A trip down monument lane: Visiting historic Cairo on a new touristic route
Learn more
Altit Fort was recognised with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction in 2011.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Altit Fort was recognised with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction in 2011.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Nizamuddin, Delhi, India: Interior of Chausath Khamba after conservation by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
AKTC
Nizamuddin, Delhi, India: Interior of Chausath Khamba after conservation by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
AKTC
Al-Azhar Park, entrance area inside the Park Cairo, Egypt.
AKDN / Christian Richters
Al-Azhar Park, entrance area inside the Park Cairo, Egypt.
AKDN / Christian Richters
Sunder Nursery’s Central Axis with the 16th century Sunder Burj in the backdrop, New Delhi, India.
AKDN / AKTC
Sunder Nursery’s Central Axis with the 16th century Sunder Burj in the backdrop, New Delhi, India.
AKDN / AKTC
The Bagh-e Babur, Kabul, Afghanistan.
AKDN / Simon Norfolk
The Bagh-e Babur, Kabul, Afghanistan.
AKDN / Simon Norfolk
This page is also available inHistoric Cities: Awards Received
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC)’s Historic Cities Programme (HCP) has won many awards for its work, including UNESCO Asian-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards and a British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation
2021 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
2020 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
2020 World Responsible Tourism Award
2020 Outlook Group’s Indian Responsible Tourism Awards
2019 The Great Gardens of the World
2016 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
2014 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
2013 UNESCO Award of Distinction
2012 Virgin Responsible Tourism Awards
2012 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
2011 UNESCO Award for Culture Heritage Conservation
2010 UNESCO Award of Distinction
2009 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
2008 One of the World's Best Places
2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence
2008 Prince Sultan bin Salman Award for Urban Heritage
2008 Responsible Tourism Award
2007 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Distinction
2007 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Merit
2006 UNESCO Award of Excellence
2006 PATA GOLD Award for Heritage and Culture
2006 TIME Magazine's "Best of Asia" Award for Revitalisation
2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Merit
2005 "Best of Asia" TIME Magazine Award
2005 Global Vision Award for Innovation (Travel + Leisure)
2004 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award for Excellence
2003 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award
2002 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award
2000 Global Winner - British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award
1997 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Award
2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation
India – The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has been restoring the 70-structure Quli Qutb Shah Tomb complex in Hyderabad. The work on the six stepwells was given the Award of Distinction. Read more
2021 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
India – AKTC received the Award for Excellence, the highest level of achievement in the conservation category, and the Award for Special Recognition for Sustainable Development for our holistic urban revitalisation of Delhi’s historic Nizamuddin Basti.
The awards were established in 2000 to recognise "the efforts of private individuals and organisations that have successfully restored, conserved and transformed structures and buildings of heritage value in the region".
The jury said: "From conserving monuments to reviving local crafts, to improving the urban environment and creating new jobs, the project has brought about the revitalisation of the living historic urban landscape in its truest sense.”
2020-21: The Merit List
India - The Merit List recognises projects of critical relevance in the context of contemporary architecture of India. Sunder Nursery Heritage Park was listed, with the citation saying: “Through persistent collaborative efforts and a long-term vision, a forgotten landscape is brought back into public imagination”. Read more
2020 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
India – AKTC received two important awards from UNESCO's Asia-Pacific regional office – for cultural heritage conservation and sustainable development – in Delhi's Sunder Nursery. The prizes included a 2020 Award for Special Recognition for Sustainable Development and a 2020 Award for Excellence.
The awards were established in 2000 to recognise "the efforts of private individuals and organisations that have successfully restored, conserved and transformed structures and buildings of heritage value in the region".
2020 World Responsible Tourism Award
India – AKTC received a World Responsible Tourism Award in the “Neighbours and Employees – Highly Commended” category for our work in Nizamuddin, Delhi.
AKTC was commended for action on multiple fronts, including mobilising health workers to visit every home to create awareness of Covid-19, assisting in WHO house-to-house surveys, establishing a WhatsApp radio network, supplying emergency relief to 700 vulnerable families week after week and distributing masks made locally by women previously making tourist souvenirs.
2020 Soul of the City
India - Monocle Magazine named the Sunder Nursery development one of 20 projects that have transformed cities across the world, writing that “It brings a breath of fresh air to northern India.”
2020 Outlook Group’s Indian Responsible Tourism Awards
India - The Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Project was named the best social impact project. The citation said: “This public-private initiative led by the AKTC with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the Archaeological Survey of India and the Central Public Works Department demonstrates admirably how the urban renewal of a historic city can improve the quality of life for residents and meet tourism objectives.” Read more
2019 The Great Gardens of the World
India - Sunder Nursery was featured on Rado’s Great Gardens of the World website.
