Mausoleum for a Muslim Prince .
By Idris Tawfiq
Tuesday, 04 March 2008 00:00
Aga Khan Mausoleum in Aswan.
It is often said that the River Nile manifests its beauty at its best at Aswan, Egypt's most southern city, where white-sailed feluccas glide across the clear, blue water.
The residents of Aswan are friendly and less likely to hassle you than other cities in Egypt that attract large numbers of visitors. And large numbers there are. The warm, year-round climate and the tropical vegetation give the town a distinctly African feel. The next stop is Sudan. Of all the things to see in this delightful place, the most pleasant thing of all is just to walk and to take in the atmosphere.
The Great Mausoleum
http://www.onislam.net/english/culture- ... rince.html[
Aswan
20 tombs unearthed in Aga Khan site, Aswan, since 2014
CAIRO - 20 September 2018: An Egyptian archeological mission working at the Aga Khan site in Aswan’s west bank since 2014 has discovered 20 tombs from the Graco-Roman period, late ancient Egypt and early Christianity.
Director of Aswan and Nubian Antiquities, Abdel-Moneim Saeed, said that the uncovered tombs vary in their architectural styles, inscriptions and drawings on sarcophaguses, statues and mummies.
More...
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/578 ... since-2014
CAIRO - 20 September 2018: An Egyptian archeological mission working at the Aga Khan site in Aswan’s west bank since 2014 has discovered 20 tombs from the Graco-Roman period, late ancient Egypt and early Christianity.
Director of Aswan and Nubian Antiquities, Abdel-Moneim Saeed, said that the uncovered tombs vary in their architectural styles, inscriptions and drawings on sarcophaguses, statues and mummies.
More...
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/578 ... since-2014
In Pics: New tomb discovered in Aga Khan Cemetery in West Aswan
CAIRO - 23 April 2019: The Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission operating in the Aga Khan cemetery in western Aswan found an ancient tomb carved in a rock dating back to the Greco-Roman era.
Photos and more...
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/687 ... emetery-in
CAIRO - 23 April 2019: The Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission operating in the Aga Khan cemetery in western Aswan found an ancient tomb carved in a rock dating back to the Greco-Roman era.
Photos and more...
http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/687 ... emetery-in
https://dailynewsegypt.com/2020/09/06/d ... mausoleum/
DNE Buzz takes us on a journey to Aswan’s Aga Khan Mausoleum
Mausoleum of Ismaili religious leader behind story of impossible love between Indian prince and French florist
Daily News Egypt September 6, 2020 Comments Off on DNE Buzz takes us on a journey to Aswan’s Aga Khan Mausoleum
The Aga Khan Mausoleum sits high on the west bank of the River Nile at Aswan, a hark back to Egypt’s former status as the centre of Fatimid power.
DNE Buzz takes us on a journey to the location that has witnessed one of the most famous love stories of the 20th Century.
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, the third Aga Khan and the 48th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili sect, was born in Karachi, the then-capital of Sindh province in British India, now modern-day Pakistan.
He was one of the founders and the first permanent president of the All-India Muslim League (AIML). As the 48th Imam of the Shia’a Nizari Ismaili sect, he aimed for the advancement of Muslim agendas and the protection of Muslim rights in India. In 1932 he was nominated to represent India at the League of Nations, and served as the league’s President in 1937.
The Aga Khan expressed that, following his death, he was to be buried near his villa in the Upper Egyptian city of Aswan, a city where he frequently spent the winter season. His deep love of the city stemmed from ill health, having been recommended to travel to Aswan following paralysis in one leg.
The Mausoleum, constructed following his death in 1957, is built in the style of the Fatimid tombs in Cairo. Its pink limestone exterior, in which the tomb of white Carrara marble sits, serves as a defining feature on Aswan’s landscape.
At first sight, the Fatimid styled Mausoleum seems an isolated building, but it serves as a romantic start point, encouraging lovers from all over the world to go explore the area.
