EXPLORE
Encounter.
Meet new ideas, perspectives, people and possibilities. Follow curiosity beyond the familiar.
Art · Culture · Community
MARKAZ
A centre from which we keep growing.
A community space for art, culture, dialogue and creative expression in the foothills of the Margallas.
01 / THE IDEA
What is
Markaz?
A centre is not where everything stops. It is where things gather, take root and begin to move.
From the Arabic markaz (مركز), meaning a centre, a central place, a point of anchoring. We imagine growth as a movement inward and outward, at the same time.
Inward through reflection, curiosity, learning and absorption. Outward through expression, creativity, dialogue, action and exchange. What we encounter becomes what we carry within us. What we carry within us finds its way into the world.
Not a destination. A centre from which we keep growing.
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02 / WHY WE BUILT IT
Making room
for possibility.
Markaz began with a simple belief held by a young couple: people need room to explore, create, connect and express themselves.
Built on our own land, it is our attempt to make room for the things we think matter: curiosity, imagination, meaningful conversation, shared experiences and the freedom to discover something new.
We don't believe every gathering needs to produce an outcome, every experience needs a lesson, or every conversation needs to reach a conclusion. Sometimes, making room is enough.
03 / OUR APPROACH
The Five Es
Five interconnected ways of engaging with ourselves, one another and the world.
These are not rigid steps or a checklist. They are ways of being curious, present, connected and creative.
EXPERIENCE
Absorb.
Learn by doing, sensing and participating. Let experiences shape how we understand the world.
EMBRACE
Connect.
Make space for different people, ideas and ways of being. Build relationships and belonging.
EVOLVE
Reflect and transform.
Question what we know and allow new understandings to shape who we become.
EXPRESS
Create and act.
Give form to what moves us through art, ideas, conversations and action.
04 / THE SPACE
Room for ideas
to take shape.
A place to gather, make, learn, work and spend time together.
Gather
A multipurpose auditorium for communal gatherings, workshops, performances, talks and cultural events.
Read & reflect
Library seating for reading, quiet work, informal exchange and time with ideas.
Work alongside others
Coworking space for independent work, collaboration and bringing projects to life.
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05 / LIFE AT MARKAZ
Moments that
make a place.
A gathering, an experiment, a conversation, a new idea. Every encounter makes room for what comes next.
Community in a circle
The Markaz community
Women gathering
Learning together
Celebrating together
Ideas in exchange
Creative learning
Music at Markaz
A few moments from life at Markaz. More gatherings, ideas and experiments will find their way here.
06 / A DIFFERENT KIND OF RETURN
Sustained by people,
not profit.
Our return is a happier, more inclusive nation and a more promising future.
Markaz is sustained by patrons who contribute what they can: time, finances, skills, resources, relationships and networks. We see patronage as shared responsibility for the kind of society we want to build.
We want more people to create spaces like Markaz in their own neighbourhoods, in their own ways, with whatever resources they have.
Free for community
Use our auditorium, library seating or coworking space for communal activities where participants are not charged, by prior arrangement.
Minimal contribution
For paid activities, we ask organisers for a modest contribution to help sustain the space and extend access to other groups.
Contribute what you can
Where possible, a sliding scale lets those who can give more help make room for those who can give less.
Still room for you
If you cannot afford to pay, we still want to find a way to make space for you.
Come as you are. Contribute what you can. Help someone else take part.
Become a patron07 / A PLACE WITHIN NATURE
Belonging
to a place.
The land was alive long before we arrived.
Markaz sits in the foothills of the Margallas. We don't see this land as something that exists only for our use. It is home to plants, birds, insects, animals and countless other forms of life.
We are not here to take this place away from those who came before us, but to find our place among them.
Small steps, ongoing responsibility.
- Solar-powered operations
- Bamboo planted as part of our carbon-sequestration efforts
- No single-use plastics on site
- A kitchen garden grown without pesticides
- Fruit trees that offer food and habitat for the wider ecosystem
- An inclusive entrance, because care must extend to the people who enter, too
These are practical steps in an ongoing effort to be more thoughtful about the resources we use, the waste we produce and the life around us.
08 / AN IDEA MEANT TO TRAVEL
Make room
where you are.
We don't see Markaz as a finished idea, or one that belongs exclusively to us. We see it as an invitation.
A room. A courtyard. A gathering. A place to make things, exchange ideas, encounter difference and feel part of something larger than oneself.
We hope Markaz inspires others to start their own versions of it. These spaces need not look like ours. They simply need to make room for creativity, culture, meaningful conversation and connection.
The more room we make for one another, the more possibilities we create.
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09 / COME BE PART OF IT
Come as you are.
Bring what you can.
Have an idea for a gathering, workshop, artistic experiment or conversation worth having? Want to share a skill, contribute resources, support the space or create something of your own? We'd love to hear from you.