Incumbent
Prince Karim Aga Khan became the present Aga Khan IV upon assuming the Imamat of the Nizari Ismaili community on July 11, 1957, at the age of 20 - succeeding his grandfather, His Highness Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan (known as the Aga Khan III). The Aga Khan IV is the 49th Nizari Ismaili Imam and claims to be a hereditary descendant of Ali, a cousin of the Prophet Muhamad, and his wife Fatimah, the Prophet Muhammad's first daughter. The title His Highness was granted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1957 and the title of His Royal Highness by the Shah of Iran in 1959 - though the Aga Khan does not use the latter title in practice. On July 11, 2012, the Aga Khan IV completed 55 years as the Imam of the Nizari Ismailis.
The Aga Khan is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development networks in the world. The AKDN works within a variety of African and Asian countries to improve general living conditions and promote education amongst local populations. For instance, in Afghanistan the AKDN indicates that it has mobilised over $700 million for reconstruction projects. In 1979, the Aga Khan established the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to promote the study of Islamic art, architecture, urbanism, landscape design, and conservation. The program engages in research at both institutions and students can graduate with a Master of Science of Architectural Studies specializing in the Aga Khan program from MIT's Department of Architecture.
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