Students to benefit from new Islamic studies centre

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and His Highness the Aga Khan unveiled a plaque to officially inaugurate the Aga Khan Centre in a ceremony that was attended by STEP students, Dr Farid Panjwani, Director of the IOE's Centre for Research and Evaluation in Muslim Education (CREME), and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

In his address, Prince Charles remarked how the Aga Khan Centre will enable future generations to gain a better appreciation of the intellectual and cultural contributions that Islamic civilisations have made to our world.

Following the address, the guests were taken on a tour of the new building, visiting the new library which had several special collections on display, as well as the Centre's numerous gardens.

The gardens, along with the terraces and courtyards across multiple floors are central to the building. They are inspired by the diversity of Muslim societies, drawing from regions ranging from North Africa and Spain to the Middle East, Persia and India. The spaces offer a series of contemporary, contemplative gardens which have been commissioned specifically to represent the diversity of the Muslim world, while jointly bringing a connected "ribbon" of new green spaces to the developing King's Cross area.

Speaking following the opening of the Centre, one STEP student said: "It [the centre] was really inspiring and made me realise why I applied to the programme. It emphasised the intention for students to build on the work already done here through an education perspective."

Media contact

Rowan Walker, UCL Media Relations
T: +44 (0)20 3108 8515
E: rowan.walker@ucl.ac.uk

Links

• Secondary Teacher Education Programme
• The Institute of Ismaili Studies
• Aga Khan Centre
• Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment

Image credit

'Aga Khan Centre' - Edmund Sumner