The Aga Khan’s love story started in the late 1930s, and ended in 2000, when destiny brought him together with a French woman named Yvonne Blanche Labrousse. The two met while attending a royal party in Egypt, to which Labrousse had been invited following her winning the Miss France title in 1930.
It is said that the then-68-year-old prince fell in love with the French beauty at first sight. And as with most stories of this sort, their love suffered from the constrictions of social norms and traditions at the time. The prince was heavily criticised for wanting to marry a florist, especially one thirty years his junior.
However, love knows no bounds and the couple were married one year later. Since then, Labrousse was known as Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan, the prince’s fourth and final wife.
The couple preferred to stay in Aswan, where the Aga Khan prepared a palace for his wife to stay. It was in Egypt that the couple remained until his death in 1957.
It is said that Begum Om Habibeh used to put a red rose inside a silver cup on his tomb every day until her own death in 2000, a practice that continues until the present day. She also planted the palace garden with the same roses that the Aga Khan preferred.
Begum Om Habibeh gained fame for her generosity towards the poor and the elderly, frequently undertaking acts of compassion to ensure their welfare. After her husband’s death, she returned to France, visiting Aswan annually to commemorate her late husband’s memory.
In 2000, Begum Om Habibeh died at the age of 94 in France, with her remains returned to Aswan to be buried by her husband’s side in the mausoleum.
Following her death, the mausoleum became a shrine for lovers due to its backstory reminding visitors of the never-ending love between the prince and his French florist.
The mausoleum’s beautiful interior features red carpets, with the building’s light colours giving it a certain timbre contrasting with the ethnic style.
The only way to reach the monument, located at Aswan’s southern end on the western side of the River Nile, is via sailing boat.
Unfortunately, the mausoleum is no longer open to the public, but you can still drink in the exterior beauty, and the building’s unique setting on the hills that rise above the River Nile. The added experience of navigating the surrounding waters are reasons enough to make a visit to this magical place in Egypt.
DNE Buzz takes us on a journey to Aswan’s Aga Khan Mausoleum
Mausoleum of Ismaili religious leader behind story of impossible love between Indian prince and French florist
Daily News Egypt September 6, 2020 Comments Off on DNE Buzz takes us on a journey to Aswan’s Aga Khan Mausoleum
The Aga Khan Mausoleum sits high on the west bank of the River Nile at Aswan, a hark back to Egypt’s former status as the centre of Fatimid power.
DNE Buzz takes us on a journey to the location that has witnessed one of the most famous love stories of the 20th Century.
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, the third Aga Khan and the 48th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili sect, was born in Karachi, the then-capital of Sindh province in British India, now modern-day Pakistan.
He was one of the founders and the first permanent president of the All-India Muslim League (AIML). As the 48th Imam of the Shia’a Nizari Ismaili sect, he aimed for the advancement of Muslim agendas and the protection of Muslim rights in India. In 1932 he was nominated to represent India at the League of Nations, and served as the league’s President in 1937.
The Aga Khan expressed that, following his death, he was to be buried near his villa in the Upper Egyptian city of Aswan, a city where he frequently spent the winter season. His deep love of the city stemmed from ill health, having been recommended to travel to Aswan following paralysis in one leg.
The Mausoleum, constructed following his death in 1957, is built in the style of the Fatimid tombs in Cairo. Its pink limestone exterior, in which the tomb of white Carrara marble sits, serves as a defining feature on Aswan’s landscape.
At first sight, the Fatimid styled Mausoleum seems an isolated building, but it serves as a romantic start point, encouraging lovers from all over the world to go explore the area.
The Aga Khan’s love story started in the late 1930s, and ended in 2000, when destiny brought him together with a French woman named Yvonne Blanche Labrousse. The two met while attending a royal party in Egypt, to which Labrousse had been invited following her winning the Miss France title in 1930.
It is said that the then-68-year-old prince fell in love with the French beauty at first sight. And as with most stories of this sort, their love suffered from the constrictions of social norms and traditions at the time. The prince was heavily criticised for wanting to marry a florist, especially one thirty years his junior.
