PART II IV. HONORARY CITIZENSHIP AND "KEY OF THE CITY" AWARDS V. HONORARY DEGREES VI. DIPLOMACY Compiled by Azeem Maherali, Atlanta, Georgia As Chancellor of the Aga Khan University, His Highness is pictured in a 1989 portrait wearing his Chancellor's robe made of gold brocade on white - the colours of the Fatimids, his ancestors in Egypt who founded the Al-Azhar ...
The Platinum Jubilee - Seventy Years of Imamat (1885-1955) The 48th Ismaili Imam, Aga Khan III, acknowledges the affection of his followers who had gathered in their thousands to mark his Platinum Jubilee celebration at the Aga Khan Gymkhana in Karachi. THE PLATINUM JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS IN KARACHI WITH SPEECHES AND MESSAGES; TOKEN CEREMONY IN CAIRO WITH SPEECHES AND MESSAGES; THE PLATINUM ...
PART I: TITLES, DECORATIONS, AND AWARDS & PRIZES His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Hereditary Ismaili Imam, Continues the Work of his Grandfather, Aga Khan III, in the Truest Tradition of the Imamat Compiled by Azeem Maherali, Atlanta, Georgia A Portrait of the Aga Khan Family of the mid 20th century: Next to the late 48th Ismaili Imam, Aga Khan III, ...
THE DIAMOND JUBILEE - SIXTY YEARS OF IMAMAT (1885-1945) Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah in a message to the Aga Khan Legion Central Committee: Sixty years have passed to the enthronement of the Imamat, which is a unique occasion. It is an incomparable occasion in the world. No occasion ever occurred in the world history like it. Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah in ...
An intriguing poster created in the 1940's by Major Lakhpaty. Link to high resolution file provided at bottom of page. Poster from the Abdulmalik Thawer Collection. Photo Scan by: Guy Martin Studio, Ottawa by Abdulmalik J. Merchant, Editor, Simerg Editor's Note: The image above is that of a poster which was designed and published by the late A. J. Lakhpaty during ...
I: THE GOLDEN JUBILEE - FIFTY YEARS OF IMAMAT (1885 to 1935) ...The late Aga Khan was determined that his Golden Jubilee be marked by the launch of something that would remain forever. After much discussion,the Jubilee Insurance Company was formed and when some leaders complained that they knew nothing about insurance, His Highness replied: 'If you want to build a ...
Pir Sadr al-Din[1]was born in the first half of the fourteenth century in Sabzwaar in Iran. His father was Pir Shahbudin and mother Noor Fatima binti Ibrahim Sabzwaari. The family was related to the Imams. From a very young age, Pir Sadr al-Din had a good education. By the age of fourteen he had studied and could recite the Holy Qur'an ...
By Sadruddin K. Hassam INTRODUCTION Spread in various countries around the world, the Shia Imami Ismailis have their own innumerable ways for celebrating important religious occasions according to their various cultural, social and religious traditions and backgrounds. One very important occasion in the annual calendar of the Ismailis is the Salgirah, or the birthday of their spiritual leader (Imam). His Highness ...
The photos are from the archives of Mr. Anwar Virani of Ottawa, Canada. Details have been compiled from Mr. Virani's recollections and other sources, as noted. BURMESE PATRIOTISM In speaking at the dinner of the Aga Khan Student's Union in London in June 1951, Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III, advised his followers in Asia and Africa that the countries ...
The late Khadija Kothari who preserved the memories and photos of the Kothari family. Photo: Taj/Bashir Kothari. Editor's note: We have recently received six more historical photographs from the collection of the Kothari family. They are being added below just before the original write-up and photos which were submitted by Ms. Taj Kothari of Florida and her brother, Bashir Kothari, of ...
PORTRAITS OF HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN III Copyright: National Portrait Gallery, London by Elliott & Fry, half-plate negative, 1911. (C) National Portrait Gallery, London By Elliott & Fry, Vintage Print. (C) National Portrait Gallery, London by Dorothy Wilding, bromide print, 1953. (C) National Portrait Gallery, London by Walter Stoneman, bromide print. (C) National Portrait Gallery, London ___________ Other articles in ...
Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III, 48th Imam of Shia Imami Ismailis, in full regalia. Photo: Jehangir Merchant archives Titles 1. Title of Aga Khan was first granted to Aga Hassanaly Shah, the 46th Ismaili Imam, by the Shah of Persia, in the 1830s (see image of vintage engraving print of Aga Khan I below) 2. His Highness to Sir ...
