DUBAI, March 26: The Aga Khan on Wednesday inaugurated an Ismaili culture centre here, the first of its kind in the Middle East.

The Ismaili Centre, which houses a library and will host conferences and an early childhood education programme, will serve as “a place for peaceful contemplation,” he said at the inauguration ceremony.

“It is not a place to hide from the world, but rather a place which inspires us to engage our worldly work as a direct extension of our faith,” the Aga Khan said.

The centre is the fourth for the community. Others are in London, Lisbon and Vancouver.

The inauguration was attended by Shaikh Ahmad bin Saeed al-Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s ruling family and chairman of the Emirates airline, and by UAE Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.

Officials at the centre said it took four years to build and cost $22 million.

“The variety of expressions within Islam is not a curse but a mercy,” said the Aga Khan, referring to various sects.—AFP