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Tag Archives: Aga Khan Documentation Center

Archnet in February 2020

261,519 Archnet pages were viewed during the month of February, with each visitor consulting an average of 3.61 pages, according to Google Analytics. While the prize booklet for the Tamayouz Excellence Award was the most downloaded publication in February, it was followed closely by the chapter on “Belapur Housing” from the collection of essays on the work of esteemed Indian architect Charles Correa. Other than the homepage, which is the default page for Archnet.org, Timeline proved the most popular entry page for visitors.  The image to the right shows other popular resources from last month.  You can see lists of […]

As I Open My Eyes- Film Screening at MIT on February 21

The Center for Arabic Culture  & The Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT Libraries, will present the 2015 Tunisian film As I Opened My Eyes on Friday, February 21, 2020 at 6:30 pm in room 3-333 on the MIT campus. Directed by Leyla Bouzid and staring Baya Medhaffer, the film tells the story of a young woman fronting a rock band on the eve of Tunisia’s “Jasmine Revolution.”  The screening is part of the “One Voice, Endless Change” Film Series of the CAC and AKDC@MIT. The screening will be followed by an informal reception and discussion lead by AKDC Program Head, […]

Balloons Over Babylon screens to a packed house

Room 3-133 was packed on Saturday evening for the first US screening and discussion of Balloons Over Babylon, a documentary film produced and directed by Folke Rydén, who responded to audience questions after the screening via Webex.  He was joined online by Dr. Muhamed Almaliky of Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and Dr. Kanan Makiya, writer, Senior Fellow of the Crown Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and Professor Emeritus at Brandeis University, who attended the screening at MIT. The event was part of a joint series organized by AKDC@MIT and the Center for Arabic Culture (CAC), Boston. Murtada al-Hachami, whose project is […]

Center for Arabic Culture and AKDC to present Balloons Over Babylon

The Center for Arabic Culture and the Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT Libraries, will screen Balloons Over Babylon on Saturday, January 11, 2020, 6 PM – 9 PM in Room 3-133 of the MIT campus. The film is part of the “One Voice, Endless Change” film series for Spring 2020. Balloons Over Babylon tells the story of Murtada al-Hachami,  one man’s quest to fight terrorism and promote peace and love by flying hot air balloons over his war-torn country.” The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Folke Rydén, the Director; Murtada al-Hachami, the subject of the film; Dr. […]

Happy New Year from ARCHNET!

Happy New Year from all of us who work on Archnet.org.  We wish all  our users, donors and contributors a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2020! 2019 was an eventful year for us. Archnet moved to a new platform and a new provider in 2020 without causing significant disruptions to our users.  In addition we made available records for over 6,500 images, 170 new sites, 90 publications, and 45 authorities. We brought you documentation of the shortlisted and recipient projects in the 14th-cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. We also launched new collections of abstracts from Cities as Built […]

Rifat Chadirji Archive includes drawings of his 1966 building destroyed in January 2019

In this post Betsy Baldwin, Collections Archivist in AKDC@MIT, reports on some drawings recently discovered in the archive of pioneering Iraqi architect Rifat Chadirji. A recent set of original architectural drawings discovered within the Rifat Chadirji Archive include drawings of the National Insurance Company Building that he designed for Mosul. Constructed in 1966, this building was put to a shockingly horrible use in 2017 when ISIS used it to execute people it decided had broken Islamic law, most notably young gay men who were thrown from it to their deaths. After the recapture of Mosul, restoration was considered. Unfortunately, the […]

AKDC@MIT seeks a video assistant

The Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT Libraries (AKDC@MIT), is seeking a video assistant to edit video to be posted on Archnet.org, an open access, scholarly resource focused on architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design, visual culture, and conservation issues, with a particular focus on the Muslim world. Duties: Create video for two projects: • The Music of Morocco Project – Creation of video slideshows for uploading digitized versions of audio recordings made in Morocco, 1959-1962.  Examples can be seen in the collection on Archnet, but videos still need to be created for more than 1/2 the recordings. • The Architect’s […]

The Kamil and Rifat Chadirji Photographic Archive comes to AKDC@MIT

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC@MIT) is pleased to announce that it is now the home of the Kamil and Rifat Chadirji Photographic Archive. Kamil Chadirji (1897-1968), born to an influential Baghdad family, played a central role in the political life of lraq as founder and President of the National Democratic Party. His position allowed him unique opportunities to take photographs throughout Iraq. Kamil’s son, Rifat Chadirji (b. 1926), perhaps better known as one of the most influential Iraqi architects of the 20th century[1], was also an accomplished photographer, author, teacher, and critic. Together, their vast collection spans […]

New opening date: 25 August 2017. Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov: Turkmen Village Life, 1960 – 80s

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT is proud to support the upcoming exhibition,  Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov Turkmen Village Life, 1960 – 80s. Durdy Bayramov (1938-2014) grew up in an orphanage in Turkmenistan and overcame the significant challenges of his youth to become an acclaimed Eurasian artist and photographer. Through a prolific career as a painter that spanned more than 55 years, Bayramov was best known for his compelling portraits. His tender approach evokes the special character and qualities within each of his subjects, with whom he shared a deep rapport. Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov: […]