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These case studies analyse projects that have been launched by the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme. The case studies focus on projects in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Mali and Tajikistan that address local needs and aspirations through initiatives to create or rehabilitate parks and gardens in historic cities. 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.

Catching Winds and Views at Al-Azhar Park, Cairo was offered as a Winter School in December 2024 by the Master of Conservation programme at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, in collaboration with the AKTC Education Programme and Aga Khan Cultural Services, Egypt. Fifteen students from various programmes at the Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University, and seven students from Cairo University and Helwan University took part. The students were mentored by senior architects and architectural historians who have worked on AKTC conservation projects in Darb Al-Ahmar, Cairo. The objective was to interpret traditional features of Egyptian architecture and incorporate these in a contemporary design framework with a view to producing a design for a 20-room boutique hotel at the nursery in the Al-Azhar Park. The Winter School took the form of an eight-day charette style workshop in which the participants undertook guided case studies of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme projects in Cairo. Expert architects oriented them to Fatimid architectural traditions of integrating wind and views of the landscapes, as well as other dimensions of integrated urban conservation in historic Cairo. Students from CEPT University earned 4 credits, while students from Cairo University and Helwan University received a certificate of participation.

These case studies analyse projects that have either been launched by the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme or received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The case studies focus on projects in Afghanistan, India, Kuwait and Pakistan that address local needs and aspirations through community-centred water initiatives. 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.

This resource, for the IB Diploma Programme Theory of knowledge course, uses objects from the collection of the Aga Khan Museum and engagement with virtual visits to the Museum’s special exhibitions to develop students’ skills and understandings in preparation for the Theory of knowledge exhibition.

This IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) language and literature unit allows MYP 5 students to use non-literary texts from the collection of the Aga Khan Museum to delve further into Iranian identity and enhance their perspectives of the thematic concerns explored in the graphic memoir ‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi.

These 23 case studies analyse projects that have received or been short-listed for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The four sets of case studies are of projects that are related respectively to education, museums and cultural centres, sustainable tourism and social recreation facilities and community development and infrastructure building projects. 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. These case studies may be used independently or in conjunction with series 1, five sets of case studies that relate to the following themes: education, housing, public urban spaces/environments, public buildings and natural and built environments. 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.

The Aga Khan Academies (AKA) work to develop curriculum units that are relevant to their students in Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Mozambique. This resource has been developed as part of a collaborative project between the Academies and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to develop curriculum units for use in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. This compilation of case studies draws on two sets of archives developed through the work of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Eight of the case studies draw on projects that have been recipients of or shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture featuring projects in Bangladesh, China, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Tunisia. Three of the case studies draw on the work of AKTC’s Historic Cities Programme in Afghanistan and Egypt. The case studies present contexts within which built (human-made) environments are used to shape open-minded and inclusive communities. They have been designed for use within Integrated humanities but could be used across the curriculum in Arts, Design, Language and literature, or Language acquisition.

The Aga Khan Academies (AKA) work to develop curriculum units that are relevant to their students in Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Mozambique. This resource has been developed as part of a collaborative project between the Academies and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to develop curriculum units for use in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. This IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) music unit encourages MYP4/5 students to value music traditions that have been passed down through generations. These traditions can express identity and convey moral standards that may bind communities together. The unit also encourages students to reflect on the value of preserving, developing and strengthening access to musical traditions as diverse forms of cultural expression.

The Aga Khan Academies (AKA) work to develop curriculum units that are relevant to their students in Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Mozambique. This resource has been developed as part of a collaborative project between the Academies and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to develop curriculum units for use in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. This well-being unit on identity encourages students to reflect on the extent to which human experience is shaped by a range of encounters and experiences, that in turn shape identity. The unit, which may be taught as a series of linked learning experiences or as one-off lessons, encourages students to reflect on and take pride in their multiple personal identities and also celebrate some of the many common universal characteristics that connect individuals with those around us.

The Aga Khan Academies (AKA) work to develop curriculum units that are relevant to their students in Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Mozambique. This resource has been developed as part of a collaborative project between the Academies and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to develop curriculum units for use in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. This IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) interdisciplinary unit encourages MYP1 students to reflect on the invisible capacity of parks and gardens to unite people by contributing to the building and development of communities and enhancing their psychological, social and physical health. The unit is centred on developing interdisciplinary learning outcomes and subject-specific learning objectives in the Arts (Drama, Music, Visual Arts), English language acquisition (ELA) and/or English language and literature (ELL).

Research and Teaching Materials This series of presentations (narrated and unnarrated) presents a comparative picture of urban and architectural form across the vast geographical region commonly referred to as the Islamic World. Examples from both the so-called ‘high’ and ‘peripheral’ Islamic traditions are presented in the lectures, aiming at providing a thorough understanding of both the distinctiveness and diversity of outlying cultures and their established architectural practices.

Powerpoint Presentations The course presents an introduction to ten iconic monuments of the Is- lamic world from the beginning of Islam to the early modern period. The course introduces various types of building-mosques, palaces, multifunctional complexes-and city types and the factors that shaped them, artistic, patronal, socio-political, religio-cultural, and economic. This collection comprises 22 PowerPoint lectures.

