ABSTRACT
Founded in 1988 at the behest of His Highness the Aga Khan, hereafter referred to as His Highness, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is one of the key avenues through which the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) interacts as a philanthropic entity within the developing world. Having emerged as one of the premier forces in supporting responsible, sustainable architectural practice in Muslim countries, the primary goal of the AKTC is to invigorate communities in these areas through several means, including physical, social, cultural and economic. 1 One of the areas of focus for the AKTC is that of architecture in the Muslim world, evident in the many and varied programs that support it. 2 One of the key ways through which this is done, and the topic of this chapter, is the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA), established in 1977 before coming under the aegis of the newly formed AKTC.
