Night view of the Aga Khan Centre, London.
AKDN / Edmund Sumner
Night view of the Aga Khan Centre, London.
AKDN / Edmund Sumner
Aga Khan Centre, King's Cross, London, United Kingdom.
AKDN / John Sturrock
Aga Khan Centre, King's Cross, London, United Kingdom.
AKDN / John Sturrock
Aga Khan Centre, King's Cross, London.
AKDN / John Sturrock
Aga Khan Centre, King's Cross, London.
AKDN / John Sturrock
The main entrance to the Aga Khan Centre, London.
AKDN / Edmund Sumner
The main entrance to the Aga Khan Centre, London.
AKDN / Edmund Sumner
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Opened in 2018 in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter, the Aga Khan Centre is a place for education, cultural exchange and insight into Muslim civilisations.
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The Centre contains six gardens, terraces and courtyards inspired by different parts of the Islamic world
Organisations Based in the Aga Khan Centre
The Centre is the home for a number of UK-based organisations founded by His Highness the Aga Khan. They include the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) UK, the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) and the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS). These institutions have been operating in the UK for many years. They are part of a mission and mandate to increase knowledge and understanding of Muslim civilisations and help improve the quality of life for people around the world.
AKDN / John Sturrock
Through research and publications, higher education and a public programme of lectures and exhibitions, the organisations located in the Aga Khan Centre serve as bridges in building understanding about Muslim cultures and societies. The Aga Khan Library, London, for example, houses the unique collections of IIS and AKU-ISMC and provides space for study and secure archival storage of rare books and manuscripts. AKF and its partners work to improve the quality of life for people of all faiths and backgrounds in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities, and the Aga Khan Centre informs the public about these global development issues.
The IIS was established in 1977 to promote scholarship and learning about Muslim societies and to encourage a better understanding of their relationships with other cultures and faiths. Its research, publications and educational programmes promote scholarship in previously marginalised areas of the study of Islam.
Hufton + Crow
The Building and Location
The Centre has been designed by Maki and Associates, led by Fumihiko Maki, one of Japan’s most distinguished contemporary architects. It represents the values of openness, dialogue and respect for different viewpoints (pluralism). A distinctive feature of the Aga Khan Centre is its six gardens, courtyards and terraces inspired by Islamic landscape design from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East to Central and South Asia. Garden tours are open to the public at scheduled times.
The Centre houses a gallery with a changing programme of exhibitions and aims to add a unique contribution to London’s cultural offer as well as nationally and internationally. Nearby Victoria Hall King’s Cross is a hall of residence which provides accommodation for students of the IIS and ISMC as well as other students studying in London. Victoria Hall also has two outdoor spaces – a courtyard on the first floor and a terraced garden on the eighth floor, both designed by Vladimir Djurovic who also designed the Aga Khan Park in Toronto. The eight gardens at the Aga Khan Centre and Victoria Hall, and two gardens in the public realm, form a ribbon of green spaces which reflect the rich diversity of cultures across the world of Islam.