Note: We shall use the following naming conventions in this and future posts. Our 49th Imam will be addressed as Mawlana Shah Karim (or His Highness the Aga Khan IV). For our 50th Imam, we will use Mawlana Shah Rahim (Al Hussaini) or simply Mawlana Hazar Imam. The title His Highness the Aga Khan will be followed by IV or V to avoid confusion. Eventually, for the 50th Imam, we will stop using V.
The true breath, scope and intensity of Mawlana Shah Karim’s 67-year Imamat only emerge as you scour Ismaili magazines. This incredible journey, made possible by the hundreds of magazine pages published in the Western world since 1972, is a testament to the rich legacy of our 49th Imam. The textual descriptions and details of Mawlana Shah Karim’s visits and events, which are not covered here, underscore the need for Jamati institutions to digitize all our magazines over the past 125 years, preserving our heritage for future generations.
Ismailis around the world have been remembering Mawlana Shah Karim, His Highness the Aga Khan IV, every day for the past 40 days. Since his passing, we have placed our complete trust, allegiance, faith, loyalty, and love in his son, Mawlana Shah Rahim Al Hussaini Hazar Imam, our beloved 50th Imam. Our faith in Hazrat Ali and his lineal descendants gives us reassurance and a deep spiritual connection. I recollect Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah’s message: “You will have no fear in this world if you love Ali and the descendants of Ali.” This one hint, he added, encompasses all the beauties of prayer and religion.
Mawlana Shah Rahim reassured us of his constant presence in his poignant Takht-nishini Farman (guidance) on February 11, 2025, a week after his father’s passing. He urged us to turn to him with our concerns, reminding us that the Imam is always with us, and we are with him. These words of support uplifted all his spiritual children, regardless of age, fostering a sense of belonging and comfort within our community under his care, as we were in his Mawlana Shah Karim’s. Let us all remember that the Imam’s constant presence is our source of security and reassurance.
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan, addresses his spiritual children in the presence of his leaders on the significant occasion of his Takht-nishini (enthronement) at the Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat. The ceremony, a momentous and historic event in the Ismaili community, was relayed live to Ismailis gathered in Jamatkhanas worldwide, February 11, 2025. Photograph: Akbar Hakim / The Ismaili.
Of course, Mawlana Shah Karim was with many of us born before 1957 for 67 years. Just as our parents and grandparents vividly remember Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, we will not forget Mawlana Shah Karim. Judging by the feelings of the Jamat, even children as young as 5 or 6 became attached to him.
Just as we celebrated Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah’s centenary on November 2, 1977, with special seminars, magazines, and lectures, we look forward to commemorating the birth centenary of Mawlana Shah Karim’s birth on December 13, 2036.
Barakah and its sister websites have been around for 37 years (Simerg 16 years, Simergphotos 13, and Barakah 8). Since 2009, we have appreciated our readers’ contributions to photographs and the archives and photo galleries of the Ismaili and AKDN websites. We are pleased to present a chronological selection of Mawlana Shah Karim’s Imamat from our collection.
As we welcome the New Year, Navroz, on March 21, 2025, under the loving care of Mawlana Shah Rahim, we sincerely hope you enjoy this gallery, which is in the loving memory of Mawlana Shah Karim and, of course, in honour of Mawlana Hazar Imam Shah Rahim Al Hussaini.
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Story of Mawlana Shah Karim, His Highness the Aga Khan IV
1. Mawlana Shah Karim in pictures: 1936 – 1956
Mawlana Shah Karim (right) and his younger brother Prince Amyn pictured with their mother, Princess Joan (d. April 27, 1997), during their childhood in Nairobi, Kenya. Photograph: Jan Karmali Collection, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, left, with his uncle Prince Sadruddin and younger brother Prince Amyn on his 2nd birthday on December 13, 1938. Photo: Ismaili Crescent (issue 13-12-1969) published by the Ismailia Association for Tanzania.
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Mawlana Shah Karim as a young boy. Photograph: Diamond Jubilee Souvenir published by the Ismailia Association of Africa in the collection of Sadruddin Khimani Family, Vancouver, Canada.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and his younger brother Prince Amyn Muhammad during their childhood in Kenya.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, seated on the lap of his father, Prince Aly Khan (d. May 12, 1960), Prince Amyn and Princess Joan Aly Khan (d. April 25, 1987), surrounded by members of the Ismaili community in Nairobi during the celebration of Education Week in the 1940s. Photograph: Private Collection, Mombasa, Kenya.
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The late 48th Ismaili Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan III (d. July 11, 1957), seated in a wheelchair with members of his family with his successor, Mawlana Shah Karim (d. February 4, 2025), His Highness the Aga Khan IV, standing at extreme right. Others in the photo (l to r), grandson Prince Amyn, and the Imam’s two sons, the late Prince Sadruddin and Prince Aly Khan, who is seen holding his daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan. Photograph: Late Alijah Zul Khoja collection.
Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah’s death on July 11, 1957, was mourned by people of all communities around the world. For the Ismailis, the loss of their longest reigning Imam in Ismaili history became an occasion to reflect on their traditional and historical understanding and belief about the Institution of Imamat that he had led for 71 years. During a few days the Ismailis had to wait before his Will announcing his successor was read out, the famous tradition (Hadith) of the Prophet Muhammad: “I am leaving behind me two things: the Book and my Progeny. If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray,”
and the Quranic verses (3:33-34):
“Verily, God did choose Adam and Noah, the progeny of Abraham, and the progeny of Imran above all the worlds, descendants, one from the other: And God heareth and knoweth all things.”
became their comforting factors.
In the Will read in front of the Imam’s family at Villa Barakat in Geneva, Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah proclaimed his grandson, Prince Karim, as his successor. It said:
“Ever since the time of my first ancestor Ali, the first Imam, that is to say over a period of thirteen hundred years it has always been the tradition of our family that each Imam chooses his successor at his absolute and unfettered discretion from amongst any of his descendants whether they be sons or remoter male issue.
“In view of the fundamentally altered conditions in the world in very recent years due to the great changes which have taken place including the discoveries of atomic science I am convinced that it is in the best interests of the Shia Moslem Ismailian Community that I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years and in the midst of the new age and who brings a new outlook on life to his office as Imam.
“I appoint my grandson Karim, the son of my son Aly Salomone Khan, to succeed to the title of Aga Khan and to be the Imam and Pir of all my Shia Ismailian followers.”
Through the special designation (or the Nass) of the late Imam, Shah Karim al-Hussaini became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Nizari Ismailis at the age of twenty. Shortly after, the newly enthroned Imam met Ismaili leaders and representatives from around the world, and made the following statement:
“My grandfather dedicated his life to the Imamat and Islam, both of which came first, and above all other considerations. While I was prepared that one day I might be designated the Aga Khan I did not expect it so soon. I follow a great man in a great responsibility and he could have given me no more appreciated honour than to bequeath me this spiritual leadership. My life, as his, will be dedicated to the service of my followers” — Mawlana Shah Karim, July 13, 1957, enthronement ceremony, Geneva.
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Mawlana Shah Karim granted Daulat (Dolly) Hassanali Jamani an exclusive photo opportunity with him at the Villa Barakat in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 13, 1957, shortly after his group photos with Ismaili leaders and members of the community who had gathered to pay him their respects, homage, and allegiance as the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on the grounds of the Villa. Photograph: Hassanali Jamani Family collection.
