Houston's First U.S. Ismaili Center Set for Historic November Inauguration After Two Decades
The construction project has sparked intense disagreements among residents of the area. The April Collin County Commissioners Court hearing brought out two groups of speakers who disagreed about infrastructure needs and development resources, and who used derogatory language to call the project a “compound” while spreading false stereotypes about Muslim religious practices.
Fawzia Belal from the East Plano Islamic Center defended against false accusations during the commissioners’ meeting. Belal explained at the commissioners meeting that the allegations about women being oppressed and lacking a voice, and Sharia law taking control, were utterly false. Belal declared that Muslims who live in this country share the same American citizenship as all other citizens.
Texas Democratic Representative Salman Bhojani, who became the state’s first Muslim elected official, supports the project while denouncing the religious bias behind the investigations.
Architectural Landmark on Buffalo Bayou
The 150,000-square-foot complex spans 11 acres of land, facing Buffalo Bayou Park from Montrose Boulevard and Allen Parkway. The building, designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture and Nelson Byrd Woltz, includes a five-story central atrium that connects to side atriums and extensive verandas. The building's surfaces, featuring geometric Islamic motifs, match its complex details, which McCarthy Building Companies constructed using modern construction techniques.
The facility contains exhibition galleries, black box theaters, banquet spaces, educational areas, a café, library, prayer hall, and nine acres of garden space. The Ismaili Center seeks to create cultural understanding between different communities through its mission to bring Ismailis and non-Ismailis together through events like lectures and conferences, music performances, and art exhibitions that promote curiosity, celebrate diversity, and stimulate dialogue, according to Omar Samji, who serves as the Ismaili Center spokesperson in his September news release.
A Vision Nearly Two Decades in Making
The late Prince Karim Aga Khan IV selected Houston in 2006 as the location for the first American Ismaili Center. Prince Rahim Aga Khan V took over the project after his father passed away in 2025.
Local authorities gave their approval for the development project when the Aga Khan Foundation bought the Sears warehouse site nearly twenty years ago. The preservation organizations showed disappointment about losing the warehouse, but they accepted the opportunity to build unique architectural designs for the location.
“The Center is designed as a ‘100-year building,’ intended to endure for generations and contribute both to Houston’s cultural fabric and to the global Ismaili community.”
— Project leaders
Serving America’s Largest Ismaili Community
The city of Houston received this designation because it has the largest Ismaili population in the United States, numbering between 35,000 and 40,000 people. Texas as a whole hosts approximately 65,000 to 70,000 Ismailis, with substantial communities in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.
“Houston is proud to have a strong and vibrant Ismaili Muslim community that is focused on giving back to the communities it lives in, focused on making Houston a better city for all its citizens,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a previous visit by the late Aga Khan IV.
Global Context and Cultural Significance
The Ismaili Muslim population reaches between 12 and 15 million people worldwide and stands as the second-largest Shia Islamic sect. The community follows an Imam who leads them through hereditary succession while prioritizing education, pluralism, service, and the integration of faith with contemporary society.
The Houston center operates as one of the largest Ismaili Centers worldwide, alongside existing facilities in Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. The facilities serve multiple purposes beyond prayer spaces because they host educational programs and cultural events through lectures, conferences, concerts, and art exhibitions.
Integration into Houston’s Cultural Landscape
The gardens surrounding the center implement Islamic landscape traditions to design a space that integrates Texas’s natural elements while providing flood protection for Houston. DLR Group principal and senior designer Emily Moore described how the building combines traditional architectural elements with historical knowledge and contemporary technological aspects, as well as progressive design principles.
November brings a significant achievement to Houston, as local scholars and community leaders view the center’s opening as evidence of Muslim participation in public life, which establishes Houston as a leading center for interfaith dialogue and architectural progress.