The late Prince Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV passed away on Feb 4, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal, at the age of 88. He is remembered not only by his faithful followers but also by vulnerable communities globally, as he was a champion of community-based development as well as efforts to combat natural disasters.

Late Prince Karim, the Aga Khan IV, was not only the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, but also a prominent statesman and key supporter of global development.

Prince Karim was born on Dec 13, 1936 in Geneva to late Prince Aly Khan and his first wife, the late Princess Tajuddawlah, née Joan Yarde-Buller. He spent his early childhood in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

 

The philanthropist was also an accomplished skier and represented Iran at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

He founded what is now the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) more than 50 years ago, with the purpose of improving the quality of life of those in need — regardless of origin, race, gender or religion — through efforts in health care, education, habitat, culture and the creation of economic opportunity.

The AKDN is active in more than 30 countries, with a particular focus on some of the poorest parts of Asia and Africa.

Prince Karim held the position of Aga Khan for 67 years after succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, in 1957 at the age of 20.

 

He guided all the agencies that comprise the AKDN to work closely with national and local governments on a politically neutral basis and to identify and implement solutions in a collaborative manner.

The alleviation of poverty, enhancement of pluralism and gender equality, and protection of the environment are among its key areas of focus.

The institutional framework and holistic approach of the AKDN have led to the establishment of two universities, over 200 schools and more than 700 health facilities.

There are parks and gardens, foundations that work in social and cultural development, as well as microfinance programmes, environmental protection and climate change mitigation initiatives, habitat planning, disaster preparedness and humanitarian assistance.

There are also businesses in commercial banking, insurance, telecommunications, energy, tourism and media.

The AKDN’s impact is wide-ranging: it annually generates electricity for 10 million people, provides health care to 5m, educates 2m students, and hosts 5m visitors at its parks and gardens.

With an annual budget of approximately $1bn for its non-profit activities, AKDN agencies employ some 96,000 people, the vast majority of whom are Asians and Africans living and working in their home countries or regions.

Education

Providing access to high-quality education in the developing world and promoting gender-equal education were among the most important priorities of the late Prince Karim. He inherited and enhanced schools that his grandfather, Aga Khan III, established in Asia and Africa, and expanded the portfolio of 200 schools to serve more than 85,000 students.

Following the tradition of his ancestors, who founded Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 970, Prince Karim placed great importance on education and established the Aga Khan University in 1983 as Pakistan’s first private, internationally chartered university. It is home to leading medical, nursing and education faculties and programmes.

 

It operates in six countries, in partnership with the governments of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan through an international treaty. Prince Karim also founded the University of Central Asia in 2000 to improve the social and economic development of Central Asia, with special attention to its high-mountain societies.

Continuing this initiative, he also supported partnerships with leading universities across the world and endowed programmes at Harvard, MIT and Brown.

Patron of the arts

The Aga Khan was deeply engaged in the arts and cultural matters, and established programmes and initiatives to support architecture, music and conservation.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 and, with a prize fund of $1m, is awarded every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, preservation and landscape architecture.

The Aga Khan Music Programme fosters the development of musical heritage in societies where Muslims have a significant presence.

 

The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme supports the delivery of restoration and conservation projects and the creation of parks and gardens, such as Al-Azhar Park in Cairo.

Underlining his commitment to preserving Muslim heritage, Prince Karim in 2014 opened the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, home to over 1,000 masterpieces showcasing the arts of Muslim civilisations.

Sporting pursuits

Building on a long family tradition, the Aga Khan was a globally recognised horse owner and breeder.

 

With stud farms in France and Ireland where his racehorses were bred and raised, Prince Karim had five Derby winners — including Shergar, who won the Irish and Epsom Derbies — four winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and a record seven winners of the Prix de Diane.

Bridge building

Prince Karim embodied understanding and tolerance, promoted unity, and underscored the crucial importance of peace as a foundational building block for the progress of society.

Through his personal efforts over the course of six decades, he played a vital role in bringing peace to a fragmented world. He facilitated diplomatic talks at regional and global levels, including the landmark 1985 summit between Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev in Geneva.

 

In partnership with the Government of Canada, he founded the Global Centre for Pluralism in 2006. The centre works with policy leaders, educators and community builders around the world to amplify and implement the transformative power of pluralism.

Titles and honours

The hereditary title “Aga Khan” (meaning “Commanding Chief”) is an honorific title given by the 19th-century Persian Qajar monarch, Fath Ali Shah (1797–1834), to the 46th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, Hasan Ali Shah Aga Khan I (1817–1881).

In keeping with the recognition accorded to the previous three Aga Khans by British monarchs, Queen Elizabeth II granted the title “His Highness” to Aga Khan IV in 1957.

The Ismailis live in over 35 countries, mainly in Central, East and South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America and Australia, and number approximately 12–15m.

In acknowledgement of his exceptional contributions to human development and improving social conditions globally, Prince Karim received distinctions of honour from France, Portugal, Kenya, Canada, the United Kingdom, Iran, India, Pakistan and Senegal.

 

He received 44 international awards, including honorary Canadian citizenship and the UN Champion for Global Change Award, and was the recipient of 24 honorary degrees from leading institutions such as Cambridge, Harvard and McGill.

His Highness the Aga Khan IV graduated from Harvard University in 1959 with a B.A. Honours degree in Islamic history.

His grandfather served twice as the president of the League of Nations, and his uncle was a long-serving UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Prince Karim cared deeply about the continued development of communities and societies, irrespective of their faith.

The artice appeared in the Dawn