The mission of the Aga Khan Music Programme is to foster the development of living musical heritage in societies across the world where Muslims have a significant presence and disseminate this work internationally through collaborations with exceptionally creative musicians, artists, educators, and arts presenters.

In 2006, and again in 2008, Belgian photographer Sebastian Schutyser undertook a mission to photograph and profile musicians of Central Asia as an assignment for the Music Initiative. To capture the flavour of the music, musicians and artists were featured in striking architectural settings in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. These images featured exclusively on Archnet, show how a brilliant photographer can re-present well-known spaces and architecture and show them in a new light.