A special souvenir edition of Sunday News covering Mawlana Shah Karim’s enthronement ceremony in Dar es Salaam, October 1957. Photograph: Late Ajmal Andani Family collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim delivers his speech at his Takht-nishini — ceremonial installation — as the 49th Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims in Nairobi, October 22, 1957. Photograph: Special 21st Birthday Souvenir.
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Mawlana Shah Karim congratulates two student boxers, one African and the other Asian, after their boxing match during his visit to the Aga Khan School in Kampala, October 24, 1957. Photograph: Special 21st Birthday Souvenir.
Mawlana Shah Karim in a group photo with leaders of the Pemba community on November 18, 1957, in Wete. The group includes Sheikh Mohammed Shamte (second left with glasses and jacket), who became the first Prime Minister of independent Zanzibar in December 1963. Photograph: Kamrudin A. Rashid Collection, Toronto.
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1958
Mawlana Shah Karim arrives at his Karachi enthronement ceremony, accompanied by Prime Minister Mirza of Pakistan, January 23, 1958.
Mawlana Shah Karim meets with Ismaili students during his visit to Lourenço Marques in May 1958. Photograph: Jehangir Merchant Family collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with leaders and teachers of Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) on the front staircase of the Jamatkhana during his 3-day visit to Mozambique in 1958. Photograph: Jehangir Merchant collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is seen waving from his seat as he departs Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), Mozambique, after a three-day visit in May 1958. Photograph: Jehangir Merchant collection.
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1959
Renowned Ismaili artist Azeez Khanbhai, now based in Vancouver, watches as Mawlana Shah Karim signs a portrait that Azeez presented to the Imam during a luncheon gathering at the residence of Diwan Sir Eboo Pirbhai, who is seen standing at right in the dark suit. Khanbhai completed the painting in 1959 before Mawlana Shah Karim visited Nairobi the same year. Photograph: Azeez Khanbhai collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim pictured in 1959 in Nairobi with Territorial Education Administrators Madatali A. Shariff (Kenya), Alnoor Kassam (Tanzania) and Jimmy R.K.S Verjee (Uganda). Photograph: Commemorative Issue 1977-1978.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, left, his uncle Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, right, and Prince Amyn Aga Khan at the back, carrying the shrouded body of the 48th Ismaili Imam, Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, from its temporary resting place to the mausoleum, 1959. Photograph: Jehangir Merchant collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim visits Salamieh, Syria, for the first time. In the 9th century, it was the Seat of the Ismaili Imams and the Headquarters of the Ismaili missionary movement (Dawa). Photograph: IPL / The Ismaili.
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Mawlana Shah Karim shows immense delight in the gift of trinite presented to him during his visit to the Health Research Laboratory in Las Alamos, California, November 1959.
Mawlana Shah Karim keenly watches as a student appears to tackle an art assignment during his visit to the Aga Khan Primary School approximately in the early 1960s. Photograph: Late Mrs. Jean Kirk Family Collection via daughter, Allison Wallace, Australia.
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A signed photo by Mawlana Shah Karim who is pictured in a traditional Burmese dress during his March 1960 visit to Burma when he celebrated Navroz (Persian New Year) with the Ismailis in Rangoon. Photograph: Anwar Virani Archives, Ottawa.
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1961
President John F. Kennedy meets with Aga Khan IV at the Oval Office, White House, on March 14, 1961. The 49th Ismaili Imam first met the President in France six years earlier. Photograph: Robert L. Knudsen (Robert LeRoy), 1929-1989.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and President Senghor at Senegal Independence Day Celebrations in Dakar, April 7, 1961.
Mawlana Shah Karim in the giant slalom race at the Alpine World Ski Championships held at Chamonix in Haute-Savoie, France, 1962. Photograph: 25 Years in Pictures, The Silver Jubilee of the Imamat of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, published by Islamic Publications Ltd., London, England, 1983.
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Mawlana Shah Karim arrives in Mumbai as part of a three-week visit to India, 1962. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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1963
Mawlana Shah Karim at the First Anniversary Celebration of Mindanao State University, where he was the Chief Guest, November 24, 1963. Photograph: AKDN/H. Merchant.
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1964
Mawlana Shah Karim is presented with a cake on his 28th birthday in Karachi, Pakistan, on December 13, 1964. Photograph: Barakah archives.
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Mawlana Shah Karim inaugurates the First World Ismailia Socio-Economic Conference held in Karachi, December 1964. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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1965
Story to be completed
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1966
Mawlana Shah Karim smiles broadly as he greets students during a visit to the Aga Khan Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya, 1966. Photograph: Juby Sprake collection, Vancouver, Canada.
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IRINGA (TANZANIA): On November 4, 1966, as Mawlana Hazar Imam’s [Shah Karim] plane circled the Iringa airport, there was palpable excitement as the leaders of the Jamat anxiously awaited the arrival of our beloved Imam. Mawlana Shah Karim had taken a break on his extended tour of East Africa to return to Europe to attend to some personal matter. Iringa was the second stop on his return visit from Europe. As the ebullient Imam emerged from his plane, without regard to his evident infirmary, with plastered foot and a walking cane, Jamati leaders’ ecstatic emotions turned to one of unexpected concern. But the Imam was quick to calm the leaders’ fears about his infirmed foot — See Iringa visit story
Mawlana Shah Karim arrives at Iringa Airport on November 4, 1966, for a 3-day visit to Iringa, Tanzania. He is seen carrying a walking stick, as his leg was plastered following a previous injury. Photograph: The Family of Alijah Akbarali and Alijiani Kulsumbai Mohamed Hamir collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim lays the foundation of Iringa Sports Complex during his 3-day visit to Iringa in November 1966. Photograph: The Family of Alijah Akbarali and Alijiani Kulsumbai Mohamed Hamir collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim departs Iringa after his 3-day visit in November 1966. Photograph: The Family of Alijah Akbarali and Alijiani Kulsumbai Mohamed Hamir collection.
Mawlana Shah Karim arrives at Arusha Jamatkhana with the Regional Commissioner (another side of the car) during his extensive visit to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Madagascar, 1966. Photograph: Amin Jaffer Collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim meets with Arusha girl guide leader Farida Razak Kara during his tour of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Madagascar, 1966. Looking on at left is scout master Sadru H.K. Ishani. Photograph: Amin Jaffer Collection.
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3. Mawlana Shah Karim in pictures: 1967 – 1976
1967
Mawlana Shah Karim at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the World Ismaili Socio-Economic Conference in Geneva where he announced the establishment of the Aga Khan Foundation, January 1967. Photograph: The American Ismail, July 11, 1992, page 2.
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The obverse and reverse of a silver coin minted on Mawlana Shah Karim’s 10th Imamat anniversary commemorated on July 11, 1967. Photograph: Jehangir Merchant collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim performs the foundation at the nursing home of Prince Aly Khan Hospital in Mumbai, India, November 8, 1967. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is conferred the Degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by the Peshawar Univesity of Pakistan, November 30, 1967. Photograph: Roshni, October 1982, page 13.
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Mawlana Shah Karim delivers a speech after receiving an Honorary Doctorate from Peshawar University, Pakistan, November 30, 1967. Photograph: AKDN.