However, love knows no bounds and the couple were married one year later. Since then, Labrousse was known as Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan, the prince’s fourth and final wife.
The couple preferred to stay in Aswan, where the Aga Khan prepared a palace for his wife to stay. It was in Egypt that the couple remained until his death in 1957.
It is said that Begum Om Habibeh used to put a red rose inside a silver cup on his tomb every day until her own death in 2000, a practice that continues until the present day. She also planted the palace garden with the same roses that the Aga Khan preferred.
Begum Om Habibeh gained fame for her generosity towards the poor and the elderly, frequently undertaking acts of compassion to ensure their welfare. After her husband’s death, she returned to France, visiting Aswan annually to commemorate her late husband’s memory.
In 2000, Begum Om Habibeh died at the age of 94 in France, with her remains returned to Aswan to be buried by her husband’s side in the mausoleum.
Following her death, the mausoleum became a shrine for lovers due to its backstory reminding visitors of the never-ending love between the prince and his French florist.
The mausoleum’s beautiful interior features red carpets, with the building’s light colours giving it a certain timbre contrasting with the ethnic style.
The only way to reach the monument, located at Aswan’s southern end on the western side of the River Nile, is via sailing boat.
Unfortunately, the mausoleum is no longer open to the public, but you can still drink in the exterior beauty, and the building’s unique setting on the hills that rise above the River Nile. The added experience of navigating the surrounding waters are reasons enough to make a visit to this magical place in Egypt.
Egyptian Taj Mahal – a true temple of love?
CAIRO – 15 June 2017: Aswan is renowned for the Philae Temple dedicated to Isis, the goddess of love. But there’s a princely shrine that sits on the west bank of the Nile overlooking the city’s iconic architecture that many consider one of the truest symbols of love anywhere in Egypt.
The contemporary memorial — constructed long after the country’s well-known Egyptian, Greek and Roman monuments — has become so popular that many consider it one of Egypt’s “must” destinations. The combination of a love story and architecture style prompt some to compare it to the Taj Mahal, the ivory-colored marble mausoleum on the bank of the Yamuna river in Agra, India.
Though not as large as the Taj Mahal, the pinkish limestone Mausoleum of Aga Khan has a white Carrara marble tomb and is built in the style of the Fāṭimid Dynasty, which was founded in Cairo by the Aga Khan’s ancestors in 969. The Fāṭimids are primarily remembered as patrons of the arts, architecture, literature, pluralism and scientific endeavors and are considered one of the apogees of Muslim culture.
The mausoleum is not only the burial site of the Aga Khan, who used to spend part of the winter living in a nearby villa and was buried here two years after he died in Geneva in 1957. It has also become a poignant symbol of love because a fresh red rose has been laid on the Aga Khan's tomb every day since he died.
The ritual of the rose was initiated by the Aga Khan's fourth and last wife, the French-born Yvette Labrousse who he met at in Cairo in the late 1930s.
The couple have fell in love at first sight at the chic dancing party in Cairo. Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan — a former beauty queen and Miss France remembered for the work she did with women, the poor and elderly — was the only wife of the Aga Khan who converted to Muslim, fully supported his charitable life mission and handled arrangements after his death.
The Aga Khan playfully nicknamed Om Habibeh "Yaky" — which was composed from the initials of "Yvette", "Aga" and "Khan" — and said about his marriage to a woman almost three decades younger that "If a perfectly happy marriage be one in which there is a genuine and complete union and understanding, on the spiritual, mental and emotional planes, ours is such."
Yaky oversaw the building of the mausoleum, a task that took 16 months under the direction of architect Farid El-Shafie and contractor Hassan Dorra, almost immediately after her husband’s death. She continued to spend three months each winter at their white villa near the Mausoleum and personally delivered the rose to his tomb each morning, a ritual performed daily by her gardener in her absence. There is even a story that once when there was not a single rose found in Egypt the flower was sent from Paris by a private plane for six consecutive days.
Yaky was also buried in the mausoleum after she died in the south of France in July 2000. And today the couple continues to lay side by side and are both remembered for their mutual love story worth a movie.
