Maynooth University is saddened to learn of the death of the philanthropist and spiritual leader Prince Karim Aga Khan, who has died at the age of 88, and who had close ties to the University. The Aga Khan was the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims, tracing his lineage directly to the Prophet Muhammad.
He was also the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development groups in the world. It works to improve living conditions and opportunities in the developing world in areas ranging from education and health to architecture and the promotion of private enterprise.
MU recognised the Aga Khan’s significant achievements when it awarded him an honorary law doctorate in 2008 for “outstanding contributions to the elimination of global poverty, the advancement of women, the promotion of Islamic culture and the furthering of pluralistic values in society.”
It extends sincere condolences to his family and friends, including his daughter Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who visited MU last year to sign a strategic partnership agreement between The Aga Khan University and MU, the first of its kind with an Irish university.
The agreement, which was signed at an event held in MU, aims to foster collaboration in the coming years across several areas including research, student and staff mobility, and knowledge exchange in areas of mutual expertise and development.
The Aga Khan was also a leading owner and breeder of race horses and was heavily involved in the Irish horse racing industry. He owned a number of stud farms across the country and bred Shergar, once the most famous and most valuable racehorse in the world.
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| L-R: Prince Karim Aga Khan with daughter Princess Zahra Aga Khan and former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald | L-R: Princess Zahra Aga Khan with MU President Eeva Leinonen |