Khalili
Foundation

We are thrilled to share the exciting news that Europeana has reached a significant milestone—1000 editorial stories published on their platform! As proud collaborators with Europeana, the Khalili Foundation is honoured to have contributed to this achievement. Our shared stories celebrate the rich cultural heritage that connects us all. Europeana is dedicated to empowering the […]

The Khalili Foundation was represented at two recent global events discussing public access to culture. The one-day GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) Global Meetup and four-day Wikimania conference both took place in Katowice, Poland.

The Khalili Foundation was proud to collaborate with the Commonwealth Secretariat for a groundbreaking International Youth Day event on August 12, 2024. This initiative, part of the ongoing Commonwealth Faith Festival, underscores our commitment to empowering youth and fostering peace through art, culture, and education. Event Highlights: Waqas Ahmed, Executive Director of the Khalili Foundation, […]

Yesterday, the English Wikipedia home page received an impressive 4.8 million visits. For 24 hours, visitors were greeted with an introductory paragraph about the “Empire of the Sultans” and a striking image of an Iznik flask prominently displayed at the top of the page. This spotlight led 33,500 visitors to explore the “Empire of the […]

Click the play button above to watch the opening speeches, Commonwealth Faith Festival, by Rt Hon Patricia Scotland and Sir David Khalili Learn more about the Commonwealth Faith Festival.

This evening marks the beginning of Hajj and we’re excited to share that this Chinese scroll with the text of Surat Al-Hajj from our Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Collection is today’s featured picture on the Wikipedia home page. Almost five metres in length, the scroll’s illustrations include a map entitled “Routes of the […]

On Thursday, 2 May at Kellogg College, Oxford University, Ban Ki-moon, who as UN Secretary General (2007–2016) played a major role in securing the Paris Climate Agreement and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, was elected as a Kellogg Fellow

Sir David Khalili delivered a landmark keynote lecture to the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge on 23rd May. The lecture titled “The Art of Peace”, based on Sir David’s recently published autobiography of the same name, took the audience on the journey of a collector whose primary purpose has always been to […]

Discover the profound insights of Professor Sir David Khalili, renowned for his unique synthesis of religious wisdom, as he delivers a keynote lecture on ‘The Art of Peace’ at the University of Cambridge.

Available for download now via Amazon, this digital edition makes Sir David Khalili’s inspiring life story and profound insights into the art world accessible at your fingertips. Don’t miss the opportunity to delve into one of the most captivating autobiographies of the year, wherever and whenever you prefer.

The Commonwealth Faith Festival, launched by the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC and Professor Sir Nasser David Khalili, Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, aims to foster collaboration and understanding among youth, peacebuilding, faith, and community groups across the Commonwealth.

The 2024 Commonwealth Faith Festival, a partnership between the Khalili Foundation and the Commonwealth, was inaugurated by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, alongside our Founder, Sir David Khalili. The festival, themed ‘Peacebuilding through Faith,’ featured roundtable discussions aimed at identifying key focus areas and brainstorming solutions to today’s most urgent challenges.

We are thrilled to share that “The Art of Peace” by Sir David Khalili has been chosen as the Pick of the Week at the Bradford Literature Festival.

Sir David’s exceptional scholarly achievements have been duly recognized, leading to his appointment as an Honorary Fellow at the University of Cambridge via its Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development (CRSD) in January 2024.

In the latest installment of the renowned video game series, Assassins’ Creed Mirage, players are treated to an immersive journey through history, where the rich tapestry of Islamic art comes to life. Among the many treasures featured in the game are five stunning artworks from the esteemed Khalili Foundation collection, each offering a glimpse into the beauty and cultural significance of Islamic civilization.

A number of fine Meiji period Japanese Cloisonné masterpieces have been presented to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford by Sir David and Lady Khalili.

In 1967, Sir David Khalili finished his military service in Iran and travelled to study in the United States with $750 – his remaining royalties from a book he wrote when he was just 14. Over the course of the next five decades he single-handedly, piece by piece, assembled eight of the finest art collections in their field, ultimately becoming one of the world’s greatest collectors, about whom Queen Elizabeth Il once said: ‘It is scary how much this gentleman knows about art.’

We improved Wikipedia’s article about the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development so that, from now on, it qualifies for being linked on Wikipedia’s home page. The expanded content mentions the Khalili Foundation and the World Festival of Cultural Diversity. For the first time, the article was linked from Wikipedia’s home page […]

World-renowned artist Beeple, who broke records in 2021 for selling an NFT for $69.3m, donated an NFT for his work “Biological Collectible” (a magnificent digital work accompanied by a physical) that was auctioned for the event – the proceeds going to UNESCO’s efforts to support arts projects in developing countries.

A Khalili Foundation film in Association with UNESCO to mark the World Day for Cultural Diversity for dialogue and development.

A special message from Rt Hon Baroness Patricia Scotland KC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the occasion of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity.

