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His Highness the Aga Khan IV with President Kenyatta of Kenya at the Kenyatta Day celebrations. His Highness was the President’s official guest at this ceremony. Nairobi, Kenya, 1966 Credit: Nation Foto
His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), has passed away in Lisbon at the age of 88, surrounded by his family, as announced by the Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat.
A globally respected leader, the Aga Khan IV dedicated his life to humanitarian work, spearheading one of the world’s largest private development organizations, the Aga Khan Development Network, which has significantly impacted communities worldwide through education, health, culture, and economic initiatives. His leadership emphasized Islam as a faith of compassion, tolerance, and human dignity.
Born in 1936, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, as Imam in 1957. Over his decades of leadership, he played a vital role in architectural preservation, urban planning, and the advancement of cultural institutions, notably through the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, both of which have had lasting impacts on global architectural discourse.
The announcement also notes that his successor, the 50th Imam of the Ismaili community, has been designated and will be revealed following the reading of his Will.