The twenty-second lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. Throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century, European powers invaded and colonized large portions of the Islamic world, reshaping both the physical boundaries of these territories and the structures of authority. What this period brought with it are two interrelated trends in terms of art historical study: Europe’s and America’s discovery of Islamic art and its impact in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in what came to be known as Orientalist art. This is also a period when the first books on Islamic art and museum collections are formed. In the arts of the Islamic world, there was an integration of European ideas and techniques. More broadly, the increase in globalization and the subversion of Islamic lands under Western hegemony led to the growth of nationalism and revivalism. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “The Legacies of Islamic Architecture in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.” Lesson 22/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The twenty-first lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson will uncover the multilayered meanings of the Taj Mahal, a major Mughal monument from the mid-seventeenth century, which has been understood, in general, as an expression of the undying love of the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan for his wife, the queen Mumtaz Mahal. What was the significance of the complex for the creation of a commercial quarter in the city? In which ways did the complex gain paradisiac connotations? What are the roles of the usage of the chahar bagh garden type, the hasht bihisht plan type, and specific materials and decorative motifs in producing such architectural meanings and symbolism? Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “The Taj Mahal in Agra: The Mausoleum as Eternal Garden.” Lesson 21/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The twentieth lesson (part 2 of 2) in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson explores the architectural and social formation of Safavid Isfahan that was shaped by the political and economic aims of Shah ʿAbbas and his successors and the sociopolitical reorganization shared in the alliances and competitions among vested groups. This included a royal monopoly in the silk trade, and their Armenian and European facilitators, as well as the “capitalist” ventures of the new mercantile communities that engaged in long‐distance trade. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “International Trade and the King’s Silk Monopoly Part Two.” Lesson 20B/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

*The twentieth lesson (part 1 of 2) in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson explores the architectural and social formation of Safavid Isfahan that was shaped by the political and economic aims of Shah ʿAbbas and his successors and the sociopolitical reorganization shared in the alliances and competitions among vested groups. This included a royal monopoly in the silk trade, and their Armenian and European facilitators, as well as the “capitalist” ventures of the new mercantile communities that engaged in long‐distance trade. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “International Trade and the King’s Silk Monopoly Part One.” Lesson 20A/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.*

The nineteenth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson explores the development of the Safavid empire, which reached its apex in the capital city of Isfahan. The city as a global metropolis is characterized by its economic growth, cultural efflorescence, and social diversity. Throughout this lesson we will explore how it was that the city evolved, as well as how it embodied ideas about the ruler, the state, and society, in addition to cultivating an economic upsurge. What is the story that the city is telling us about the Safavid elite and its relationship to this multi-ethnic, multi-confessional population? Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “Isfahan under Shah Abbas.” Lesson 13/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The eighteenth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. This lesson explores: What does the term “decorum” mean when it is applied to architecture? In what ways was architectural decorum informed social and territorial hierarchies in the Ottoman empire? How did a sultanic mosque differ from a mosque commissioned by a queen, princess or a vizier in terms of its architectural layout and features? What were the innovations Sinan introduce into the Ottoman architectural idiom? Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “Chief Court Architect Sinan and His Autobiography.” Lesson 18/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The seventeenth lesson in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. In this lesson, by way of focusing on a single monument, namely the Süleymaniye mosque complex in Istanbul (1550s) commissioned by Sultan Suleyman (r. 1520-66) from his Chief Court Architect Mimar Sinan, we will discuss 16th century Ottoman architectural culture and practices. In which ways were elements from the Roman-Byzantine and Italian Renaissance architectural traditions selectively integrated into the Ottoman architectural idiom? How did the Ottoman sultanic mosques of Constantinople/Istanbul make direct references to the international prestige of the city’s premier 6th century Byzantine church, Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya, now functioning as the leading Friday mosque of their new capital)? How does the Süleymaniye complex differ from the Hagia Sophia and previous Ottoman mosques in terms of spatiality, scale, materiality, and ornament? What are the novelties of mosques designed by Sinan, who served as the Ottoman chief court architect for half a century (between 1539 and 1588) during the reigns of three sultans (Suleyman I, Selim II, Murad II)? Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “ The Mosque Complex of Sultan Süleyman.” Lesson 17/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.

The fifteenth and sixteenth lessons in a 22 lesson course on Monuments of Islamic Architecture developed by Professors Gulru Necipoglu and David Roxburgh at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. Th lessons explores the ways in which the Mamluks inscribed their political power and presence on the urban landscape of Cairo. How did they transform the monumental topography of Cairo? On which parts of the city was Mamluk patronage activity focused? We will learn about architectural innovations in Cairo through one main case study, the construction of the Sultan Hasan complex. How did the waqf system become a tool for the Mamluk elite to display their piety to the public and also to protect their wealth. Citation Necipoglu, Gulru and David Roxburgh. “The Madrasa-Mosque Complex of Sultan Hasan and the Mamluk System of Charitable Endowments.” Lesson 15-16/22 presentation developed for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme, 2019.