The Aga Khan has been in Toronto the past few days. Yesterday he spent part of the afternoon touring the new Aga Khan Museum + Ismaili Centre. The following photos, taken by UrbanToronto forum member Jim Bowie, gives us a sneak peek of the tour.

Image by Jim Bowie

Here we can see him and his team, just to the right of the pyramid structure dressed in orange vests and white hardhats, touring the Ismaili Centre. Designed by Indian-based Charles Correa Associates in collaboration with Toronto-based Moriyama & Teshima Architects, the centre will be the sixth such centre in the world and the second centre in Canada after the one is Burnaby BC. It will represent the permanent presence of the Ismaili Muslim community in Toronto and Canada.

To the right in the foreground we see the Aga Khan Museum. Designed by Japanese Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki, the 10,000 square-metre structure will contain over 1000 artefacts documenting the history of the Muslim religion. Surrounding the museum will be a large park designed by Lebanese landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic.

Image by Jim Bowie

The site, located at Eglinton and the Don Valley Parkway, will be a major addition to Toronto's cultural and social scene when it opens in 2013. This is going to be a major coup for Toronto. 

Additional information and photos can be found here.