2018 Time Magazine
India - Delhi’s Sunder Nursery was listed among Time Magazine’s top 100 world’s greatest places to visit. The magazine said: “Between the pollution and the crowds, it’s hard to get away in New Delhi. But now the Indian capital offers a respite: the city’s first arboretum.”
2016 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
Pakistan - The conservation of the 17th-century Shahi Hammam was given an Award of Merit. The citation said that “The project has returned the ornate Shahi Hammam to its former prominence within the Walled City of Lahore while giving further encouragement to other private conservation initiatives in the future.”
2014 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
Pakistan - “The Gali Surjan Singh Urban Conservation Project represents a heroic effort to combine restoration with much-needed infrastructural upgrading in the historic urban centre of Lahore”, wrote the judges when giving this work an honourable mention.
2013 UNESCO Award of Distinction
Afghanistan – AKTC's restoration of Khaplu Palace received a 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Distinction. From the citation: "Once the former seat of government and one of Baltistan’s finest royal residences, Khaplu Palace has been restored from a dire state of dilapidation. The work, undertaken with a high level of technical competence, addressed a range of challenges from structural concerns to historic landscaping in a manner that has retained the authenticity.
The Palace has been reintegrated as a vital part of the community through its new function as a small-scale heritage hotel and Balti Folk Museum. The upgrade of the adjacent village’s infrastructure and the creation of new livelihood opportunities have ensured improved well-being for local inhabitants in this remote rural area. The project is testimony to the success of the well-tested approach to mobilising culture for sustainable development pioneered by the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan."
2012 Virgin Responsible Tourism Awards
Pakistan - The Khaplu Palace and Residence in Baltistan, restored by AKTC and opened as a heritage hotel, was highly commended in the ‘Best in poverty reduction’ category. The judges wrote: “The Aga Khan Trust for Culture… have successfully combined conservation, restoration and re-use for tourism; and the rehabilitation of cultural crafts and historical assets." Read more
2012 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
Pakistan - Khilingrong Mosque in Shigar received an Award of Merit. The judges noted that it “has now revived traditional construction and craft techniques through a specialized skills development programme to train the local community and artisans. Not only has the project reinstated the religious function of the building, it has also reinvigorated an important public space for day-to-day social interactions among the community.”
2012 HUDCO Design Award
India - The conservation of Hazrat Nizamuddin Baoli in New Delhi won second prize in the Conservation of Heritage category. The well is over seven centuries old and portions had collapsed.
2011 UNESCO Award for Culture Heritage Conservation
Pakistan – The restoration of Altit Fort in Hunza, in Pakistan Gilgit-Baltistan province, is an AKTC project undertaken by the Aga Khan Cultural Service. It received an Award of Distinction at the 2011 UNESCO Asian-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
2010 UNESCO Award of Distinction
Pakistan – The Gulabpur Khanqah in Shigar valley, Skardu, Baltistan, was awarded the 2010 Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction in Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. For nine consecutive times, AKTC has won a UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Award for its conservation efforts in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan province.
2009 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
Pakistan – Work on the Ali Gohar House in Ganish, Hunza, received an Award of Distinction. The citation observed that “the project has had a catalytic impact on the growing movement favouring community-led conservation of local heritage in northern Pakistan.”
2008 One of the World’s Best Places
Egypt – The Project for Public Places selected Azhar Park as one of 60 of the "World's Best Places". The Project for Public Places, which works to help "people turn their public spaces into vital community places" has selected Azhar Park as one of the "60 of the World's Best Places".
From its citation: "Why It Works? In transforming such a large part of Cairo, which was for so long used as an open dump, the impact of Al-Azhar Park on the city is tremendous. It has been planned with a multitude of activities in mind and incorporates a conceptualised hilltop lookout kiosk, a children's play area, an amphitheatre and stage, playing fields, a viewing plaza and a historical wall promenade."
2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Awards
Pakistan - The Shigar Historic Settlements and Bazaar Area, in Baltistan, Pakistan, received an Award of Merit. The citation said that “the project has achieved an overall urban upgrade of services and infrastructure that sensitively addresses the holistic needs of the community and sensitively fits in with the traditional setting. Key historic buildings have been restored and now anchor the traditional townscape, kindling pride of place in both older and younger generations alike.”
2008 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence
Afghanistan – The Malik Cistern in Herat is part of a broad programme of revitalisation and conservation undertaken by AKTC. Our work in the restoration of Herat, Afghanistan, has received a 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence.
UNESCO selected the project for demonstrating "the important role of cultural revitalisation as an integral part of the process towards establishing normalcy in a post-conflict situation. The restoration works display a high level of craftsmanship and a commitment to the use of traditional materials, leading to a positive impact in reviving the traditional construction system as well as local building trades. The community-led project has clarified the reading of the historic cityscape, strengthened the social fabric, and renewed Herat's spirit of place.”
