By Rania Walli- Smiley Ismaili
On July 2016 during summer break our family went to Africa and visited the Town Jamatkhana in Nairobi. A jamatkhana is a place to pray for Ismailis. This jamatkhana has it’s own clock tower! One of the first times I saw it was on a black and white video that shows Hazar Imam walking in the same lobby I had a picture in.
This building is at the corner of Moi avenue and River road in downtown Nairobi. The main areas of the building include a beautiful entry lobby, covered courtyard , evening prayer hall , morning prayer hall and offices. This building was opened in 1922 almost a hundred years ago. This jamatkhana shows that Ismailis were citizens of Kenya for a long time.
Read more: https://smileyismaili.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/town-jamatkhana-nairobi/
Rania Walli is a nine year old residing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her blog Smiley Ismaili is a gift to Hazar Imam for his Diamond Jubilee, and to inspire other kids and their parents to visit and learn about all the beautiful projects that Mawla Bapa has made for us. The name of this blog, Smiley Ismaili, was inspired by Hazar Imam’s words at the opening of the Ismaili Centre in Toronto, where he said:
“Yes! We are a community that welcomes the smile!” – Aga Khan
Click the link below to read all her wonderful posts, and to subscribe
https://smileyismaili.wordpress.com/
I have a memory of attending this Jamat Khana, which used to be Nairobi’s Darkhana back in the day, to watch and hear a speech by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan in 1963 when I lived in Nairobi for 1 year; Smiley Ismaili: Town Jamatkhana Nairobi
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