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1968
Story to be completed
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1969
Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Salimah with family members after their wedding in 1969. From left to right: Princess Andre, Princess Joan Aly Khan, Mawlana Shah Karim, Princess Salimah, Mata Salamat Begum Sultan Mahomed Shah, and Princess Yasmin. Standing: Prince Sadruddin and Prince Amyn. Photograph: Photograph: 25 Years in Pictures, The Silver Jubilee of the Imamat of His Highness the Aga Khan, Volume 1, 1983, Islamic Publications Ltd. London, England.
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In 1969, see previous photo, Mawlana Shah Karim married Princess Salimah, who is pictured with their children Princess Zahra Aga Khan (L.), Prince Rahim (R.) and Prince Hussain. Photograph: 25 Years in Pictures, The Silver Jubilee of the Imamat of His Highness the Aga Khan, Volume 1, 1983, Islamic Publications Ltd. London, England.
Mawlana Shah Karim at a Jamati Mulaqat at Hasanabad, Mumbai, during one of his visits to India in the 1960s. Photograph: Jehangir Merchant Collection.
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1971
Mawlana Shah Karim and Pakistan’s President Yahya Khan lay the foundation stone of the Aga Khan Medical Hospital and College, which would later become the Aga Khan University, February 3, 1971. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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John and Haji Karmali had a business of photographic and medical supplies. In this photo taken in 1971 in Nairobi, Haji is demonstrating a microscope to Mawlana Shah Karim which the two brothers had donated to the Aga Khan Hospital. Photograph: Jan Karmali collections, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Mawlana Shah Karim (Aga Khan, Prince Shah Karim al Hussaini, as cited by the photographer). Photo created or published 1973 or 1974. Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Bernard Gotfryd. Digital Id: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/gtfy.02027
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Mawlana Shah Karim (Aga Khan, Prince Shah Karim al Hussaini, as cited by the photographer) and Princess Salimah. Photo created or published 1973 or 1974. Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Bernard Gotfryd. Digital Id: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/gtfy.02028
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1974
Story to be completed
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1975
Mawlana Shah Karim is pictured with scholars and leaders of the Ismaili community at the World Ismailia Association Conference held in Paris, April 1975. At this conference, a decision was taken to establish an institution for Ismaili Studies(IIS), which materialized on December 13, 1977. Photograph: Ilm magazine, UK, October 1975.
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1976
Mawlana Shah Karim opens the Nairobi Serena Hotel with President Jomo Kenyatta, February 16, 1976. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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Mawlana Shah Karim addresses the Seerat conference, which was dedicated to the life of the Prophet Muhammad, in Karachi, Pakistan, 1976. Photograph: Ilm Supplement, Pakistan visit, 1976.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in a traditional cap and a scarf during his visit to Pakistan, 1976. Photograph: Ilm Supplement Pakistan Visit, London, UK, 1976.
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4. Mawlana Shah Karim in pictures: 1977 – 1986
1977
Story to be completed
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1978
Mawlana Shah Karim walks through the Methan Jamat gathered in a marquee tent (pandol) for a mulaqat (meeting) with their beloved Imam. Following him are Princess Salimah and the Mukhi and Kamadia of the Jamat, January 22, 1978. Photograph: Nazarali K. Momin / Akbarali K. Momin collection, Sugar Land, Texas, USA.
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Mawlana Shah Karim at the foundation laying ceremony for a new Jamatkhana in Methan Village, Sidhpur, India, as Princess Salimah and Ismaili leaders look on, January 22, 1978; Photograph: Nazarali K. Momin/Akbarali K. Momin collection, Sugar Land, Texas, USA.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Salimah are received by Canada’s Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau (1919-2000) in Ottawa, November 12, 1978. Photograph: Kamruddin Rashid Collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim arrives at the banquet in Toronto with the Lt. Governor of Ontario, the Honourable Pauline Mills McGibbon, November 1978. Photograph: Kamrudin Rashid Collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, His Highness the Aga Khan, is pictured with Ismaili leaders at the International Centre in Toronto. He is presented with a birthday cake ahead of his actual birthday, December 13th, during his first visit to Canada, November 1978. Photograph: Zinat Virani Family, Vancouver.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, accompanied by President Zinat Virani, visits the site of the future Ismaili Centre Vancouver during his visit to Canada, 1978. Photograph: Zinat Virani Family, Vancouver.
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Mawlana Shah Karim delivering his address at a banquet held in Toronto, November 1978. Photo: Kamruddin Rashid Collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim arrives in Edmonton during his first visit to Canada in 1978 to meet with members of the Ismaili community. Mansoor Ladha, left, led Edmonton’s Ismaili community at the time as its Chairman. Photograph: Mansoor Ladha Collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim walks through his Ismaili followers at the Toronto International Centre, November 1978. Photo: Kamruddin Rashid Collection.
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1979
Mawlana Shah Karim and Oleg Grabar at an Aga Khan Award for Architecture seminar in Philadelphia, 1979. Photograph: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture/Pinterest.
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(Late) Dr. Aziz Kurwa, then president of the Ismailia Association for the UK, presents Mawlana Shah Karim with a report of the Association’s activities along with a framed set of 3 Fatimid gold dinars at the students and volunteers gathering held in London. The coins were from the reigns of Fatimid Imams Mawlana Mansur, Mawlana Muizz and Mawlana Hakim, September 1979. Photograph: Bahadur Hirji / Ilm Magazine, December 1979.
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Mawlana Shah Karim addressing Ismailis at Olympia Hall, London, September 1979. Photograph: Bahadur Hirji / Ilm Magazine, December 1979.
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Mawlana Shah Karim walks through his followers and past the Ismailia Association literature counter as he departs Olympia Hall after his final audience with the Ismailis in London, September 1979. Photograph: Sarfaraz Sadruddin / Ilm Magazine, December 1979.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, in Cambridge to inaugurate a joint Islamic Architecture Program at Harvard and MIT, meets with President Derek Bok and MIT President Jerome Walker, September 1979. Photograph: Rick Stafford / Harvard Gazette via Roshni, Navroz 1980, page 11.
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1980
Mawlana Shah Karim performs the ground-breaking ceremony for Aga Khan Hospital and Medical College, which would later become the Aga Khan University, 1980. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, December 1990, page 4.
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“Service to the world community is a family tradition for His Highness,” declared the UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim as he welcomed Mawlana Shah Karim to the United Nations on December 11, 1980. The Aga Khan was provided a forum to share the first results of ongoing research for a contemporary new Muslim architecture at the Trusteeship Council Chambers which were crowded with UN diplomats, architects, journalists and others for the special event. Fittingly, the event was sponsored by the United Nations Development Program, the agency responsible for building the physical and economic infrastructures in the developing world, which was at that time led by Bradford Morse. Photograph: Ismaili Forum, UK, July 1981.
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Mawlana Shah Karim arrives for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture inaugural ceremony in Lahore, Pakistan, October 23, 1980. Photograph: AKDN / Christopher Little.
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Mawlana Shah Karim presents the Aga Khan Award for Architecture to representatives of the Kampung Improvement Programme (KIP) in Jakarta, Indonesia at the first award ceremony held in Lahore, Pakistan, October 23. 1980. Photograph: AKDN/Christopher Little.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Hassan Fathy, winner of the Chairman’s Award at the first Aga Khan Award for Architecture ceremony in Lahore, Pakistan, October 1980. Photograph: The Canadian Ismaili, Navroz 1981, page 21.
