Prepared and compiled by MALIK MERCHANT
The 49th Ismaili Imam, Mawlana Shah Karim, His Highness the Aga Khan (December 13, 1936 – February 4, 2025), was on Sunday, February 9, 2025, laid to rest at a private burial ceremony in Aswan, Egypt, in the mausoleum of his grandfather, Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah.
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His successor, Mawlana Shah Rahim, the 50th Imam, and his family were present, together with the Ismaili Jamat senior leaders. The burial follows the funeral ceremony on February 8 at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon (see our coverage of the funeral ceremony with my personal reflections HERE.)
Major General Dr Ismail Kamal, the Governor of Aswan, who had welcomed Mawlana Hazar Imam a day earlier, facilitated and participated in a dignified procession through the city to the banks of the River Nile.
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Mawlana Shah Karim’s casket was transferred by boat in a ceremonial crossing to the mausoleum of his predecessor, 48th Imam, Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, who wanted to be buried in Aswan.
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The janaza (casket) was carried by hand to the hilltop mausoleum. Mawlana Shah Karim’s body has been laid to rest in the mausoleum next to his grandfather until a new one is constructed as his final resting place on land adjacent to the existing structure.
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After the ceremony, the leaders present had the opportunity to express condolences to the family, and the Governor of Aswan presented Mawlana Hazar Imam with a symbolic key to the City of Aswan as a mark of respect (see following Tweet).
External coverage: Please click on the following links for more coverage of the burial in Aswan:
- The Ismaili: Mawlana Shah Karim laid to rest (report and 14 photographs)
- Associated Press: Aga Khan, the leader of Ismaili Muslims, was laid to rest in Egypt during a private burial ceremony (report, 7 photos and video link at the bottom left on the first photo or watch YouTube video)
- Nation: His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV laid to rest in Aswan, Egypt | Nation
- Lancashire Telegraph: Aga Khan laid to rest in Egypt in private ceremony
- AP video/Radwan Abu Al Majd (see below): A burial service for Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary imam of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims, was held in the southern Egyptian province of Aswan on Sunday. After a procession through the streets, his body was carried down the Nile in a white boat.
Date posted: February 9, 2025.
Date updated: February 10, 2025 (added tweet on presentation of key to the city of Aswan to Prince Rahim)
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