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A $25 million contribution from the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community, will create a new high-profile green space within the current grounds of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden 15 minutes southwest of Edmonton. The philanthropic gift cements the long-standing relationship between the University of Alberta and the Aga Khan — a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Aga Khan University in 2006 and an honorary doctorate was bestowed to the Aga Khan in 2009.
"The Aga Khan Garden will be a place to connect with nature, a place of inspiration, and a place where cultural understanding will grow," said David Turpin, president of the University of Alberta. "We are honoured and grateful that the Aga Khan, a champion of openness and understanding between cultures, selected the University of Alberta for this wonderful gift."
Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects was specifically asked by the Aga Khan to visit and study other Mughal Islamic gardens. The resultant 4.8-hectare design integrates his findings with the vegetation and topography of Northern Alberta, with forest pathways, stepped terraces, dynamic water features, and an orchard of local plants all situated around the existing Calla Pond.
The Aga Khan, through the programs of the Aga Khan Development Network, has built gardens around the world, heralding the social and economic benefits of green spaces. This garden would be the first in Western Canada, second in North America and 11th in the world to be supported by the Aga Khan. The new attraction — to align with the Aga Khan's 2018 Diamond Jubilee celebrations — is predicted to propel the number of annual visitors from 75,000 to 160,000 people.
"On the 150th anniversary of Canada, it is appropriate that we are creating together a Mughal-style garden which echoes the great contributions that Muslims have made to world heritage," said His Highness the Aga Khan. "The Mughals built the Taj Mahal and Humayun's Tomb and the gardens around them, so the university's embrace of this project is an inherently pluralistic act. The creation of this garden therefore both deepens an existing partnership and illustrates the pluralistic nature of this country. Measures like this should be encouraged, both here and abroad."
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