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1981
Mawlana Shah Karim, with an Imam outside a mosque in Xinjiang during his visit to China, 1981.
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Mawlana Shah Karim greets a young boy in Xinjiang during his visit to China, 1981.
Mawlana Shah Karim walks with his family through his Ismaili followers during his visit to Kenya March 1981. He is walking with his son, Prince Rahim, who became the 50th Ismaili Imam on February 4, 2025. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, Imamat Day Issue, July 11, 1981, Vol. 1/No. 6, print version.
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Mawlana Shah Karim looks at an issue of a newspaper published by the Nation Media Group during a visit to the Nation Printers & Publishers, 1981. Photograph: AKDN.
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Mawlana Shah Karim delivers the keynote address to the 30th General Assembly of the International Press Institute (IPI) in Nairobi, March 2, 1981. Photograph: AKDN / Christopher Little
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Salimah with French Foreign Minister Claude Cheisson and UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim at a reception during a UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Paris, September 1-14, 1981. Photograph: The Canadian Ismaili, Navroz 1982, page 10.
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1982
An official portrait of Mawlana Shah Karim released for his Silver Jubilee, which commenced on July 11, 1982.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, pictured with Prince Rahim (l), who succeeded him on February 4, 2025, Prince Hussain (c), Princess Salimah and Princess Zahra (r) on the commencement of his Silver Jubilee at his headquarters in Aiglemont, France, July 11, 1982, Photograph: UK Ismaili, Silver Jubilee Year Edition, October 1982.
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Mawlana Shah Karim at signing of agreement for the purchase of shares in Diamond Trust of Kenya Limited by the International Finance Corporation in conjunction with the London Merchant Bankers, July 30, 1982. Photograph: Ontario Ismaili, July 1986, page 8.
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Mawlana Shah Karim meets with Muslim leaders in Nairobi during his visit to Kenya, October 1982. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1983, page 27.
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“This will be a place of congregation, of order, of peace, of prayer, of hope, of humility, and of brotherhood. From it should come forth those thoughts, those sentiments, those attitudes which bind men together and which unite” — Mawlana Shah Karim, July 26, 1982
Mawlana Hazar Imam with architect Bruno Freschi (left) and Honourable Henry Bell-Irving at the foundation ceremony of the Ismaili Centre Vancouver, July 26, 1982. Photograph: Bruno Freschi collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim addressing guests at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony for the Ismaili Centre Vancouver, July 26, 1982. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Minister of Natural Resource Ali Mwinyi, who later became Tanzania’s President, unveil the plaque marking the extension of the Aga Khan Hospital, one of Tanzania’s Silver Jubilee projects, at a ceremony in Dar es Salaam, November 25, 1982. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1983, page 29.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is greeted by Senegal’s President Abdou Diouf during his visit to Dakar for an Aga Khan Award for Architecture seminar, 1982.
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1983
Mawlana Shah Karim visits the Gulbenkian Foundation and Museum, a distinguished institution in Lisbon, February 23, 1983. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1983, page 33
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Salimah lay a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi’s Memorial at Rajghat, January 12, 1983. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1983, page 30.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is welcomed by the Bohra community leader, His Holiness Dr. Syedna M. Burhanuddin, at Saifee Mahal in Mumbai, January 17, 1983. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1983, page 31.
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A day ahead of the granting of the Aga Khan University Charter, architect Tom Payette highlights the university’s features to Mawlana Shah Karim (right) and members of his family — Prince Sadruddin, Princess Joan Aly Khan, Prince Amyn, and Om Habibeh Mata Salamat (seated), March 15, 1983. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1983, page 24.
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Mawlana Shah Karim accepts the Charter of the Aga Khan University granted by Pakistan’s President Zia-ul-Haq in Karachi, March 16, 1983. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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This unique and historical photo signed by the late Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, was taken in the Prime Minister’s Office during Mawlana Shah Karim’s Silver Jubilee visit to Canada in April 1983. (l to r) – Hon. Secretary Farouk Verjee (Aga Khan Council for Canada), Mr. Gerry Wilkinson (His Highness the Aga Khan’s Secretariat, Aiglemont, France), Hon. Secretary Mohamed Manji (Aga Khan Ontario Council), President Amirali Rhemtulla (Aga Khan Grants Council), Mawlana Hazar Imam, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Prince Amyn Muhammad Aga Khan, President Mehboob Dhanani (Aga Khan Ontario Council) and President Zulficar Lalji (Aga Khan Council for Canada). The full signature line note from the Prime Minister read: To Farouk with the best of Memories. Trudeau. 1983. Photograph: Farouk Verjee Collection, Vancouver.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is toasted by Quebec Premier Rene Levesque at a luncheon hosted by the Government of Quebec at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montreal, Silver Jubilee, April 24-26, 1983. Photograph: Souvenir, page 4, published by Aga Khan Regional Council for Quebec and Maritime Provinces,
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Mawlana Shah Karim expresses his appreciation for the warm hospitality accorded to him by the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, Honourable John Black Aird, and his wife, during his Silver Jubilee visit to Ontario. The dinner reception was held at the Legislative Building, April 1983. Photograph: Silver Jubilee Padhramni Ontario April 1983, page 17.
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Mawlana Shah Karim signs the Lt. Governor’s Distinguished Visitor’s Book at the dinner reception held at the Ontario Legislature in his honour during his Silver Jubilee, April 1983. Photograph: Silver Jubilee Padhramni Ontario April 1983, page 20.
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Signatures of Mawlana Shah Karim, Princess Salimah and Prince Amyn (4th line) in the Ontario Lt. Governor’s Distinguished Visitor’s Book which was exquisitely calligraphed for the occasion in green, red and gold with Mawlana Shah Karim’s personal crest, April 1983. Photograph: Silver Jubilee Padhramni Ontario April 1983, page 20.
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A specially commissioned Mohawk Canadian Indigenous bronze sculpture by Doug Maracle was presented to Mawlana Shah Karim by the Ontario Jamat during his Silver Jubilee visit in April 1983. The sculpture called Tekaarahtatsrorakwen, meaning The Chosen One, incorporated important symbols. The runner is seen carrying stalks of wheat on the left hand, which is made of silver and contains 25 grains, denoting the Silver Jubilee. On the right hand (not shown), he carries 49 campfire ropes to represent Mawlana Shah Karim as the 49th Imam. Photograph: Silver Jubilee Padhramni Ontario April 1983, page 39.
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Mawlana Shah Karim walks through the Jamat during his Silver Jubilee visit to the Northern Areas of Pakistan, May 14, 1983. Photograph: Ontario Ismaili, March 1984, page 10.
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Mawlana Shah Karim addresses the Jamat during the Silver Jubilee Darbar in Los Angeles, USA, June 15, 1983. Photograph: The American Ismaili and Roshni, Silver Jubilee Visit USA, page 43.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and the long-serving Ismaili leader, Late Diwan Sir Eboo Pirbhai, share a moment in Los Angeles, USA, during his Silver Jubilee visit to Los Angeles, June 15, 1983. Photograph: The American Ismaili and Roshni, Silver Jubilee Visit USA, page 43.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is honoured with the Doctor of Laws during McGill University’s Fall Convocation at Place des Arts in Montreal, November 1, 1983. Photograph: Ontario Ismaili, October/November 1983, page 13.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with the first graduating nurses of the Aga Khan School of Nursing, December 1983. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, December 1990, page 5.