By Malik Merchant (Editor-Publisher, www.Simerg.com) Shown below is an image of an historic document dated 30 July, 1923. It is an invitation extended by the newly established Recreation Club Institute of Bombay for a lecture on the subject of Imamat, which was presented a week later by a bright and enthusiastic sixteen year old matriculation student from Punjab by the name ...
Mosaic of the 48th Ismaili Imam by renowned Pakistani Ismaili artist, the late Gulgee DEFENDER OF ISLAM The Aga Khan's Letter to The Times of London, November 3, 1951, written from Cannes In your leading article of October 22, 1951, under the heading "The Middle East" you have stated that "in the Muslim countries the second tendency (a violent reaction against ...
Friendly, smiling and interested in everything he saw, the Aga Khan impressed his scientific hosts on every phase of the medical research. He manifested particular interest in the Laboratory's work in tissue culture and its potential for cancer research, in the genetic effects of both radiation and inbreeding in mouse colonies, the use of radioactive isotopes in diagnostic medicine, and the ...
I. THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS "Happiness is never a negative affair; it is to be won by men who are fully alive, full of the joy of living" - Aga Khan III. Photo: Copyright, The National Portrait Gallery, London Be One and Harmonious with God First, I would place spiritual happiness. A man must be at one with God. This may ...
Zarina Bhatia on the train and boat trip to celebrate Diamond Jubilee in Dar-es-Salaam, submitted November 18, 2009 In response to Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah's visit to a shop and the Weighing scale: You bring back some lasting memories as I was then just a few years old past the age of an infant in my first or second Primary School ...
The happy period of your Imamate shall ever remain green in the history of the Ismaili world. Being the direct lineal descendant of the Great Prophet of Arabia, through his beloved Fatima and the first Imam Ali, Your Highness has been the most faithful torchbearer of all the marvelous teachings of your illustrious ancestor...(Excerpt from an address to Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, ...
1. Zul Khoja recalls a memorable visit by the Imam to their family shop in South Africa The above is a picture of Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah when he came to our shop during his South African visit in 1945. I remember somethings very vividly. We were all very excited about the visit and the Mulaqat with the Imam. The Jamati ...
Please click links (shown under I through IX below) for short preview films at British Pathe. The quality of the films is excellent. Once you are at the British pathe website go to advanced search and use specific keywords to narrow the results for other films of the previous and present Aga Khan. The movies may be viewed in full screen ...
"I came upon a rather striking surprise in looking through the texts of earlier Peterson Lectures. Not just one - but two of those addresses in recent years have quoted my grandfather! It was from him, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan, that I inherited my present role in 1957. I also inherited from him a deep concern for the advancement ...
INTRODUCTION: THE FOUR REMARKABLE MUSLIMS OF THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT WHO ASSERTED THE TIMELESS VALUES OF ISLAM N THE 19TH-20TH CENTURIES There have been, in my view, during the last hundred years, four outstanding Muslims in the story of this sub-continent of India and Pakistan. The first, in point of time, was Syed Ahmed Khan who, a hundred years ago was reaching ...
This framed set of Stamps and First Day Covers has a unique permanence and is an enduring record to be cherished by present and future generations Note:This exclusive collection item from Simerg is now sold out. Limited quantities of the set, similar to the one shown above, may be made available in future if Simerg is able to acquire First Day ...
By (Late) Esmail Thawerbhoy Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III. Photo Copyright National Portrait Gallery, London ....The measure of the Imam's achievement can be gauged from the phenomenal progress of the Ismaili Community during the Imam's regime. The metamorphosis of a moribund society from the depths of its degradation to its proud position in modern civilization during the course of ...
A portrait of Aga Khan III by Dorothy Wilding. Copyright, National Portrait Gallery, London My Beloved Grandfather by His Highness the Aga Khan He achieved in his life, for our community that which could only have been accomplished normally in a period of many generations. Today, l am speaking to you in a city and in a country which have a ...
Weights from the Reigns of Imams al-Zahir and al-Mustansir These weights were used to verify the weight of coins Name of Object : Glass weights Holding Museum: Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman, Jordan Museum Inventory Number: J.16546; J.16547; J.16550 Dimensions: Diameter (in the range) 26-27 mm, weights: 4.68 g; 5.02 g; 5.15 g Material(s)/Technique(s): Cast glass. Date of the objects: J.16547. Hegira ...
