" Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans ", NY: William Morrow, 1996

Finally, in 1987, while writing how the Aga Khans III and IV had modified Khoja Nizari Ismaili religious practices, which contained " mystical-Indian " Hindu aspects, to conform more with " prophetic-Arabic " Islamic practices, Ali S. Asani noted that the Khoja group of Nizari Ismailis accepted the changes in part because of their strong belief and trust in the guidance offered by their " divinely-appointed " Imam.

* Aga Khans

He was born in Karachi ( then under British colonial rule ), to Aga Khan II and his third wife, Nawab A ' lia Shamsul-Muluk, who was a granddaughter of Iran Fath Ali Shah of Persia ( Qajar dynasty ).

In 969 the Fatimids were led by General Gawhar al-Siqilli with his Kutama army, under the moral flagship of Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi, the Shiite Ismaili Imam of that time and ancestor of the current Aga Khan, to establish a new capital for the Fatimid dynasty.

The titles of prince and princess, which are claimed by children of the Aga Khan by virtue of their descent from the Qajar king Fath Ali Shah of the Persian Qajar dynasty, were recognized as courtesy titles by the British government in 1938.

The building draws its inspiration from Cairo ’ s Fatimid architectural heritage, a dynasty founded by the Aga Khan ’ s forefathers and previous Imams of the Nizari Ismaili community in the 10th century .< ref > See “ Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Foundation Laying Ceremony of the Ismaili Centre ( Dubai, United Arab Emirates ” on December 13, 2003 at < http :// www. akdn. org / Content / 594 > and “ Aga Khan Announces First Ismaili Centre in Middle East ,” Press Release on December 13, 2003 at < http :// www. akdn. org / Content / 439 .></ ref >

The Sumerian king list and the Tummal Chronicle concur with the Epic of Gilgamesh in making him the father of Aga, who was the final king of the 1st dynasty of Kish.

Further, in the mid-20th century, Norman Lewis wrote, " The Aga Khan is the spiritual and temporal head of the sect and possesses attributes of divinity.

This was put to practice in the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme ( AKRSP ) http :// www. akdn. org / AKF in the Gujarat province of India.

This fortified gate was constructed with interlocking volumes that surrounded the entrant in such a way as to provide greater security and control than typical city wall gates ; image from the Aga Khan Foundation / CyArk research partnership

* Fatimid-era Ayyubid Wall of Cairo Digital Media Archive ( creative commons-licensed photos, laser scans, panoramas ), data from a Aga Khan Foundation / CyArk research partnership

Laser scan data from an Aga Khan Foundation / CyArk research partnership.

* Fatimid-era Ayyubid Wall of Cairo Digital Media Archive ( creative commons-licensed photos, laser scans, panoramas ), data from a Aga Khan Foundation / CyArk research partnership

In that period, the end of the sixteenth century, namely in 1594 / 95, Hadum Suleiman Aga Hadum Efendia-built mosque, which also bears the name of the donor-sponsors of the facility in town.

During the time of the 46th, 47th, and 48th Imams ( Aga Khan I, Aga Khan II, and Aga Khan III ) of the Nizari Ismaili community, respectively – and particularly prior to the creation of the independent country of Pakistan ( a major hub for Nizari Ismailis ) in 1947 – virtually all available sources of information indicated that the position of the Imam in Nizari Ismailism was that of the incarnation of God and / or the manifestation of God.

Available at < http :// www. amaana. org / agakhan / londonctr9-79. htm .></ ref > The high-profile building which was opened by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ( b. 1925 ; r. 1979-1990 ) in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan in April 1985 was an important chapter in a new era of Ismaili presence in Europe .< ref > See Notes from Press Release titled “ His Highness the Aga Khan in the United Kingdom to mark Golden Jubilee Visit ,” July 2, 2008 and available at < http :// www. akdn. org / Content / 674 .> Photographs and the speech by Margaret Thatcher on the occasion can be found at < http :// www. amaana. org / agakhan / londonctr9-79. htm ..></ ref > Several months later in August, another Ismaili Centre was opened in Vancouver ’ s Burnaby district ( Canada ) by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney ( b. 1939 ; r. 1984-1993 ).< ref > The Foundation Stone Ceremony was conducted on July 24, 1982 and the building was officially opened on August 23, 1985.