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1984
Virginia University President Frank L. Hereford Jr. (centre) simultaneously congratulates Mawlana Shah Karim (left) and former US Attorney-General Griffin Bell, who were presented with the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Medal for Architecture and a Foundation Medal in Law, 1984. Photograph: Ontario Ismaili newsletter, October 1984, page 1.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak at the Abideen Palace, Cairo, November 12, 1984. Photograph: The American Ismaili/Roshni, July 11, 1985, page 26.
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Mawlana Shah Karim greets the Prime Minister of Egypt, Kamal Hassan Ali, and the Governor of Cairo, Youseef Sabi Abu Taleb, upon his arrival at the Arab League Building for the opening of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture seminar “The Expanding Metropolis,” November 1, 1984. Photograph: Aziz Islamshah/The American Ismaili/Roshni, July 11, 1985, page 26.
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1985
Mawlana Shah Karim (3rd from right) accompanied by Princess Salimah visits the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva to mark the announcement made by the Aga Khan Foundation toward a communications training project for ICRC staff and delegates, May 20, 1985. Photograph: The American Ismaili/Roshni, July 1985, page 32.
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Mawlana Shah Karim speaking at the 25th anniversary of the Nation Newspapers in Nairobi, with Kenya’s President Daniel Arap Moi and UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim looking on, March 1985. Photograph: Ian Charles Stewart via The American Ismaili / Roshni, July 1985, page 30
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Mawlana Shah Karim speaks at the opening of the Ismaili Centre in London as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the President of the Aga Khan Ismaili Council Anil Ishani look on, April 24, 1985. Photograph: Derek Rowe, Roshni Magazine, USA.
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Mawlana Shah Karim’s lapis portrait by Ismaili artist Gulgee is prominently displayed on a wall along the main stairwell of the Ismaili Centre in London, leading up to the Jamatkhana (prayer hall).
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Mawlana Shah Karim tours the roof garden of the Ismaili Centre London with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the opening ceremony of the Centre, April 24, 1985. Photograph: The Ismaili.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (d. February 29, 2024), arriving for the opening of the Ismaili Centre Vancouver, Friday, August 23, 1985. Photograph: Garry Otte / The American Ismaili Magazine, January 1986, page 42.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in a jovial mood after the opening of the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre Vancouver, August 23, 1985. Photograph: Garry Otte/The American Ismaili Magazine, January 1986, page 43.
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An artistic rendering by the Ismaili artist Gulgee of Mawlana Shah Karim delivering his speech at the inauguration ceremony of the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, November 11, 1985. Photograph: The Aga Khan University Inauguration Souvenir, published by the Aga Khan University Hospital, page 2.
The Divine Intellect, “Aql Qul”, both transcends and informs the human intellect. It is this intellect which enables man to strive towards two aims dictated by the Faith: that he should reflect upon the environment Allah has given him and that he should know himself. It is the light of intellect which distinguishes the complete human being from the human animal, and developing that intellect requires free enquiry. The man of Faith who fails to pursue intellectual search is likely to have only a limited comprehension of Allah’s creation. Indeed, it is man’s intellect that enables him to expand his vision of that creation — Excerpt, Mawlana Shah Karim, November 11, 1985, Karachi Pakistan, the Aga Khan University Inauguration Souvenir, published by the Aga Khan University Hospital, page 6.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Pakistan’s President Zia-ul-Haq unveiling the plaque inaugurating the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, November 11, 1985. Photograph: The Aga Khan Health Services International Newsletter, No. 24, Oct-Jan 1986.
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An artistic rendering by the Ismaili artist Gulgee of Mawlana Shah Karim and Pakistan’s President Zia-ul-Haq, unveiling the inauguration plaque of the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, November 11, 1985. Photograph: The Aga Khan University Inauguration Souvenir, published by the Aga Khan University Hospital, page 12.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is congratulated by President Zia-ul-Haq after inaugurating the Aga Khan University and the University Hospital, November 11, 1985. Photograph: The Aga Khan Health Services International Newsletter, No. 24 Oct-Jan 1986, page 3.
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1986
Mawlana Shah Karim and Spain’s King, Jan Carlos, meeting delegates participating in the 10th international Aga Khan Award for Architecture seminar “Architecture Education in the Islamic World” held at the Alhambra Palace, Granada, April 21-26, 1986. Photograph: Gary Otte / Aga Khan Award for Architecture via The American Ismaili, July 11, 1986, page 40.
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Mawlana Shah Karim ordains a new constitution for the worldwide Ismaili Muslim community on his 50th birthday, December 13, 1986. Beside him is the flag of the Ismaili Imamat, bearing the Imamat Crest.
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5. Mawlana Shah Karim in pictures: 1987 – 1996
1987
Mawlana Shah Karim in discussion with Pierre Trudeau (2nd left), former Prime Minister of Canada, and The Honorable David Peterson, Premier of Ontario (right) and Roman Catholic Cardinal G. Emmett Carter at the dinner hosted in honour of the Mawlana Shah Karim by the Globe and Mail, May 14, 1987. Photograph: AKDN / Gary Otte.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is conferred an Honorary Degree by McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, May 16, 1987. Photograph: Nadir Abdulla / Ontario Ismaili, July 1987, page A8.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, Princess Salimah and Jordan’s Queen Noor at the inauguration of the exhibition of Jordanian paintings at the Zamana Gallery, London, September 30, 1987. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, Salegrah Issue 1987, page 5.
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I have spent here in the Northern Areas one of the most inspiring and exciting weeks of my life. Words are shallow in comparison to the depth of feeling and admiration I have for the extraordinary achievements of AKRSP [Aga Khan Rural Support Program], and everyone connected with it, achieved in the last five years. Centuries of poverty and despair, human conflict and division appear to be fading into the past, as new light and hope are projected onto a future which people can believe in, Yes, words do fail…Mawlana Shah Karim, November 20, 1978 (in the visitor’s book in the office of AKRSP)
Mawlana Shah Karim leading the way on an Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) project during his visit to the Northern Areas of Pakistan, November 20, 1987. Photograph: Gary Otte
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1988
Mawlana Shah Karim is honoured in Rome by Italian President Francesco Cossiga, left, with Cavalierre del Lavoro, Italy’s highest honour, October 26, 1988. Photograph: The American Ismaili, March 21, 1989, page 3.
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Mawlana Sha Karim and Tanzania’s President Ali Mwinyi in conversation at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam, October 1988. Photograph: The American Ismaili, March 21, 1989, page 10.
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1989
Mawlana Shah Karim meets Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at his residence during the last day of his visit to India, February 14, 1989. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, Navroz, March 1989, page 5.
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Mawlana Shah Karim receives a very warm welcome at Islamabad airport from Pakistan’s President Gulam Ishaq Khan. He was in Pakistan from March 11-21, 1989, for a truly historic visit that included the 1st convocation of the Aga Khan University. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1989, page 79.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Zardari. The Prime Minster hosted a dinner in honour of Mawlana Shah Karim in Islamabad, March 11, 1989. Photograph: Gary Otte.
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Mawlana Shah Karim pictured in his Khila’at, as Chancellor of the Aga Khan University, during the 1st Convocation Ceremony held in Karachi, Pakistan, March 20, 1989. The robe is distinguished by its elaborate and intricate gold embroidery on the upper part of the robe both back and front, but is also unique for its white colour.
