Hazar Imam and his family members were received at the Dubai airport by Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance. Ismaili Council President Amiruddin Thanawalla welcomed them on behalf of the Jamat and the institutions.

The Award Ceremony is due to take place on Sunday evening at the Al Jahili Fort, a World Heritage Site in Al Ain, a city located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The six recipient projects of the 2016 award — situated in Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Iran, and Lebanon — were announced on 3 October. On Saturday, the architectural community will gather for an Aga Khan Award for Architecture Seminar in Dubai.

This weekend’s events will mark the culmination of the 13th cycle of the Award, which Mawlana Hazar Imam established in 1977 to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of communities in which Muslims have a significant presence. Over the past 39 years, prizes have been given to 116 projects across the world, from France to China.