For the World Day of Cultural Diversity, The Sámi Museum in Karasjok will prepare a 360° virtual tour in RUOKTOT – The Return of the Sámi Drums. RiddoDuottarMuseat – Sámiid Vuorká-Dávvirat, 2022-2023 SÁPMI – The Land of the Indigenous Sámi People You will be able to explore an innovative virtual environment that will transport you to the Arctic […]

ERIAC Berlin and ERIAC Serbia prepare two exhibition openings to mark the Day of Romani Resistance on the 16th of May, presenting various Roma artists. The Gypsyism, Balkanism – Through a Glass, Darkly exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia, displays five artists from the Visegrad Region and Serbia who engage themselves in intimate dialogue with the history of – […]

The Prince’s Trust will host four round tables with a diverse group of young people currently being supported by The Trust. To promote a wealth of experiences and opinions, the sessions are hosted across four nations in cities that have been carefully chosen; Glasgow, Birmingham, Belfast and Cardiff. These cities are all highlighted in The […]

As part of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity,  join us for a discussion with expert speakers offering a global perspective of scientific progress and a radical retelling of the history of science, exploring how scientists from Africa, America, Asia and the Pacific have shaped our understanding of the world. The panellists include Dr Lawrence […]

We are delighted to be collaborating with the National Museum of Australia as part of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity. Firstly, on Saturday 13 May 2023, there will be a special event in association with the National Museum of Australia’s exhibition Feared and Revered: Feminine Power through the Ages. Experience a tapestry of sights, […]

We are glad to announce that Museo De Arte de Lima is participating with three events in the UNESCO festival initiative. Firstly, a workshop called  “The transformation of territory as seen through art” will focus on the transformation of the landscape through the centuries. Local problems will be addressed, such as population growth and its […]

We are delighted to announce a special opening of Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum with re-enactors bringing history to life in every corner of the museum. Travel back in time through Roman, Medieval, and Early Modern eras, right up to the French occupation of Malta and World War II. Heritage Malta is […]

Makan, the Egyptian Centre for Culture & Art was founded in 2002 to record and promote traditional music in Egypt, increasingly in danger. The centre documents and presents traditional music in Egypt as a vibrant and renewable resource, a multi-layered point of reference to the cultural richness of Egyptian music and arts. The musicians of […]

We will be joined by The Vietnam National Museum of History in our 2023 festival celebrations. The museum will share a short film named “Vietnam’s betel and areca cultural heritage through the collection of artefacts at the National Museum of History”. The video introduces the heritage of betel nut and the custom of betel nut […]

We are delighted to share the Matenadaran in Yerevan, Armenia as a participant and partner in the World Festival of Cultural Diversity. The project is a 3D tour of the whole Matenadaran museum complex. The virtual tour comprises of the permanent exhibition hall where selected samples of Armenian manuscript art and miniature painting are currently […]

The end of 2022 marked an important milestone in the partnership between the Khalili Collections and Wikimedia UK, with a substantial increase in the number of wiki articles and a

The Khalili Foundation is proud to announce the SOAS Festival of Ideas as a partner for the World Festival of Cultural Diversity. Under the theme ‘Thinking Through Music’, the 2022 festival offered live music, hands-on workshops, film screenings, specialist panels and intimate discussions with music theorists & music makers on decolonising music education, improvisation, dance, […]

During the investiture presided by His Majesty King Charles III at Windsor Castle on November 16th 2022, Sir David Khalili was honoured with a Knighthood for his services to interfaith and charity. In the announcement made by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Government in 2021, Sir David – founder and chairman of the Khalili Foundation […]

18th July 2022, 17:00 BST, Zoom In partnership with the Aspen Institute UK, the Khalili Foundation explores how we can design buildings and public spaces – parks, squares, neighbourhoods – to help people of different cultures interact and enjoy each other. How do we bring together people in a multitude of places to celebrate their differences and engage […]

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) announced a special collaboration with the Khalili Foundation at the Freedom of Religion or Belief Summit in London last week. The Foundation’s UNESCO-supported Interfaith Explorers programme for primary school children will now be translated into multiple languages and promoted to schools worldwide via the FCDO. This was […]

The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity 20th anniversary book produced and published by the Khalili Foundation has been distributed to the Presidents and Prime Ministers attending the 2022 Commonwalth Heads of Government meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. At the special request of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who contributed a keynote article about the Commonwealth’s diverse cultures, […]

Sir David Khalili, Chairman of the Khalili Foundation and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, launched the World Festival of Cultural Diversity at a special meeting at the UNESCO HQ in Paris. The World Festival of Cultural Diversity is a global, synchronised celebration of cultural diversity supported by UNESCO. It is a year-round programme of events and activities […]

Sir David Khalili met with the Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi, Secretary of State for Education to discuss the promotion of cultural diversity through education institutions across the UK.

We at the Khalili Foundation are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the Prince’s Trust to celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity. Please

The Khalili Foundation and The Prince’s Trust, through the Mosaic Initiative, together launch an exciting new social integration and youth leadership project. The partnership begins with a yearlong pilot programme which will

The Khalili Collections and the Khalili Foundation are proud to announce that our friend and founder, Professor Nasser David Khalili, has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours

Together with Rt Hon Baroness Scotland, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Professor Nasser D. Khalili launched the “Faith in the Commonwealth” and “Peace at the Crease” cricket cup match between

United nations educational, scientific and cultural organization organization des nations unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture Professor Nasser D. Khalili PhD KSS KCSS Goodwill Ambassador Professor