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Many days in a lifetime are unremarkable, some are notable, few are unforgettable. In the truest sense, only one can be unique. The longer one’s life, the more the relativity of a unique day is measured against time gone by. Despite all this, for me, having lived over half a century [the Aga Khan was 52 at the time] this is indeed a unique day — Mawlana Shah Karim, March 20, 1989, AKU Convocation.
Mawlana Shah Karim with graduating students at Aga Khan University’s first convocation ceremony, March 20, 1989. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 1989, centre fold.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Ismaili leaders from the UK and North America at the rooftop of the Ismaili Centre London where a lunch was served by Ismaili volunteers. Some of the recognizable leaders are (l to r) Niyaz Nathoo (UK), Zul Esmail (USA), Anil Ishani (UK), HIS HIGHNESS, Fidahussein Remtulla (UK), the late Diwan Sir Eboo Pirbhai (Kenya), Nizar Kanji (Canada), London, July 24, 1989. Photograph: Shamas Nanjijuma collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with the lunch serving team at the rooftop of the Ismaili Centre London, July 24, 1989. Photograph: Shamas Nanjijuma collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature in Education at the University of London by Princess Anne, Chancellor of the University, October 12, 1989. Photograph: UK Ismaili Newsletter, November/December 1989.
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1990
Mawlana Shah Karim hosts Rt. Hon. Lynda Chalker, Britain’s Minister for Overseas Development, at the Ismaili Centre’s Zamana Gallery in London. Mawlana Shah Karim and the minister toured an exhibition entitled Hands Across the World about the work of the Aga Khan Foundation in Asia and Africa. Looking on are AKF’s Guillamme de Spoelberch and Azeem Lakhani, May 21, 1990. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, July 1990, page 24.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in a jovial mood with Indonesia’s President Soeharto, who inaugurated the 12th international seminar of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture entitled Contemporary Expressions of Islam in Building, at the State Palace in Jakarta, October 15, 1990. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, December 1990, page 23.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is presented with the award of Commander of the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest honour, by France’s President François Mitterand at the Élysée Palace, November 7, 1990. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, December 1990, page 13.
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Mawlana Shah Karim pours cement on the foundation stone of the Al-Azhar Park situated at El-Darrassa, as the Governor of Cairo, His Excellency Mahmoud Sheriff and First Lady of Egypt, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak look on. The event took place after the signing of a Protocol of Agreement to create a public park in one of Cairo’s last remaining green spaces, December 10, 1990. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, July 1991, page 27.
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1991
Mawlana Shah Karim reviews progress at the Aga Khan School in Kisumu, Kenya, during his two-week visit to East Africa, July 1991. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, December 1991, page 27.
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Mawlana Shah Karim outside the Old Dispensary Building in Zanzibar discussing rehabilitation of the Stone Town, July 1991. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, December 1991.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Tanzanian President Hassan Ali Mwinyi sign the Accord of Cooperation for Development at the State House in Dar-es-Salaam. The Accord stated Tanzania’s recognition of the Aga Khan Development Network’s long contribution to the development of the country and agreed that the Government would promote an enabling status to accelerate the economic, social and cultural development of Tanzania, on July 12, 1991. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, December 13, 1991.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff and Sindh Governor Mahmoud Harron at the 4th Convocation Ceremony of the Aga Khan University, during his 17-day visit to Pakistan to meet with his Jamat, November 16, 1991. Photograph: The Canadian Ismaili, March 1992, page 17.
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Mawlana Shah Karim speaks with graduating students at a luncheon on the Aga Khan University campus on November 16, 1991. Photograph: Canadian Ismaili, March 1992, page 18.
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1992
Mawlana Shah Karim hosts Aga Khan Foundation USA National Committee on the 25th anniversary of the Foundation, whose establishment was announced in January 1967 at the World Ismaili Socio-Economic Conference in Geneva, February 25, 1992. Photograph: American Ismaili, July 11, 1992, page 6.
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Mawlana Shah Karim’s message on the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Aga Khan Foundation. Photograph: The American Ismaili, July 11, 1992, page 2.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in a discussion with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at Harrington Lake, the Prime Minister’s summer retreat during his visit to Canada, August 1992. Photograph: Visit to Canada by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan published by His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Canada, photograph #17.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at Harrington Lake, the Prime Minister’s summer retreat during his visit to Canada in August 1992. Photograph: Visit to Canada by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan published by His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Canada, photograph #17.
Mawlana Shah Karim, 2nd row, with independent Master Jury members of the 5th Cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, September 17, 1992. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1993, page 29.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for the 5th cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture presentation ceremony, September 19, 1992. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, December 13, 1992, page 24.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is invested with honorary citizenship of the city of Samarkand by the city’s Mayor, Aziz Nasirov, September 1992. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1993, page 27.
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Mawlana Shah Karim exchanges views on the role of NGOs in development during his meeting with the President of the World Bank, Mr. Lewis Preston, in Washington D.C., October 23, 1992. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1993, page 45.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, on an official 15-day visit to India, pays his respects at Rajghat, the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, November 13, 1992. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1993, page 41.
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The Prime Minister of India, Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao, hosted a lunch in New Delhi for Mawlana Shah Karim during his official 15-day visit to India in November 1992. They are pictured here sharing a light moment during their private meeting on November 13, 1992. Photograph: Ismaili Canada, March 1993.
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1993
Mawlana Shah Karim (top) is apprised of the work of the Microbiology Laboratory and (bottom) reviews the operational maintenance of the heavy equipment in the service building, Aga Khan University, February 13-17, 1993. Photographs: The Ismaili Canada, July 1993, pages 25-26.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia sign the Bangladesh-AKDN Accord of Co-operation, May 4, 1993. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, July 11, 1993. Photograph: Shehzad Noorani / The Ismaili USA, July 11, 1993, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Grammen Bank Managing Director Mohammed Yunus — Chief Advisor of Bangladesh since August 2024 — and women borrowers inside a house financed under the bank’s loan program, May 4, 1993. Photograph: Shehzad Noorani / The Ismaili USA, July 11, 1993, page 29.
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Mawlana Shah Karim pictured with Zul Khoja, the principal of Aga Khan School in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during his four day stay in Bangladesh in 1993. In this photo, Zul Khoja, is seen showing a curricular activity implemented to introduce creative and critical thinking among the students. Mawlana Shah Karim took immense pride in this activity, known as the Mind Benders Club, and turned to his guests to explain the accomplishments in his school. Zul noted that when Mawlana Shah Karim introduced him to the guests, it was done with a “full bio!” Mr. Khoja said that when he escorted the party into the school, it took the Imam less than 30 seconds to fully understand what was being accomplished in the school. One of the areas that the late Zul Khoja specialised in was the education of bright and gifted children; May 6, 1993. Photograph: Zulfikarali M.A. Velji Khoja Family collection.
