Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th spiritual leader of the Ismaili community, was laid to rest at a private burial ceremony in Aswan, Egypt on Sunday.
“He will be interred in the mausoleum of his grandfather, Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah until a new mausoleum is constructed as his final resting place on land adjacent to the existing structure,” the community said in a statement.
Prince Karim Aga Khan died in Lisbon on Wednesday, aged 88.
Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V was named the 50th spiritual leader of the Ismaili community, following the reading of the Will left by his late father, Prince Karim Al-Hussaini.
On Saturday, a funeral ceremony for Aga Khan IV took place at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon. The event was attended by over 300 guests, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, former Spanish King Juan Carlos I, and Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
Other attendees included leaders of the Ismaili community, family members, Aga Khan University President Sulaiman Shahabuddin, and Sultan Ali Allana, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Habib Bank Limited.
The funeral was a private event, open only to invited guests. Among those present were 22 National Council presidents representing the global Ismaili community, including Pakistan. The ceremony was broadcast live on Ismaili TV, allowing followers worldwide to participate. Community centres and Jamat Khanas were also set up for people to watch the event and pay their respects.
Throughout their 1,400 years of history, the Ismailis have been led by a living, hereditary Imam. The Ismaili community has around 15 million followers living in Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and North America.
In Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, Ismaili community members gathered in areas like Gilgit, Hunza, and Ghizer to watch the ceremony together.
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