Launch event

15:30, Tuesday 28th of October in the Cholmondeley Room in the Houses of Parliament

The Baroness Mobarik launched the Forum for Islamic Art, Architecture & Cultural Heritage in the Palace of Westminster. The event brought together people from diverse backgrounds to celebrate and explore the richness of Islamic civilisation – its historical heritage and its ongoing resonance in modern culture and creativity.

The launch event welcomed more than 110 guests, including over two dozen Members of the House of Lords, ambassadors from across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond, as well as leading figures from the fields of architecture, design, and cultural heritage. Speakers included Dr. Noorah Al Gailani (British Museum), Farrokh Derakhshani (Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture), and Jila Peacock (Glasgow-based painter and printmaker).

Please scroll through photos from the launch in the carousel below (photographs by Photographer London). You are welcome to use these on social media using the hashtag #FIAACH.

Guests also enjoyed a short film by painter and printmaker, Jila Peacock. Titled ‘Tongue of the Hidden‘, the inspiration behind it came after she spent four years at Glasgow Print Studio making a handmade book of visual translations from ‘10 Poems from Hafez‘, the 14th century metaphysical poet. This BAFTA-nominated film was made entirely in calligraphy from just two of the poems – ‘Peacock‘ and ‘Fish‘, and Jila is delighted to grant us permission to display it on our website:

Speakers at the launch

Dr Noorah Al Gailani

Dr Noorah Al Gailani is Curator of Islamic Collections at the British Museum, specialising in the art and material culture of the Arab World. With over three decades of experience in museums and Islamic heritage, her work explores Arab Islamic history through research, exhibitions, and publications, including Introducing Islamic Carpets (2022).

Farrokh Derakhshani

Farrokh Derakhshani is Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and an International Fellow of RIBA. Trained in Iran and Paris, he has led global collaborations exploring contemporary architecture in Muslim societies through exhibitions, publications, and lectures worldwide.

Jila Peacock

Jila Peacock is an Iranian-born painter and printmaker based in Glasgow, known for blending cultures, languages, and artistic forms. Her work includes Ten Poems from Hafez and the BAFTA-nominated film Tongue of the Hidden, with exhibitions at the British Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, and J. Paul Getty Museum.

Launch event

Speakers at the launch

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