“He used to say ‘Egypt is the flag of Islam’. And he wanted to be buried here…we looked around and one day while on the Nile in a felucca with the Director, who said: ‘But why do you insist on finding somewhere to be buried? You see that house’? It was absolutely closed and neglected. ‘It is on sale. Why don’t you buy it and enjoy yourself here’? My husband replied: ‘But I agree. Provided I have the permission to build a mausoleum behind’. And we bought it.” — Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan

Some photographs are clickable for enlargement

Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan (November 2, 1877 – July 11, 1957), the 48th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, had expressed a wish to be buried in Aswan in Egypt. The Imam had a special place for Egypt ever since his first visit to the country in 1935. In his Memoirs, the Aga Khan writes:

“On my way home to India I visited Egypt for the first time. Those who have not experienced it, who have not been lucky enough to fall under Egypt’s spell, will find it difficult, I suppose, to realize the sheer magic of the first sight of Egypt. And that my first sight was on a perfect early winter day, and need I say that all my life since then I have had a special corner in my heart for Egypt, and that I have returned there as often as I could.”

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In an interview with the Al-Ahram Weekly dated 23-29 April, 1992, the Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan, lovingly addressed Mata Salamat by the Ismailis, explained the choice of Aswan:

“We had been coming here since 1935, when the place was not a touristic location at all but a health retreat and resort. We used to come for one or two months and stay at the Cataract Hotel and have lovely promenades on the Nile. We did not come to be cured of asthma or such things, it was just to enjoy the good weather and good air of Aswan.

“During these visits to the hotel, one day my husband said: ‘I would like to be buried in Aswan’.”

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“He used to say ‘Egypt is the flag of Islam’. And he wanted to be buried here. Then we looked around and one day while on the Nile in a felucca with the Director, who said: ‘But why do you insist on finding somewhere to be buried? You see that house’? It was absolutely closed and neglected. ‘It is on sale. Why don’t you buy it and enjoy yourself here’? My husband replied: ‘But I agree. Provided I have the permission to build a mausoleum behind’. And we bought it. The villa was named Noor al Salaam.“

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Mawlana Shah Karim al Hussaini Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, on his grandfather, the 48th Ismaili Imam

“Today, I am speaking to you in a city and in a country which have a particular meaning to my family and myself. On 2nd November, 1877 my beloved grandfather was born here in Karachi. Through 72 years of Imamat, he guided his spiritual children to happiness and prosperity” — Karachi, August 4, 1957.

“Many many memories come to our minds as we think of him. He achieved in his life, for our community that which could only have been accomplished normally in a period of many generations. The tributes that the world has paid him bear honest testimony to his great life and work” — Takhtnashini, ceremonial installation, Karachi, Pakistan, January 23, 1958.

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“My grandfather was a most gifted person, and amongst his many qualities, one of them had always particularly impressed me. While the past was a book he had read and re-read many times, the future was just one more literary work of art into which he used to pour himself with deep thought and concentration. Innumerable people since his death have told me how he used to read in the future, and this certainly was one of his very great strengths. As a child I used to listen to him for many hours on end and I think, in fact I am convinced, that it was his inspiration which has created in me such a strong interest in the future, while at the same time, guiding me to learn from the teaching books of the past” — Karachi, May 12, 1964.

Date posted: February 20, 2023.

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