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Mawlana Shah Karim meets (top) Professor Fumihiko Maki — the future architect of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa and the Aga Khan Museum Toronto — and (bottom) President Susan Maxman and Executive Vice President of the American Institute of Architects during his keynote address in Chicago to the World Congress of Architects, June 18, 1993. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, July 11, 1993, page 33.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Sir William Ryrie, Executive Vice President of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) signing an agreement in Washington D.C. on a US $32.5 million tourism project in Tanzania, with Daniel Adams and Tei Mante, director of IFC Sub-Saharan Africa, looking on, 1993. Photograph: Canada, December 1993. Note: Report does not specify exact date of meeting.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Prince Charles and the Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Dr. Farham Nizami, at a lecture presented by Prince Charles on “Islam and the West” at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre, October 27, 1993. Photograph: The Ismaili, Canada, March 1994, page 23.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, Prince Charles, Chancellor of the University of Wales and other members of the Chancellor’s procession “doff” their caps following the award of the honorary degree of the Doctor of Laws (LL.D) to Mawlana Shah Karim on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Wales. The grand Centenary Ceremony was held at the University’s St. David’s Hall, November 30, 1993. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1994, page 24.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in conversation with Prince Charles as President Mary Robinson of Ireland signs the Visitors’ Book at a banquet held on November 30, 1993, at the Cardiff City Hall honouring recipients of Honorary Degrees, including Mawlana Shah Karim, earlier during the day on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Wales. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1994, page 25.
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1994
Mawlana Shah Karim (top) giving his commencement speech at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, becoming the first Muslim commencement speaker at MIT, (centre) with Princess Salimah and their two children, Princess Zahra and Prince Hussain; and (bottom) with President Charles Vest of MIT who demonstrates an electronic notebook presented to Mawlana Shah Karim by MIT, May 27, 1994. Photographs: The Ismaili Canada, July 1994, pages 24-25.
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Mawlana Shah Karim expresses his joy and happiness during his ten-day visit to London, UK, August 1994. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, Issue One, 1995, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim concludes his ten-day visit to the UK with a Darbar at the Earl’s Court Exhibition Hall, August 14, 1994. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, Issue One, 1995, page 29.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto at Aga Khan University Convocation Ceremony, Karachi, November 19, 1994. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1995, page 31.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and his daughter, Princess Zahra, at a function during their visit to Karachi, Pakistan, November 1994. Photograph: The Ismaili, March 1995, page 33.
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1995
Mawlana Shah Karim arrives in Moscow for his first ever visit to Russia, where he met members of the Central Asian Jamat in Moscow, January 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1995, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim outside the State Dacha — flying the flag of the Isimaili Imamat — where he was hosted during his five-day visit to Moscow in January 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1995, page 29.
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Mawlana Shah Karim at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Scinces during his 5-day visit to Moscow, January 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1995, page 32.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with (top) the Mufti of Central European Russia and (bottom) with the Orthodox Patriarch of All Russia during his visit to Moscow, January 1995. Photographs: The Ismaili Canada, July 1995, pages 33-34.
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Mawlana Shah Karim (top) with volunteers as he arrives at Moscow’s Olimpiski stadium for a grand mulaqat with Jamati members from Moscow and who traced their origins to the Central Asian Republics and Afghanistan, January 29, 1995. Photographs: The Ismaili Canada, July 1995, page 36.
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Mawlana Shah Karim addresses a vast crowd of Ismaili and non-Ismaili Muslims during his historic first visit to Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan, May 27, 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili.
Mawlana Shah Karim is presented with symbolic gifts during his visit to Gorno Badakhshan, May 22, 1995.
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Mawlana Shah Karim during his visit to Murghab on May 26, 1995. He told his audience who comprised of Ismaili and non-Ismaili Muslims: “Today, the Ummah is constituted of hundreds of millions of Muslims and who are bound by their faith – the Shahada, La-illaha-Ilallah Muhammadur Rasullillah – and yet, who over centuries have come to live in different climates, speak different languages and who differentiate in some interpretations of their faith.” In his addreess at Ishkahim on May 27, 1995, Mawlana Shah Karim said: “Differences must be resolved within the ethic of our faith, through dialogue, through compassion, through tolerance, through generosity, through forgiveness.” Referring to the diversity of the Muslim world and the differences in interpretations of the faith Mawlana Shah Karim said in Khorog on May 24, 1995: “Nothing is gained by imposing one interpretation upon people disposed to another. Indeed the effect of such coercion is a denial of the principles of the faith….Shia and Sunni can co-exist and co-operate, true to their own interpretations of Islam but confederates in faith…Human genius is found in its variety, which is a work of Allah.”
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Zahra Aga Khan watch as Indonesia’s President Suharto signs the Aga Khan Award for Architecture commemorative stamps at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta to commemorate the Award ceremony, November 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1996, page 18.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Federal Minister David Collenette, on a one-day visit to Ottawa, August 31, 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1995, page 23.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Zahra receiving guests attending the Aga Khan Award for Architecture presentation ceremony held in November 1995 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1996, page 18.
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Mawlana Shah Karim watches as His Royal Highness Paku Buwono XII, Sultan of Surakarta (left), congratulates a winner of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture held at Karaton Surakarta, the Royal Palace Complex, November 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1976, page 17.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Zahra Aga Khan at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture seminar in Indonesia the day following the Award Ceremony, November 1995. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1996, page 16.
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1996
Mawlana Shah Karim, recipient of the Honorary Degree of Laws, Brown University, May 27, 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1996, page 20.
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Mawlana Shah Karim (left) delivers his Baccalaureate Address at Brown University, and (right) receives a standing ovation at its conclusion, May 26, 1996. Photographs: The Ismaili Canada, July 1996, page 22.
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Mawlana Shah Karim delivered the Baccalaureate Address at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, on May 26, 1996. On the following day, he was the recipient of Brown University’s Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws for “service to Islam and to all of humankind.” In the photo, he is seen leading the Honorary Degree recipients in the Academic Procession, which also included Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman judge on the United States Supreme Court, and James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Honorary Degree Recipients during Brown University’s Academic Procession; Providence, Rhode Island, May 27, 1996. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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President Vartan Gregorian reads the citation honouring Mawlana Shah Karim as he receives an Honorary Degree of Laws for service to Islam and to all of humankind from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, May 27, 1996. Photographs: The Ismaili Canada, July 1996, page 23.
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Mawlana Shah Karim views the Islamic collection in the John Hay Library, Brown University at Brown University, May 26-27, 1996.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and his younger brother Prince Amyn upon their arrival at the Ngorongoro airstrip in Tanzania, June 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1996, page 21.
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Mawlana Shah Karim, accompanied by Tanzania’s President Mkapa (3rd from right), views the Ngorongoro Crater from the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, June 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1996, page 22.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Tanzania’s President Mkapa tour the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, June 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1996, page 25.
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Kenya’s President Moi welcomes Mawlana Shah Karim and his younger brother Prince Amyn at the State House in Nairobi after their tour to National Parks in Tanzania, June 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1996, page 27.
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Mawlana Shah Karim leaving the Aga Khan Academy in Karimabad, Hunza Region, Gilgit-Baltistan, September 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1997, page 38.
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Mawlana Shah Karim looking out across Hunza Valley from the roof of the Baltit Fort in Gilgit-Baltistan, September 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, July 11, 1997, Issue Two, page 26.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in conversation with Pakistan’s President Leghari and Baltit Fort architects in Gilgit-Baltistan, September 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, July 11, 1997, Issue Two, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim at a carpenter’s house in Khurukshal, the historic village below the Baltit Fort, Gilgit-Baltistan, September 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, Issue 2, July 11, 1997, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim gives a mulaqat to the Jamat in Gupis in District Ghizer, Gilgit-Pakistan, September 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1997, page 40.