Another Trust project, the Shigar Historic Settlements and Bazaar Area, in Baltistan, Pakistan, received an Award of Merit.
2008 Prince Sultan Bin Salman Award for Urban Heritage
Saudi Arabia – On 24 June 2008, during a ceremony presided over by HRH Prince Khaled al-Faisal, Governor of the Makkah region, and in the presence of HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the second cycle of the “Prince Sultan bin Salman Award for Urban Heritage” was presented to AKTC.
The award citation says: “It's for AKTC’s widely recognised efforts in attending to urban heritage through many venues and activities.” The Urban Heritage Award was created because "urban heritage conservation is a national necessity as it represents the identity of the society and the originality of its history," according to the organisers. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has witnessed a boom that covered all aspects of life accompanied by a large expansion of Saudi cities with unrestricted openness to the various continental architectural styles. Consequently, a lot of the traditional urban heritage was lost. These dramatic changes have necessitated taking instant and effective steps to protect the national urban heritage, and make use of its qualities to lay a solid foundation for deep-rooted architecture inseparable from the past taking into consideration the absorption of modern technologies in a reasonable way that ensures such kind of blending without surpassing heritage fundamentals.”
2008 Responsible Tourism Award
Pakistan – The Shigar Fort Restoration Project received the 2008 Virgin Holidays "Best for conservation of cultural heritage" Award. The Shigar Fort Residence, which was restored by AKTC and which is now operated as a small hotel by the Serena Hotels (a company of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development), has received the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award in the "Best for conservation of cultural heritage" category.
From the citation: "For the sensitive restoration of this historic building and its development as a hotel which has placed the property once again at the heart of the community as a cultural and economic asset bringing employment, microenterprise opportunities, and social and cultural empowerment for local men and women."
2007 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Distinction
Pakistan - The Altit Settlement in Gilgit was said to display “an exemplary approach to integrated heritage conservation that has ensured the safeguarding of the historic village setting along with the improvement of the quality of life of local residents.”
2007 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Merit
Pakistan - The Astana of Syed Mir Yahya, Skardu received the Award “for rescuing an important local religious landmark on the brink of ruin in a modest and culturally appropriate manner.”
2006 UNESCO Award of Excellence
Pakistan – The Shigar Fort Palace (in Skardu in the northern region of Pakistan) has been honoured with the Award of Excellence in the 2006 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation. The Shigar Fort has been converted, through adaptive reuse, into a small hotel.
From the commendation: “The Award of Excellence winner, Shigar Fort Palace (Skardu, Northern Areas, Pakistan) was commended for setting a high-profile precedent for a sustainable modern reuse of heritage structures in Pakistan. The adaptation into a boutique hotel has strategically capitalised on the complex’s authentic local architecture and dramatic setting in the Karakoram mountains to create a unique destination for visitors. Through a holistic community development approach, multiplier effects from the project have benefited the local villagers in form of job creation, upgrade of shared infrastructure and water supply, and renewed pride in the area’s rich crafts and intangible heritage traditions.”
2006 PATA Gold Award for Heritage and Culture
Pakistan – The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced the winners of the 2006 PATA Gold Awards on 17 February.
The restoration and re-use of Shigar Fort Palace by the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan won a Gold Award in the Heritage and Culture category. The winners received their awards during the 55th PATA Annual Conference in Pattaya, Thailand, 23-27 April 2006.
2006 Time Magazine’s “Best of Asia” Award for Revitalisation
Afghanistan – Following the 2005 Best of Asia award for restoration of the Baltit Fort in Hunza, Pakistan (the Fort graced the cover of TIME Asia), AKTC was awarded another Best of Asia award for our restoration of Babur's Gardens in Kabul, Afghanistan.
From the citation: "When the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in collaboration with the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, began to restore the gardens in 2002, they decided to honour Babur's original instructions. His grave now lies open to the sky, encircled by a delicate, carved marble screen and surrounded by fruit trees full of songbirds. The rest of the 4.5-hectare garden, which once served as a temporary refuge for civilians displaced by war, has been returned to its former glory. The complex system of water canals that channel rainfall from the surrounding hills has been rebuilt, turning the sere hillside into a verdant oasis. Graceful saplings have replaced the great chinar trees that were felled for firewood, and the fountains burble once again with clean water. There are even plans to turn the elegant European pavilion built by Amir Abdur Rahman Khan in the late 1800s into a restaurant. On Fridays, the start of the Muslim weekend, the gardens are thronged with picnicking families who come to enjoy classical concerts much like the performances that enhanced the former Emperor's idylls. Finally, one can see why Babur wanted this to be his last resting place."