In 1998, the third such ‘ Ismaili Centre ’ was opened in Lisbon, Portugal .< ref > See Aga Khan IV, “ Speech at the Foundation Stone Ceremony of the Lisbon Ismaili Centre ,” December 18, 1996, available at < http :// www. iis. ac. uk / view_article. asp? ContentID = 101402 .> and Press Release dated July 11, 1998 on the occasion of the inauguration of Centro Ismaili, “ Aga Khan and President Sampaio Speak on Faith and Civil Society ,” available at < http :// www. akdn. org / Content / 527 .></ ref > The Centre draws inspiration from regional influences of the Moorish architectural heritage such as the Alhambra in Granada as well as that of other Muslim cultural forms such as that of Fatehpur Sikri in India .< ref > Richardson, Phyllis.

* August – Aga Khan II, religious leader ( b. 1830 )

On 27 May ( civil ) and 28 May ( religious ) 1949, in Cannes, France, Aly Aga Khan married the American movie star Rita Hayworth.

The Aga Khan married his first wife, former British model Sarah (" Sally ") Frances Croker-Poole, who assumed the name Begum Salimah Aga Khan, on October 22, 1969 ( civil ) and October 28, 1969 ( religious ), at his home ( at that time ) in Paris, France.

The Ismaili Centre in Toronto will be the largest such centre in the English-speaking world .< ref > See “ Aga Khan to Establish Major Academic and Cultural Center and Museum in Canada ” Press Release on October 8, 2002 at < http :// www. akdn. org / Content / 551 .> The Ismaili Centre in Toronto will share a 17. 3 acre plot with a major museum “ dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, display and interpretation of artifacts relating to the intellectual, cultural, artistic, and religious traditions of Muslim communities, past and present .”</ ref > Centres in Houston, Texas and Los Angeles, California are also being planned < http :// www. theismaili. org / cms / 802 / About-the-Ismaili-Centres >.

The First Iranian to become a US citizen, Hajj Sayyah Mahallati and Aga Khan II, a religious leader were born in Mahallat.

Under the leadership of Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III, the first half of the 20th century was a period of significant development for the Ismā ' īlī community.

It was not however, until the tenure and leadership of the present Imam of the Ismailis, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan ( b. 1936 ) that similar spaces were also introduced in Iran ( 1960s ), Afghanistan ( 1960s and 2001 ) and Tajikistan ( 2009 ).

Pakistan hosted the third World Cup in Islamabad 2006 under the able leadership of Aga Shaukat-Ali, President of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council.

Hiring publicist Ethel Ramos as his manager, Aga would later on capture more leading man roles and endorsements.

Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III GCSI GCMG GCIE GCVO PC ( November 2, 1877 – July 11, 1957 ) was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.

For these reasons, I appoint my grandson Karim, the son of my own son, Aly Salomone Khan to succeed to the title of Aga Khan and to the Imam and Pir of all Shia Ismailian followers.

* 1936 – His Highness Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini Aga Khan IV, Present Imam ( leader ) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims

* 1957 – Prince Karim Husseini Aga Khan IV inherits the office of Imamat as the 49th Imam of Shia Imami Ismaili worldwide, after the death of Sir Sultan Mahommed Shah Aga Khan III.

* 1877 – Aga Khan III, Shia Imam ( d. 1957 )

* July 11 – His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan becomes the 49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims at age 20.

* Ismaili Khojas, a Shia Muslim group from Gujarat and Sindh and followers of Aga khan, believe in the 10 incarnations of Vishnu.

In 1948 she left her film career to marry Prince Aly Khan, a son of Sultan Mahommed Shah, Aga Khan III, the leader of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam.

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV ( Aga Khan is also transliterated as Aqa Khan and Agha Khan ), NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM ; born December 13, 1936 ; is an international business magnate, racehorse owner and breeder, as well as the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailism – a denomination of Ismailism within Shia Islam consisting of approximately 5 – 15 million adherents ( under 10 % of the world's Shia Muslim population ).

The Aga Khan claims to be the direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad through the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, considered the first Imam in Shia Islam, and Ali's wife Fatima az-Zahra, the Prophet ’ s daughter from his first marriage.

As the Imam of Nizari Ismailism, the Aga Khan IV is considered by his followers to be the proof or hujjah of God on earth as well as infallible and immune from sin ( just as an Imam is viewed in most other denominations of Shia Islam ).

The Aga Khan is one of several Shia signatories of the Amman Message, which gives a broad foundation for defining those denominations of Islam that should be considered as part of the wider Muslim Ummah

The religion of Wakhis is Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslim, being followers of the Aga Khan.

They belong to the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. The entire community is the follower of Aga Khan as their 49th spiritual leader who is the direct descendant of Muhammad.

* Prince Karim Aga Khan current Imām of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.

Verbal history indicates that at one point they were Muslim Shia Ismailis ( who had been called once: Aga Khani / Khanawara ).