Egypt was a special place for Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan III, the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismali Muslims and an influential Indian spiritual leader, who was the 49th imam in the Nizari Ismaili community and believed to be a descendant of the Prophet by his followers. He almost became the king of the Egypt in 1914.
“On my way home to India I visited Egypt for the first time,” the Aga Khan wrote in his memoirs about his first visit to the country in 1935. “Those who have not experienced it, who have not been lucky enough to fall under Egypt’s spell, will find it difficult, I suppose, to realize the sheer magic of the first sight of Egypt.” The Aga Khan’s first glimpse of Egypt “was on a perfect early winter day, and need I say that all my life since then I have had a special corner in my heart for Egypt, and that I have returned there as often as I could.”
The Aga Khan, who suffered from rheumatism and bone pain, had a special affinity for Aswan where, after spending many visits at the famed Cataract Hotel, he built a villa for his beloved Yaky, enjoyed the inviting warm winter climate, used medicines provided by Nubian elders and experienced the healing powers of Aswan’s sands. Advised by the Nubians, Sheikh Khan once buried his lower body in the local sands for three hours each day for a week to remedy an ailment.
It was always his wish to be buried there.
Although today the Mausoleum of Aga Khan is closed for the public, the ritual of the rose has attained a mythical status and has prompted pilgrimages to the site by young lovers throughout the world.
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/6/77 ... le-of-love
CAIRO – 15 June 2017: Aswan is renowned for the Philae Temple dedicated to Isis, the goddess of love. But there’s a princely shrine that sits on the west bank of the Nile overlooking the city’s iconic architecture that many consider one of the truest symbols of love anywhere in Egypt.
The contemporary memorial — constructed long after the country’s well-known Egyptian, Greek and Roman monuments — has become so popular that many consider it one of Egypt’s “must” destinations. The combination of a love story and architecture style prompt some to compare it to the Taj Mahal, the ivory-colored marble mausoleum on the bank of the Yamuna river in Agra, India.
Though not as large as the Taj Mahal, the pinkish limestone Mausoleum of Aga Khan has a white Carrara marble tomb and is built in the style of the Fāṭimid Dynasty, which was founded in Cairo by the Aga Khan’s ancestors in 969. The Fāṭimids are primarily remembered as patrons of the arts, architecture, literature, pluralism and scientific endeavors and are considered one of the apogees of Muslim culture.
The mausoleum is not only the burial site of the Aga Khan, who used to spend part of the winter living in a nearby villa and was buried here two years after he died in Geneva in 1957. It has also become a poignant symbol of love because a fresh red rose has been laid on the Aga Khan's tomb every day since he died.
The ritual of the rose was initiated by the Aga Khan's fourth and last wife, the French-born Yvette Labrousse who he met at in Cairo in the late 1930s.
The couple have fell in love at first sight at the chic dancing party in Cairo. Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan — a former beauty queen and Miss France remembered for the work she did with women, the poor and elderly — was the only wife of the Aga Khan who converted to Muslim, fully supported his charitable life mission and handled arrangements after his death.
The Aga Khan playfully nicknamed Om Habibeh "Yaky" — which was composed from the initials of "Yvette", "Aga" and "Khan" — and said about his marriage to a woman almost three decades younger that "If a perfectly happy marriage be one in which there is a genuine and complete union and understanding, on the spiritual, mental and emotional planes, ours is such."
Yaky oversaw the building of the mausoleum, a task that took 16 months under the direction of architect Farid El-Shafie and contractor Hassan Dorra, almost immediately after her husband’s death. She continued to spend three months each winter at their white villa near the Mausoleum and personally delivered the rose to his tomb each morning, a ritual performed daily by her gardener in her absence. There is even a story that once when there was not a single rose found in Egypt the flower was sent from Paris by a private plane for six consecutive days.
Yaky was also buried in the mausoleum after she died in the south of France in July 2000. And today the couple continues to lay side by side and are both remembered for their mutual love story worth a movie.
