We aim to improve the socio-economic conditions in rural and urban communities, leveraging the transformative power of cultural heritage. We have found that restoration and adaptive re-use of landmark monuments can anchor communities and help them mobilise for development in general. AKTC projects have led to increased local income opportunities, skills development, the use of local materials and the establishment of new institutions. Our work also restores pride and confidence in the assets available to a community and provides hope for improvements in the quality of life.

Such community-based conservation of cultural heritage has evolved over the years. Increased outreach and experience have made it more inclusive and multiplied its benefits. The upgrading and rehabilitation of historic settlements around heritage monuments has triggered a process of social transformation, giving local communities improved access to basic services. At the same time, conservation of material culture has enhanced awareness of the immediate environment. This has incentivised an increase in local sourcing of materials and emphasised environment and sustainability as important aspects of the area's cultural development.

Our mission has taken on renewed and heightened importance against the backdrop of the challenges that the country is facing. We continue to emphasise the importance of arts and culture in promoting understanding and collaboration amongst peoples inside and outside Pakistan, thereby contributing to peace and security.

AKTC projects have won a number of prestigious international prizes, amongst them 15 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Baltit Fort and Karimabad

AKTC became active in the north of Pakistan in 1989, in response to concerns that the unique culture of the area was under threat due to developments that followed the completion of the Karakoram Highway in 1978. Increased accessibility to remote valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan, coupled with the impact of tourism, introduced a rapid transformation of local customs and economic patterns. These changes called for new strategies and procedures that were capable of steering ongoing rapid change.

The conservation of the Baltit Fort – the earliest elements of which date back more than 700 years – and the stabilisation of the historic core of the village of Karimabad in the Hunza Valley, were the Trust’s first major interventions in Pakistan. The project was finished in 1996, but conservation efforts continued. AKTC’s country affiliate, the Aga Khan Cultural Service-Pakistan (AKCSP), was formed in 1991.

Read more about conservation and development in Gilgit-Baltistan.