Aga Khan IV

@Imam of Nizari Ismailism, Facts and Facts

Aga Khan IV is a Swiss-born British business tycoon, as well as the 49th and current Imam of ‘Nizari Ismailism’

Dec 13, 1936

PhilanthropistsBritishHarvard UniversityHoteliersLeadersSpiritual & Religious LeadersSagittarius Celebrities
Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: December 13, 1936
  • Nationality: British
  • Famous: Imam of Nizari Ismailism, Philanthropists, Harvard University, Hoteliers, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders
  • Spouses: Inaara Aga Khan, Salimah Aga Khan
  • Siblings: Yasmin Aga Khan
  • Known as: Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, Shah Karim al-Hussaini
  • Childrens: Hussain Aga Khan, Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan, Rahim Aga Khan, Zahra Aga Khan

Aga Khan IV born at

Geneva

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Birth Place

In 1969, he married a former British model Sarah Frances Croker-Poole, who assumed the title of ‘Begum Salimah Aga Khan’. They had three children; one daughter, Princess Zahra Aga Khan, and two sons, Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Prince Hussain Aga Khan.

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Personal Life

The couple remained married for 25 years but they separated in 1984 after he became engaged in multiple extra-marital affairs. Their marriage officially ended in 1995, after 11 years of separation.

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Personal Life

In 1998, he got married to Gabriele zu Leiningen, who assumed the title of ‘Begum Inaara Aga Khan’. The couple had a son, Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan, born in 2000. This marriage also ended due to his infidelity. The couple filed for divorce which was finalized after several years in 2014.

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Personal Life

He was born on December 13, 1936, in Geneva, Switzerland, to Prince Aly Khan, and his first wife, Princess Tajuddawlah Aly Khan, the eldest daughter of the 3rd Baron Churston. He has a brother, Prince Amyn, and two half-siblings from his parents’ other marriages.

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Childhood & Early Life

He spent his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, where he received his early education through private tutoring. Later, he was enrolled in the ‘Institut Le Rosey’ in Switzerland, the most expensive boarding school in Europe. Then he attended Harvard University where he switched to majoring in History after flunking an engineering course.

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Childhood & Early Life

In 1957, when his grandfather passed away, he was thrust into the position of the Aga Khan (IV). Two years later, he graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History (with Cum Laude honors).

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Childhood & Early Life

Following the death of his grandfather, the Aga Khan III, he became the 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismailis, at the age of 20. Upon taking the position, he intended to continue his grandfather’s work towards building modern institutions to improve the quality of life of the ‘Nizari Ismailis’.

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Career

He emphasized on social issues such as material development, education, interracial harmony, and confidence in religion. He encouraged the Nizari Ismailis settled in the industrialized world to contribute towards the progress of communities in the developing world through various development programs.

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Career

He founded ‘Nation Media Group’, a Kenyan media company, and has also been involved in other business ventures such as luxury hotels. He owns and operates the largest horse racing and breeding operation in France, and other breeding/stud farms in Europe.

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Career

He is the founder and chairman of the ‘Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)’, one of the largest private development networks in the world. AKDN agencies operate in the fields of health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building and the promotion of economic progress, mostly in the developing countries.

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Career

He is a leading business magnate and owns hundreds of racehorses, valuable stud farms, an exclusive yacht club on Sardinia, a private island in the Bahamas, two Bombardier jets, a £100 million high speed yacht, and several estates around the world.

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Career

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) founded by him is one of the largest private development networks in the world. The network employs approximately 80,000 paid staff and operates in the fields of health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building and the promotion of economic development, with special focus on countries of the Third World.

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Major Works