"Set in an extensive complex in the North York neighborhood, with a lush park and formal gardens, this is the largest museum dedicated to Islamic arts and culture outside of any Islamic country. The museum was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, Harvard-educated spiritual leader of the Ismaili community, and opened in 2014 in a building designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Fumihiko Maki. While the pieces inside span millennia, the building itself is strikingly modern, with exterior walls of Brazilian granite, an interior open-roofed courtyard, and a design that takes into consideration how the changing natural light transforms the atmosphere of the spaces throughout the day." - Sandra Ramani
Getty