Presentation by Ratish Nanda of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture
20 April, 2010, 6pm
Room 6-120
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in conjunction with the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) at Harvard and MIT invites you to a talk by Ratish Nanda (Director of AKTC India). He will present an overview on how the integration of conservation, urban, and environmental development can be a catalyst for socioeconomic change.
The talk will include an overview of the AKPIA program by Professor James Wescoat.
AKTC India’s work is focused in the Nizamuddin heritage precinct which comprises of the Hazrat Nizamuddin basto. Sunder Nursery, and the World Heritage Site of Humayan’s Tomb. The tomb of Mirza Ghalib, South Asia’s most renowned poet, is at the eastern edge of the Basti. The sites include one of the first monumental mausoleums to be built in India, with Persian-influenced architecture and the use of massive quantities of sandstone and marble, serene gardens and open spaces, and a large variety of plant species. Each of these sites holds great cultural, historic, and spiritual significance, and architectural interest.
Along with the conservation of monuments, the project focuses on implementing socioeconomic, urban, and environmental development objectives through a community centered, collaborative approach. Progress has been made in improving education, healthcare, and sanitation in the Basti, along with the development of craftsmanship skills, and research into the historic use of the area, and ancient construction techniques.
For more information and venue details visit The Arch Net
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