Karim Aga Khan, the founder of Costa Smeralda, has died

Karim Aga Khan, the founder of Costa Smeralda, has died . The news was released late yesterday evening. The forty-ninth Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims, he was 88 years old. He died in Lisbon ,   where its development network and foundation were based.

The Aga Khan Development Network staff announced: "His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV - the note released in the evening - 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Shia Muslims and direct descendant of Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed away peacefully in Lisbon on 4 February 2025, at the age of 88, surrounded by his family".

And it is the Costa Smeralda Consortium, a quarter of an hour later, to relaunch with a post "We have no words. Only one: THANK YOU" while the news in the meantime bounces on all the international media, with unanimous condolences around the world.

“An extraordinarily compassionate global leader,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called him “a great friend” who “will be deeply missed by people around the world.”

His successor is expected to be announced shortly, and his funeral will be held in Lisbon .

An entrepreneur and philanthropist, among the richest men in the world, Shah Karim al Hussaini was the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims , a religious community of around 15 million Shiite followers, "and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad" and had in turn inherited the title from his grandfather: he became Aga Khan IV on 19 October 1957 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania , after leaving Harvard to be with his ailing grandfather and then returning to school 18 months later with an entourage and a deep sense of responsibility.

THE DREAM – As can be read on the Costa Smeralda Consortium website, « Prince Karim Aga Khan is the father of a dream that will change the history of Sardinia . It was he who wanted the Consortium, preceded by a letter of intent in 1961 and then officially founded on March 14, 1962 in Olbia, at number 193 Corso Umberto, in front of the notary Mario Altea di Tempio. There were approximately 1,800 hectares of land initially passed from the old to the new owners, all ready to invest large sums in the beauty of Gallura. The names of the founding members are six: Karim Aga Khan, Patrick Guinnes, Felix Bigio, John Duncan Miller, Andrè Ardoin and René Podbielski».

It was also decided to establish a prestigious Architectural Committee, "responsible for drawing up rigorous development plans and ensuring constant architectural control of the area.

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The aim was to ensure the conservation of the pre-existing natural heritage and to conceive a style capable of combining natural beauty with the elements of the local building tradition . At the behest of the Aga Khan, some of the best architects of the time were called to join the Committee: Luigi Vietti, Jacques Couëlle, Michele Busiri Vici and Antonio Simon Mossa. Four giants of architecture who had the merit of conceiving a profoundly characteristic style inserted in a landscape to be protected and safeguarded. All this in line with the modern vision of the Prince, a forerunner of sustainability and protection of the territory".

OTHER PROJECTS – His projects also included breeding thoroughbred racehorses , representing Iran at the 1964 Winter Olympics as a skier , and carrying out several health initiatives for the poor in developing countries.

Although he lived in luxury, on jets and yachts, owned a Caribbean island, and was worth an estimated $1 billion to $13 billion, he resisted the idea that his wealth conflicted with his faith and charity. An imam or religious leader “should not withdraw from everyday life,” he said when he became Aga Khan. “On the contrary, he is expected to protect his community and contribute to its quality of life. Therefore, the notion of a division between faith and the world is alien to Islam.”

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• Couelle and the others: the architects who made the history of the Costa Smeralda
• Nello Di Salvo: the photographer who told the story of the birth of the Costa Smeralda

(Online Union)