On Saturday, May 9, a series of events at the Ismaili Centre and the Aga Khan Museum will launch Cities of the Dead: the Ancestral Cemeteries of Kyrgyzstan beginning Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 4:30 p.m., with an evening lecture beginning at 8:00 p.m. at the Ismaili Centre.
Through funerary architecture, this unique photography exhibition from Professor Margaret Morton captures complex religious and cultural identities existing together in Kyrgyzstan – and offers hope for a more peaceful and inclusive future in this fragile region.
Located at a crossroads of civilizations on the historic Silk Road, Central Asia has long served as a bridge, connecting a diversity of peoples and cultures. Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous country bordering Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, is situated in this strategically important yet deeply fragile region. A former Soviet republic, Kyrgyzstan is a diverse country actively exploring ways to create a more peaceful and inclusive society in the face of external pressures and internal divisions. Today, the region is once again at a crossroads of stability, identity, and economic possibilities.
Canada’s longstanding cooperation with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has expanded in recent years to include support for the network’s most ambitious educational investment: the University of Central Asia (UCA). As UCA prepares to open its first of three campuses in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, in 2016, Canadian partnerships are playing a crucial role in the development of the institution – and the region – at large.
Cities of the Dead: The Ancestral Cemeteries of Kyrgyzstan is part of the UCA’s Cultural Heritage Book Series, a growing collection of works by regional and international scholars aimed at preserving Central Asia’s unique and diverse cultural heritages through research, documenting, archiving and supporting regional scholarship.
Presented by The University of Central Asia, in partnership with the Global Centre for Pluralism, the Aga Khan Museum, and the Aga Khan Council for Canada, the exhibition opens with a symposium featuring photography, anthropology and political science scholars exploring key themes of the exhibit, followed by a keynote lecture and book launch.
Symposium and Panel Discussion: 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Bellerive Room, Aga Khan Museum, Toronto
To register and purchase tickets for the symposium, visit https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/learn/event/cities-dead-symposium
Exhibition & Book Launch and Keynote Lectures: 8:00 p.m.
The Ismaili Centre, Toronto, 49 Wynford Drive
To register and purchase tickets for the evening lecture, visit http://www.citiesofarrival.com/portfolio-item/cities-of-the-dead/
For more information, visit Media Advisory
Ismailimail 