Royal Women: Granddaughters of Fatima al-Zahra In reverence to their descent from Fatima al-Zahra', the daughter of the Prophet and wife of Imam 'Ali bin Abi Talib, the Fatimids accorded the royal princesses a life of luxury and responsibility, entrusting them important roles in public and political life. This attitude affected generally the treatment of women in contemporary society. Many women ...
Pleasures and Celebrations at the Fatimid Court Despite their piety, life at the Fatimid court and that of their vassals - the Zirids in North Africa and the Kalbids in Sicily - was not short of entertainment, provided by poets, singers, and dancers. In North Africa, the Fatimids welcomed local poets such as the Ifriqiyans (Tunisians) Ibn Hani and al-Ladi. Later, ...
Ballad for Abu Yazid Bistami Asking his disciple to take heed There's a little story of Abu Yazid "Stand your guard on the lip of hell Make sure its numbers don't swell "Each approaching soul accord respect And to heaven's straight way direct All doubts in your heart do quell And take yourself, instead, to hell" It's a tale that's been ...
Tiraz - Imam al-Mustansir What is Tiraz? It is a fabric with an inscription band added in a technique different from the ground weave. In the early Islamic period textiles were often decorated with inscriptions containing good wishes and the caliph's name and titles, and these fabrics were made up into robes of honour worn by the caliph or bestowed by ...
"And on the last day plant a tree" (Exhibition at Woodrow Wilson Center until October 23, 2009) Reviewed by Vivian Ronay Prince Hussain Aga Khan's photographs of nature, landscape and wildlife which make up the exhibition at the Woodrow Wilson Center under the title "And on the last day plant a tree", a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, were taken ...
Fana and Baqa The first one's hot The other mellow Where one goes The other'll follow The first is intense The other's afterglow They're the vocabulary Of a tradition Diagnosing a heart's Condition And little to do With fuel and ignition Yet the rubric of fire Works well To speak of worlds In which they dwell And the stories To us, ...
Mosque of al-Hakim bi Amrillah "...Fatimid mosques were designed to shine, like beacons, of Shi'ite propaganda..." The Fatimid dynasty made great efforts to construct, furnish and maintain mosques in order to disseminate their Shi'ite beliefs. Whether at Mahdiyya, or in their splendid capital Cairo - with imposing complexes like the mosques of al-Azhar and al-Aqmar - or in regions as far ...
Light-Speed Web Sealing the opening with filigree A film of its celestial pedigree An instant web this spider wove After the two into its cave dove Perhaps the reason it was alive Ensure the message did survive The right place, the right time Grace given with no downtime No questions of their coming Like, "Who are you escaping?" Just did what ...
A set of four Stamps commemorating the 800th anniversary of the birth of Nasreddin Hodja. From time to time, whenever the chief judge who governed the village and gave judgments in the court was absent, the role was given to the Mulla Nasreddin Hodja. It was under just such circumstances that, one day, an unusual and difficult case was presented to ...
Nasreddin Hodja on the Deathbed Hodja got very ill and was about to die. He called his wife and said to her: "Beloved wife, put on your best clothes and perfume, and comb your hair - in short, do all you can to look as beautiful as you can be!" She answered sobbing, "Don't say things like that! How can I ...
Introduction: Fatimid Egypt was famous for its luxury textile production and in particular the so-called dar al-tiraz textile workshops in Damietta, Dabiq, Tanis, Alexandria and Shata. The Persian word tiraz denotes an embroidered decorative band, attached near the edge of a fabric or a garment, that included blessings and - in the Fatimid period - the name of the ruling caliph or ...
Fatimid Aqueduct Name of Monument: Fatimid Aqueduct Location: Haffouz, Kairouan, Tunisia Date of the monument: Hegira 348 / AD 960 Period/Dynasty: Fatimid Patron(s): The Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah Description: The underground water collection system at Bir al-Udhine, 36 km to the west of Kaiouran, is held to be one of the most important monuments in Tunisia. Conscious of the need ...
Shamas in Ottawa recently. Photo: Nurin Merchant Shamas Nanji is a poet and writer living in Edmonton, Alberta. Shamas holds post graduate degrees from London and McGill. In 2008, he published his third volume of poetry entitled Meditations on Abraham. In verse and in prose, Shamas is doing his bit to ameliorate the knowledge deficit in Canada about Muslim civilizations as ...
Jesus & Muhammad The setting's in Baghdad Early in the tenth century With a bustling metropolis It's a free-market economy The story's told by Junayd About the calling of a Sufi To the seeker of an upgrade Spending the life of a softie He begins with Abraham Then relates Ismail's saga Speaks of Moses, then Job John and after Zachariah Jesus, ...
