Historic Cities Support Programme

Awards Received

The Historic Cities Support Programme (HCSP) has won a number of awards for its work, including UNESCO Asian-Pacific Heritage awards and British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. Please also see other awards received by other AKDN agencies and programmes.

AKTC Receives TIME Magazine's "Best of Asia" Award for Revitalisation of Bagh-e Babur in Kabul, Afghanistan

Babur's Garden in Kabul is part of a much larger AKTC programme of revitalisation that encompasses the restoration of the mausoleum of Timur Shah and the rehabilitation of many historic buildings in Asheqan wa Arefan.

Following the 2005 Best of Asia award for restoration of the Baltit Fort in Hunza, Pakistan (the Fort graced the cover of TIME Asia), the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has now been awarded another Best of Asia award for its 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 honor 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." For more information, please see TIME magazine's site.

Shigar Fort Residence Receives 2006 UNESCO Award of Excellence

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 adpative re-use, 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 capitalized 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.” For more information, please see the announcement. See also the Project Brief: "Baltistan and Hunza: Conservation and Development Projects".

2006 PATA GOLD Award for Heritage and Culture to Shigar Fort Restoration

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced the winners of the 2006 PATA Gold Awards on 17 February of this year. 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 will receive their awards during the 55th PATA Annual Conference in Pattaya, Thailand, April 23-27, 2006. For more information, please see the PATA website.

Azhar Park Receives Travel + Liesure 2005 Global Vision Innovation Award

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture received the Travel + Liesure 2005 Global Vision Award for Innovation. From the citation: "Our judges were drawn to the extraordin-arily 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 neighboring 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." For more information, please see the Travel + Liesure site.

UNESCO 2005 Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Award of Merit

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". For more information, please see the UNESCO site.

Time Magazine Asia: 2005 Best of Asia Award

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."

For more information, please see Time Magazine Best of Asia

2004 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award for Excellence

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 revitalization 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.”

For more information, please see 2004 Awards on the UNESCO site.

2003 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award for the astana (historic tomb) of Syed Mir Muhammad in Khanqha Settlement

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 "recognize 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".

For more information, please see the 2003 Awards on the UNESCO site.

2002 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award for the Ganish settlement projects

From the award citation: “The restoration of four 300-year old wooden mosques in the Hunza Valley has successfully revitalized 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 stabilized 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.”

For more information, please see the UNESCO website.

British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award: Global Winner for 2000

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.”

For more information, British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow website.

Other AKDN programmes in Pakistan have also won awards, including:

"Green Oscar" for AKRSP's Micro-hydros in Northern Areas of Pakistan

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Pakistan has won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy for "outstanding and innovative renewable energy projects". The Award was given for the innovative use of mini hydroelectric plants, called micro-hydels. The Ashden Award cited the AKRSP for the sustainable and eco-friendly solution: "Unlike dams, which invariably damage the local eco-system, the micro-hydel technology used by AKRSP involves simply digging a narrow channel to divert water along a hillside and into a pipe, creating enough pressure to turn a turbine and so produce 20 -100kw of power." Over 180 micro-hydel units supplying electricity to 50 percent of the population of Chitral have been built. The projects are implemented, maintained and managed by the communities themselves. For more information, see the Ashden Awards website for the list of 2004 Award recipients.

For more information, please see the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy website.

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