The Aga Khan IV was laid to rest on Sunday at a private ceremony in Aswan, Egypt.
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The death of Prince Karim – the 49th hereditary imam of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims – was announced on Tuesday by the Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community. His son, 53-year-old Rahim Al-Hussaini, has been named as the Aga Khan V, the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims, in according with his father’s will.
On Saturday, a private funeral service took place at the Ismaili community centre in Lisbon attended by Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Spain’s King Emeritus Juan Carlos.
The Aga Khan is considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed and is treated as a head of state.
The governor of Aswan welcomed Prince Karim’s family at the southern Egyptian’s provinces airport on Saturday.
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“When his will was opened, it was found that he had requested to be buried in Aswan near his grandfather, Sultan Muhammad Shah, and his grandmother, Om Habiba,” said Major General Ismail Kamal.