2005 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Merit
Pakistan – The Amburiq Mosque, the first mosque built in Baltistan, received a UNESCO 2005 Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Merit. The project was praised for its "sensitive conservation programme which was undertaken by the Aga Khan Cultural Services of Pakistan. The building and its courtyard have now been returned to modern use as a community museum, giving renewed life to one of the region’s historically and socially significant structures."
2005 “Best of Asia” Time Magazine Award
Pakistan – The restoration of Baltit Fort in the Hunza Valley of Pakistan appeared on the cover of Time Magazine (27 June 2005, Asian edition) in a roundup of the "Best of Asia". It won the "Best Restored Treasure".
Time said that "seven hundred years' worth of earthquakes, avalanches and neglect had turned it into a rubble-strewn heap, prompting the Mir to turn it over to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 1989. The charitable foundation embarked on a restoration, which took six years and more than $3 million – and the results are stunning."
2005 Global Vision Award for Innovation (Travel + Leisure)
Egypt – AKTC received the Travel + Leisure 2005 Global Vision Award for Innovation. From the citation: "Our judges were drawn to the extraordinarily multifaceted approach of this project: Al-Azhar provides leisure and recreational space to a city that has little; acts as an engine of social and economic development for neighbouring residents; and is a catalyst for historic preservation.
In a city where the amount of green space per resident was roughly the size of a footprint, Al-Azhar is a much-needed green lung for Cairo's 17 million inhabitants... Al-Azhar has proven to be one of the most significant urban renewal efforts in recent history."
2004 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation for Excellence
Pakistan – From the citation: “The restoration of the majestic 700-year-old Baltit Fort exemplifies excellence in conservation practice applied to large-scale monuments. This challenging project was the first of its kind in northern Hunza.
By demonstrating that historic structures can be saved, restored and recycled for continued use in the community, the Baltit Fort project is a model for the revitalisation of historic structures throughout the northern regions of Pakistan. In this project, the historic wood and masonry structure was carefully repaired using a combination of traditional local knowledge and state-of-the-art conservation techniques. The fort's restoration has fostered the local revival of traditional building trades, while an associated handicrafts project provides improved livelihood opportunities in the area. In its new use as a cultural centre and museum, the Baltit Fort attracts thousands of visitors to the province and has contributed to reinvigorating the local community's pride in their heritage.”
2003 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award
Pakistan – The astana (historic tomb) of Syed Mir Muhammad in Khanqha Settlement received the 2003 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award. From the award citation: "noteworthy restoration of the 300-year old mausoleum... which returns an important architectural and community landmark to its former prominence in the northern Pakistan highland settlement of Khaplu.
The building’s aged patina and historic character have been carefully retained through skillful and sensitive conservation techniques."
The Awards are designed to "recognise the efforts and contributions of individuals and organisations within the private sector, including private-public partnerships, who have successfully restored and conserved structures and buildings of heritage value in the Asia-Pacific region".
2002 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award
Pakistan – The Ganish settlement projects received the 2002 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award. From the award citation: “The restoration of four 300-year old wooden mosques in the Hunza Valley has successfully revitalised the village “chataq”, the traditional public heart of the Ganish historic settlement.”
Initiated and undertaken by the villagers, with professional guidance, the project has rebuilt community spirit in an authentic rural village which has undergone major socio-economic change and natural disasters over the years. "The restrained conservation approach has stabilised the buildings which were in danger of collapse, while retaining the rich historic patina and showcasing the intricate detailing of the structures. Modern materials were selectively incorporated alongside the use of traditional materials and techniques. The preservation of the surrounding buildings and infrastructural improvements was sensitively executed, consequently strengthening the traditional urban fabric while upgrading the quality of life of the residents. The project presents an outstanding example of a community-led initiative strategically facilitated by outside support.”
2000 Global Winner - British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award
Pakistan – From the citation: "The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has restored the prime historic landmark of the 700-year-old Baltit Fort on the terraced slopes in Hunza, in Northern Pakistan. The main theme of the project is to preserve this setting despite natural decay and the inevitable impact of recent changes, such as urbanisation which has begun to threaten the integrity of the built heritage. The fort is now a museum and cultural centre.”
Moreover, culturally and environmentally compatible small enterprises are being promoted which provide gift items, local woollen rugs and hand-knotted vegetable dye carpets for visitors. “These activities are playing a major part in reinvigorating the traditional community spirit and restoring the residents' pride of their heritage. A self-paying waste management project has been set up to safely dispose of human waste and garbage. The project now attracts over 20,000 visitors, half of which are from outside the country. Access to the Fort is limited to pedestrians and only 25 visitors are allowed at any one time. To reduce the pressure on the environment there is a break from tourists during the 4-5 months of winter.”
1997 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Award
Pakistan – The Baltit Fort in Hunza has been restored and is now a museum. The work received a PATA Award.