Egypt was a special place for Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan III, the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismali Muslims and an influential Indian spiritual leader, who was the 49th imam in the Nizari Ismaili community and believed to be a descendant of the Prophet by his followers. He almost became the king of the Egypt in 1914.
“On my way home to India I visited Egypt for the first time,” the Aga Khan wrote in his memoirs about his first visit to the country in 1935. “Those who have not experienced it, who have not been lucky enough to fall under Egypt’s spell, will find it difficult, I suppose, to realize the sheer magic of the first sight of Egypt.” The Aga Khan’s first glimpse of Egypt “was on a perfect early winter day, and need I say that all my life since then I have had a special corner in my heart for Egypt, and that I have returned there as often as I could.”
The Aga Khan, who suffered from rheumatism and bone pain, had a special affinity for Aswan where, after spending many visits at the famed Cataract Hotel, he built a villa for his beloved Yaky, enjoyed the inviting warm winter climate, used medicines provided by Nubian elders and experienced the healing powers of Aswan’s sands. Advised by the Nubians, Sheikh Khan once buried his lower body in the local sands for three hours each day for a week to remedy an ailment.
It was always his wish to be buried there.
Although today the Mausoleum of Aga Khan is closed for the public, the ritual of the rose has attained a mythical status and has prompted pilgrimages to the site by young lovers throughout the world.
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/6/77 ... le-of-love
Re: Aswan
Egypt hopes to capitalise on Aga Khan's burial to renew interest in the Aswan mausoleum
Egyptian officials are now hopeful that the recent burial of Aga Khan IV in the mausoleum's tomb in the city of Aswan will renew interest in the site
The Aga Khan III mausoleum, a rectangular mosque-like building on top of a hill on the western bank of the Nile River in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, is now at the centre of tourism hopes in the city.
These hopes were stimulated by the February 9 burial in the mausoleum's tomb of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary imam of Ismaili Muslims.
Aga Khan IV, who died in Lisbon at the age of 88, asked to be buried in the tomb of his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III, the 48th imam of Ismaili Muslims, in Aswan.
A high-level funeral ceremony was organised for him, in the presence of family members and global leaders of the Ismaili community.
The mausoleum's construction was completed in 1960. It has been a tourist magnet in southern Egypt for a long time since its construction.
Egyptian officials are now hopeful that the burial of Aga Khan IV in the mausoleum's tomb will renew interest in the site, especially among the members of the Ismaili community, estimated at between 12 and 15 million worldwide.
"The burial of Aga Khan IV in Aswan is an exceptional event in the modern history of the city," Ahmed Saleh, a representative of Aswan in the Egyptian parliament, told The New Arab.
"We hope this burial will promote Aswan as a tourist destination among Ismaili Muslims," he added.
The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Visit The Aga Khan Centre
Aga Khan IV was the imam of the Ismaili Muslims and the head of a major development aid foundation [Getty]
Architectural wonder
Aga Khan III fell in love with Aswan soon after he arrived in it in 1954 for treatment of rheumatism and bone inflammation. He was advised by one of his doctors to travel to the Egyptian city to seek treatment by burying himself in its hot sands.
Having undergone a phenomenal recovery, he decided to make the city his winter residence.
Aga Khan III then hired Egyptian architect, Farid Shafie, to construct the mausoleum for him on a plot of land awarded to him by the late Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Along with the mausoleum, Shafie also constructed what is now known as Villa Nour El Salam which became the winter residence of the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community.
In designing the mausoleum, engineer Shafie was influenced by the structure of Juyushi Mosque, an Islamic house of worship in Cairo constructed in 1085 during the reign of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mustansir Billah.
The mausoleum features a rectangular layout with a central dome and several smaller domes. It also features an interior mihrab (a niche in the wall of the mosque) for prayer.
Engineer Shafie used pink limestone in constructing the mausoleum and crenellated parapets (features of defensive structures) to line its outer wall.
There is an arched doorway on the western side of the building that serves as the only entrance to its interior.
