MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, will preside over the 15th edition of Aga Khan Award for Architecture at the Royal Opera House Muscat here on October 31.

The Sultanate of Oman is hosting the prestigious event for the first time in its 45th anniversary.

Five projects – Urban River Spaces and Community Spaces from Bangladesh, Blimbingsari Airport project of the Indonesia, Argo Museum of Contemporary Art and Cultural Center project of Iran and Renovation of Niemeyer Guest House project of Lebanon and the CEM Kamanar Secondary School project in Senegal – have been finalised by the jury from 436 projects which were submitted for the honours.

The Aga Khan Awards for Architecture will be preceded by the Aga Khan Music Award ceremony and it is for the first time that both award functions are held at the same time and venue.

On October 30, His Highness Sayyid Belarab bin Haitham bin Tarik al Said will bestow the Aga Khan Music Awards to India’s Zakir Hussain. The Aga Khan Music Awards Master Jury also named the Sultanate’s Musallam al-Kathiry as the winner of a special award for Excellence in Service to Omani Musical Heritage. Musallam, a music researcher, arts manager, performer and composer from Muscat has made important contributions to the collection, documentation, preservation and dissemination of Omani music.

The 10 other winners of the Aga Khan Music Awards are: Afel Bocoum (Mali), Asin Khan Langa (India), Coumbane Mint Ely Warakane (Mauritania ), Daud Khan Sadozai (Afghanistan), Peni Candra Rini (Indonesia), Soumik Datta (The United Kingdom), Yahya Hussein Abdallah (Tanzania), Yasmin Shah Hosseini (Iran), Zarsanga (Pakistan) while, Dilshad Khan (India), Golshan Ensemble (Iran), Sain Zahoor (Pakistan), Seyyed Mogammad Mausavi & Mahoor Institute (Iran) and Zulkifli and Buram (Aceh in Indonesia) received special mention.

On October 29, HH Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Secretary-General at the Secretariat-General for the Council of Ministers, will sponsor the Aga Khan Music Awards ceremony, which includes the distribution of the Walk of Creativity Award, with the participation of the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra and the Aga Khan Music.
On October 30, a symposium of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022 will be organised in Majan Hall at Al Bustan Palace Hotel. Dr. Fahd bin Al-Julandi Al Said, President of Sultan Qaboos University and experts, academics and architects around the world are expected to participate.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 and seeks to identify, encourage and promote building concepts that successfully meet the needs and aspirations of societies in which Muslims are highly present since its launch 45 years ago.

The Aga Khan Music Awards instituted in 2018 and is administered by a Steering Committee co-chaired by the Aga Khan and Prince Amyn Aga Khan including Ara Guzelimian, Sir Jonathan Mills, Joseph Melillo, Salima Hashmi, Shamsh Kassim-Lakha and Zeyba Rahman.