Part of an international family of Ismaili Centres, The Ismaili Centre in London was the first religious, social and cultural space designed for the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim Community in the West. The Foundation Stone of the Centre was laid in September 1979 by Lord Soames, then Lord President of the Greater London Council, and the Centre was formally opened by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in April 1985, both in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan.
By its presence and the function it fulfils, the Centre represents a vision of Islam as a thinking and spiritual faith. Like its counterparts in Vancouver, Lisbon, Dubai and Dushanbe, the Centre in London is a symbolic marker of the community’s permanent presence and core values. Incorporating spaces for social and cultural gathering, intellectual engagement and reflection, it is a bridge of friendship, understanding and dialogue among the faith communities, government and civil society within which the community lives.
