The late Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, who died Tuesday in Lisbon, Portugal is set to be laid to rest Sunday in Aswan, Egypt.
According to a statement issued on February 6, by Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat, the event will be preceded by a funeral ceremony on Saturday at Ismaili Centre in Lisbon.
The Saturday’s event, Imamat said, is open to invited guests only.
These are the members of his family, leaders of the global Ismaili community and the Aga Khan Development Network, officials of the Portuguese government and state authorities, and international dignitaries.
The burial ceremony to be conducted in Egypt will also be private, it said.
Aga Khan IV is said to have passed away peacefully in Lisbon on February 4, aged 88, surrounded by his family.
He died after nearly seven decades as the spiritual leader of the global Ismaili Muslim community.
His son, Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini has been named the 50th hereditary Imam, or spiritual leader, according to his father's will.
A special homage ceremony has been planned for him on February 11, 2025, in Lisbon.
“Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V will grant an audience to senior leaders of the Ismaili community, who will pledge their allegiance, on behalf of the global Ismaili community, to the 50th Imam of the Ismaili Muslims,” it further reads.
“This is a private religious ceremony.”
The world's Ismaili community, a branch of Shi'ite Islam, comprises around 15 million people who live in Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and North America.
The Aga Khan is derived from Turkish and Persian words to mean commanding chief.
According to Ismalis, he is the direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad through the prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet's daughter.
He succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, as Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims in 1957 at the age of 20.
Since then, he has dedicated his efforts to improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations, emphasising the view of Islam as a faith that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds human dignity.
Throughout his life, he has been deeply engaged with the development of countries around the world for more than 60 years through the work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
The AKDN group of international development agencies employs 80, 000 people from across Africa and Asia.