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Mawlana Shah Karim visits the Aga Khan School at Sherqilla, Ghizer District, Gilgit-Baltistan, September 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, July 11, 1997, Issue Two, page 30.
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Mawlana Shah Karim visits a school in Kachura, Skardu District in Gilgit-Baltistan, September 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1997, page 40.
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Mawlana Shah Karim gives a keynote address at the Commonwealth Press Union Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, October 17, 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1997, page 43.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and his younger brother Prince Amyn Aga Khan at the Hadrian Award Ceremony, October 25, 1996.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is presented the World Monument Fund’s Hadrian Award by David Rockefeller. In the keynote speech at the presentation ceremony, Cyrus Vance, former US Secretary of State, noted Mawlana Shah Karim’s lifelong labour to improve the lives of Islamic peoples throughout the world and his commitment to the preservation and renewal of societies, October 25, 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1997, page 23.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in the Chancellor’s jamiaposh at the Aga Khan University Convocation in Karachi, November 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1997, page 50.
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Mawlana Shah Karim views an MRI unit at work at Aga Khan University in Karachi, November 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, March 1997 page 52.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio examine a model of the Ismaili Centre Lisbon at the foundation laying ceremony, December 18, 1996. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1997, page 39.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio in front of the Ismaili Centre Lisbon foundation plaque. December 18, 1996.
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6. Mawlana Shah Karim in pictures: 1997 – 1999
1997
Mawlana Shah Karim and Giorgio Guiacomelli, Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Program, sign an agreement with AKDN and the Vienna-based agency to work together to address drug control issues in Central and South West Asia, as well as East Africa, May 26, 1997. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1998, page 45.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Prince Rahim, who became the 50th Ismaili Imam on February 4, 2025, with Om Habibeh Aga Khan (Mata Salamat) at the wedding of Princess Zahra, June 21, 1997. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1997, page 19.
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For his 40th Imamat day, the worldwide Jamat presented Mawlana Shah Karim with a rock crystal flask believed to have been produced in the Fatimid period. The decoration in the stylized Kufic script on the flask translates as “Glory and Prosperity to its owner.” July 11, 1997. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, Issue Two, 1997 (in a special insert),
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Mawlana Shah Karim addresses Ismaili leaders from around the world, representing their respective countries, at the Ismaili Centre in London, UK, on the auspicious occasion of his 40th Imamat Day. He announced that he was making grants totalling $50 million to five institutions he founded during the 40 years since he became the 49th Imam, , July 11, 1997. Photograph: The Ismaili USA, Issue Two, July 11, 1997.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Prince Charles – now His Majesty King Charles III — at a banquet hosted by Asia House at the Royal Albert Hall, London, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence of India and Pakistan; July 1997. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1997, page 31.
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1998
Mawlana Shah Karim with his younger brother Prince Amyn, on the opening day of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan’s major exhibition on Islamic Art at the British Museum, London, January 21, 1998. Photograph: Dr Fahmida Suleman collection.
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Dr. Duncan Haldane shows Mawlana Shah Karim a collection of manuscripts, coins and other rare artifacts at the IIS Library. Looking on are Dr. Shafik Sachedina, Mr. Zauhar Meghji, Dr. Aziz Esmail and Alnoor Merchant, January 22, 1998. Photograph: (Late) Sadruddin Verjee.
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Mawlana Shah Karim writes a message in the visitor’s book during his visit to the Library of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, January 22, 1998. Photograph: (Late) Sadruddin Verjee.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is welcomed at Abidjan airport, Côte d’Ivoire, as part of his visit to West Africa, March 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1998, page 26.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and President Henri Konan Bédié, President of Côte d’Ivoire, sign an Accord of Co-operation between AKDN and Côte d’Ivoire, March 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1998, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with Ismaili leaders at the Jamatkhana in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, during his mulaqat with the jamat, March 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili, July 1998, page 29.
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Mawlana Shah Karim meets the press in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, March 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1998, page 29.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and President Campaore of Burkina Faso tour Fasoflast, an industrial plant in Ouagadougou, the country’s capital, that represents the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development’s first investment in the country, March 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1998, page 31.
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Mawlana Shah Karim meets in Aiglemont, France, with commission members set up to examine the feasibility of establishing a regional university in Khorog, Gorno-Badakhshan, 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1998, page 16.
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Mawlana Shah Karim admires (top) a fragment of a turban bearing the inscription of his ancestor, the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Aziz, and (bottom) rock crystal flasks and other ornate glassware from the Fatimid period at an exhibition of Fatimid treasures held at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, April 27, 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada. July 1998, page 17.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit by Portugal’s President Sampaio at the Ambassador’s Room at Belem Palace, July 10, 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1998, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio unveil the commemorative plaque of the Ismaili Centre Lisbon, on Mawlana Shah Karim’s 40th Imamat Day anniversary, July 11, 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1998, page 30.
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Mawlana Shah Karim leads Portuguese President Sampaio on a tour of the Ismaili Centre Lisbon, July 11, 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1998, page 28.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and Princess Inaara with Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano and his wife, Mrs. Chissano, at a State Dinner in their honour in Maputo, Mozambique. During his visit, Mawlana Shah Karim and President Chissano signed a Development Co-operation Agreement, which established a mission of the AKDN in Mozambique and laid the framework for AKDN’s development activities in the country and, thereby, the extension of its presence in the East African region, August 11, 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1998, page 25.
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Mawlana Shah Karim and President Nelson Mandela meet in Maputo, Mozambique, August 11, 1998. Photograph: AKDN / Zahur Ramji.
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Mawlana Shah Karim with AKDN personnel at the site of the Yasguliam Power Plant, Tajikistan, September 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1998, page 33.
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Mawlana Shah Karim walks through his jamat in Afghan Ishkoshim during his visit to Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan, September 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1998, page 32.
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Mawlana Shah Karim is bestowed with the Order of Friendship in Dushanbe by Tajikistan’s President Rakhmonov, becoming the first foreign recipient of the country’s highest civilian award, September 1998. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, December 1998, page 35.
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1999
Mawlana Shah Karim and France’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hubert Vedrine, sign an Accord to strengthen France’s cooperation with the AKDN in the social, cultural, economic and humanitarian fields wherever the Network operates, April 1999. Photograph: The Ismaili Canada, July 1999, page 31.
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Mawlana Shah Karim delivers the keynote address at the World Bank symposium on the new networked economy in Washington D.C., in which he suggested people in developing countries to be more than just users of new information technology and could address critical development needs, November 10, 1999. Photograph: Ismaili Canada, December 1999, page 33.
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Mawlana Shah Karim in discussion with World Bank President James Wolfensohn (centre) and the Executive Director and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall, Franz Xaver Ohnesorg, at the World Bank Symposium, Washington D.C., November 10, 1999. Photograph: Ismaili Canada, December 1999, page 33.
This concludes Part I. However, it will continue to be updated as new information and photographs become available.
Forthcoming:
Mawlana Shah Karim His Highness the Aga Khan IV in Pictures: Part II – the 21st Century (2000 to 2025); and
Honours and Degrees bestowed on Mawlana Shah Karim.
Date posted: March 20, 2025.
Note: A version of this post appears on our sister website, Barakah, which is dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan.
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Ya Ali Madad .
Thank you for sharing Mawlana Shah Karim’s pictorial story. Beautiful photos.