Light Upon Light: Inside the capital’s spectacular landmark – the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat

With exclusive permission, from author professor Karim H. Karim, publishers Ottawa Magazine and photographer Marc Fowler of Metropolis Studio, the article “Light Upon Light: Inside the capital’s spectacular landmark – the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat” has been published in the February/March (Interiors) issue of Ottawa Magazine which appeared on the news stands today (February 16).

by Karim H Karim

It sparkles like a brilliant jewel shining whiter than the fresh snow that blankets its wintry landscape. The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa’s newest landmark, is a graceful marriage of the East and the West. Situated on the prime section of Sussex Drive, with the Saudi Embassy on one side and the Department of Foreign Affairs on the other, the building features a confluence of traditional Islamic motifs and contemporary materials – its intent to serves as “a metaphor for humanism and enlightenment” reflected in both exterior and interior. The shapes if its structures, the flows of its space, the sightlines, the materials and the finishings all serve to accentuate the effect of light.

Walk Through

The design appears to be inspired by a well-known verse from the Quran:

God is the light of the heavens and the earth
The parable of His light is as if that were a niche
And within it a lamp
The lamp enclosed in a glass container
The glass as if it were a brilliant star
Lit from a blessed tree
An olive, neither of the East nor of the West
Whose oil is well-nigh luminous
Though no fire touched it
Light upon Light!

During the day, the building gleams while at night it is radiant. It is not entirely of the East nor of the West, but draws creativity from both. Wordly aspiration has embraced heavenly inspiration.

The 8,750 square metre edifice was commisioned by His Highness the Aga Khan, the hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims worldwide. “It affirms our intent to share, within a western setting, the best of Islamic life and heritage”, he said at the inauguration ceremony this past December.

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