KAZAN: (PR) <\/strong>The six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were acclaimed earlier today at a ceremony held at Kazan\u2019s Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, accompanied His Highness the Aga Khan, hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims, in presiding over the Award Ceremony.<\/p>\n The six projects to share a US$ 1 million prize, as selected by the 2019 Award Master Jury are:<\/p>\n The six Award recipients, spanning three continents, include an urban heritage intervention, a floating school, a national museum, an ambitious programme to introduce public spaces across hundreds of localities, a university\u2019s classrooms and halls, and an ecological centre.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are implementing the largest charitable, educational and humanitarian projects, support proactive, creative people, regardless of nationality or confession, said \u00a0Mintimer Shaimiev in acknowledging the contribution of His Highness. \u201cYour peacekeeping mission, your commitment to bringing civilisations closer and achieving unity in diversity are consonant with our goals, especially to me, as the UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking at the ceremony, His Highness the Aga Khan noted that on this visit to Tatarstan, he had seen \u201chow committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural dialogue,\u201d he said. These were examples, the Aga Khan\u00a0explained, of what\u00a0the world was in particular need of today, as we seek to meet accelerating environmental, social, technological, economic and political challenges.<\/p>\n The Award Ceremony was attended by Eleonora Valentinovna Mitrofanova, the Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other government officials, ambassadors and members of the international diplomatic corps, and leading members of the architectural community from around the world.<\/p>\n Speaking about the theme of \u201cArchitecture in Dialogue\u201d, which emerged from this 14th cycle of the Award, the Aga Khan explained the potential of the architectural world to inspire and enrich creative dialogues, embracing diverse and even divergent perspectives. \u201cThe rich architectural dialogue we seek to foster should include a renewed respect for the diversity of Islamic cultures themselves,\u201d he said.\u00a0It was also necessary, he added, to foster a dialogue with non-Islamic cultures including diverse religious traditions.\u00a0\u201cArchitecture can lead the way in this effort \u2013 as we listen to one another and learn from one another across old divides.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aga Khan went on to explain why the Ismaili Imamat was involved with architecture. \u201cThe simple answer lies in my conviction that architecture \u2013 more than any other art form \u2013 has a profound impact on the quality of human life,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe that we all have a responsibility to improve the quality of life whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. Our commitment to influencing the quality of architecture \u2013 intellectually and materially \u2013 grows directly out of our commitment to improving the quality of human life.\u201d<\/p>\n Yesterday, the Aga Khan visited Bolgar, which was a Muslim religious centre as early as 922 and is renowned for its historic and archaeological significance. He toured the Bolgar Islamic Academy, where he attended a special stamp cancellation ceremony to commemorate the Aga Khan Award for Architecture ceremony in Kazan. Later in the day, he visited the White Mosque and the Bulgarian Civilisation Museum where he viewed one of the world\u2019s largest Qurans. The historical and archaeological complex at Bolgar has been designated as a UNESCO heritage site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KAZAN: (PR) The six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were acclaimed earlier today at a ceremony held at Kazan\u2019s Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, accompanied His Highness the Aga Khan, hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili 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