His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga KhanA title granted by the Shah of Persia to the then Ismaili Imam in 1818 and inherited by each of his successors to the Imamate. IV was the founder of The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) and the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was born on 13 December 1936, in Geneva, son of the late Prince Aly Khan and his first wife, the late Princess Tajuddawlah, née Joan Yarde-Buller. He spent his early childhood in Nairobi, Kenya.
On 11 July 1957, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III as the 49th Imam, spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community. He led the Ismaili community for 67 years, a period of enormous change.
In the context of his role as Imam, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV’s concern has been to interpret the faith for the Ismaili Muslim community and to take a lead in improving their quality of life as well as improving the quality of life of the people amongst whom members of his community live.
For many decades, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV has been concerned about misperceptions of Islam and large sections of the Muslim Ummah. He established The Institute in 1977 as an academic institution to promote scholarship and learning about Islam and a greater understanding of the intellectual heritage of the IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (d. 765), as his successor.. He served as the Chair of IIS continuously since then, steering its programmes with prescient direction and generously providing the resources to sustain it and to strengthen its foundations.
His Late Highness Aga Khan IV also established AKDNThe Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a contemporary endeavour of the Ismaili Imamat to realise the ethics and social conscience of Islam through institutional action. More, a group of private, international, non-denominational agencies, working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in some of the poorest most vulnerable parts of the developing world.
In recognition of his exceptional efforts and contributions to human development and improving the social condition of societies globally, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV received numerous decorations, honorary degrees, and awards from institutions and nations across the world.