There is also a large central dome on the eastern side of the mausoleum, which has arched tracery windows along the octagonal drum. Four miniature domes are also located on each corner of the outer wall.
Pallbearers carry the coffin with the remains of Prince Karim Al-Husseini Aga Khan IV to the hearse at Ismaili Centre at the end of the funeral of The Aga Khan IV, Prince Karim Al-Husseini Aga Khan on February 08, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Pallbearers carry the coffin with the remains of Prince Karim Al-Husseini Aga Khan IV to the hearse at Ismaili Centre at the end of the funeral of The Aga Khan IV, Prince Karim Al-Husseini Aga Khan on February 08, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal [Getty]
Special place
Prince Karim's burial in Egypt once more honours connections between his family and the Ismaili community, on one hand, and this Arab country and its Fatimid history, on the other.
The Fatimids' influence continues to be felt in almost all aspects of life in Egypt until the present, including through the establishment of its capital, Cairo, in 969 CE.
The Fatimids also established al-Azhar Mosque, the Islamic world's most important seat of learning, almost two years after they constructed Cairo.
Maintaining the same tradition of giving, the Ismaili community supported Egypt's development over the years, including by constructing, al-Azhar Park — now the Egyptian capital's most important green space which stands a short walk away from the ancient Fatimid quarter of the Egyptian capital and houses the al-Azhar and al-Hussein Mosque; construction that dates back to 1154.
Through the Aga Khan Development Network — an organisation active in human development in several states — the community has also restored some of Egypt's ancient mosques.
This is perhaps why the members of the Ismaili community and their spiritual leader are held in high esteem in Cairo which courts other Shia communities, including the Dawoodi Bohra who invested millions of dollars in the past years in the restoration of some ancient mosques in different parts of Egypt.
Aswan Governor, General Ismail Kamal described the Aga Khan mausoleum as an important attraction. If interest is renewed in the site, it will join a large number of other sites across Egypt that can attract the members of the Ismaili community and other Shia Muslims, tourism experts said.
"Egypt is home to a large number of mosques and sites that belong to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad," Basil al-Sisi, the deputy head of the Egyptian Travel Agents' Association, told The New Arab.
"These sites appeal to all Muslims, including Shia Muslims, which gives the local tourism sector a very strong edge if the authorities pay special attention to them," he added.
Mausoleum and villa of Aga Khan III, Aswan. Egypt, 20th century. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)
The Mausoleum and villa of Aga Khan III, in Aswan [Getty]
Looking ahead
Egypt's hopes to revive interest in the Aga Khan mausoleum in Aswan coincide with efforts by tourism authorities to bring more activity to the tourism sector — which in 2023 contributed 24% of Egypt's GDP and employed one in every 12 of the nation's workers.
In 2024, this country received 15.7 million tourists, a number unprecedented in the local tourism sector's history. Egypt hopes to raise this number to 18 million this year.
Tourism specialists pin hopes on current stable security conditions in the country and the government's aggressive promotion policies to contribute to the achievement of this objective.
They are hopeful also that Egypt can make the most out of its religious tourism capabilities in the coming period.
To fully draw on its spiritual tourism capabilities, Egypt is reviving the Trail of the Holy Family, an aspiring project to attract Christians from all parts of the world to a long list of sites visited by Baby Jesus, Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph when they fled to Egypt between 7 and 4 BC from King Herod.
It is also launching the Great Transfiguration Project which puts the captivating mountainous landscape of St. Catherine city in South Sinai at its centre.
These and other sites, specialists said, can attract a huge number of tourists to Egypt and consequently increase the country's tourism revenues.
"We have a vast reserve of tourist sites that appeal to the adherents of all religions, one that reflects Egypt's cultural and religious diversity," independent tourism expert, Magdi Selim, told The New Arab.
"These sites can attract a large number of tourists to Egypt in the coming years," he added.
Amr Emam is a Cairo-based journalist. He has contributed to the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle and the UN news site IRIN
https://www.newarab.com/features/how-eg ... ans-burial