muslim and Nevin truly started to explore the world. All told, together and individually, they have visited more than 45 countries around the globe, experiencing the beauty of the Middle East, the exoticism of Asia and the wonders of South America. Kayaking the Magellan Straights, exploring Palmyra by camel, hiking up to Alamut Fort in Iran or travelling by overnight train in India, Nevin and Muslim have always favoured unique ways of experiencing the countries they visit and plan to continue fostering their love for travelling the world.
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Salaams, Harji bhai.
Thanks for sharing your amazing photos of Cairo. In a world filled with constant noise and fast-paced lifestyles, your photographs serve as a gentle reminder of the beauty that exists in the simplest moments. Your keen eye and attention to detail allow us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and for that, I am immensely grateful.
Hello, Muslim. I greatly enjoyed viewing these wonderful images. You certainly captured the spirit of today’s Egypt. I hope that you will consider displaying them as part of LCC’s new Documentary Group.
Harji bhai, As always it is a pleasure to see your pictures. You perspective is always different and inspires me to go out and take pictures too. Especially loved the boulevard walkway in a park pic taken from higher up.
What an amazing prayer and a wonderful ‘sawaab-e-jaariya’ HRH Agha Khan the 49th Imam has done. May The Almighty reward him for it. This is Islam. Serving humanity. So many people can now benefit from it. Bravo!
Thank you Hazir Imam. A lot of people and families will enjoy this amazing gift you have showered to the people of Egypt. Always serving humanity! So proud to be your follower! Thank you Muslim for sharing this beautiful photographs.
We love seeing life through your camera lens! Your artistic sense is wonderful and we are lucky to benefit from these moments, people and sceneries that you so generously capture for all of us. Fayzi and I also admired and enjoyed the pictures you provided as part of the 50 Years of Migration Exhibition. How touching! Again a BIG THANK YOU! May Mawla bless you and our dear Nevin! and many more trips to come for your enjoyment… and ours! 🙂 Inara and Fayzi
Thank you Bhaijan, for sharing the beautiful pictures of Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park. Feels like I have visited the park myself through these pictures.
Salaams, Harji bhai.
Thanks for sharing your amazing photos of Cairo. In a world filled with constant noise and fast-paced lifestyles, your photographs serve as a gentle reminder of the beauty that exists in the simplest moments. Your keen eye and attention to detail allow us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and for that, I am immensely grateful.
Hello, Muslim. I greatly enjoyed viewing these wonderful images. You certainly captured the spirit of today’s Egypt. I hope that you will consider displaying them as part of LCC’s new Documentary Group.
Harji bhai, As always it is a pleasure to see your pictures. You perspective is always different and inspires me to go out and take pictures too. Especially loved the boulevard walkway in a park pic taken from higher up.
An extraordinary transformation of the place bringing people who will contribute to the local economy, Another tribute to the work of the Aga Khan.
Hi Muslim! Great job again with capturing such an amazing images of the Park. Keep up the good work!! Hi to Navin, our Mbale girl !!
Amin Kanji
What an amazing prayer and a wonderful ‘sawaab-e-jaariya’ HRH Agha Khan the 49th Imam has done. May The Almighty reward him for it. This is Islam. Serving humanity. So many people can now benefit from it. Bravo!
Awesome photography, thanks for sharing.
Thank you Hazir Imam. A lot of people and families will enjoy this amazing gift you have showered to the people of Egypt. Always serving humanity! So proud to be your follower! Thank you Muslim for sharing this beautiful photographs.
Amazing photography. Muslim you are great. Love you and your pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Gorgeous pictures Muslim. You are an amazing photographer.
We love seeing life through your camera lens! Your artistic sense is wonderful and we are lucky to benefit from these moments, people and sceneries that you so generously capture for all of us. Fayzi and I also admired and enjoyed the pictures you provided as part of the 50 Years of Migration Exhibition. How touching! Again a BIG THANK YOU! May Mawla bless you and our dear Nevin! and many more trips to come for your enjoyment… and ours! 🙂 Inara and Fayzi
Thanks a million.