“This was an era when each of these cultures, Christian, Jewish and Muslim, retained its independent identity while all worked and came together in a glorious intellectual and spiritual adventure.”
– His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, Royal Toledo Foundation Award Ceremony, Spain
“This brings me to Toledo which has so successfully preserved, over many centuries, the evidence of its three-fold culture: magnificent churches, synagogues and mosques.
This was an era when each of these cultures, Christian, Jewish and Muslim, retained its independent identity while all worked and came together in a glorious intellectual and spiritual adventure. The legacy was a truly enabling environment conducive to prosperity, harmony, scientific discovery, philosophical insights and artistic flowering – all the defining features of a thriving civilisation.
I believe, therefore, that the past has the potential to inspire the future positively, and in the wisdom of investing in its protection, particularly the protection of cultures under threat.
The Royal Toledo Foundation deserves admiration for its commitment to keeping alive this spirit of Toledo.”
Extracts from Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Royal Toledo Foundation Award Ceremony, Spain
March 2, 2006
Read full speech at http://www.akdn.org/Content/226/Royal-Toledo-Foundation-Award-Ceremony
Research by Nimira Dewji
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