Ismaili community eagerly awaits Prince Rahim Aga Khan V’s Hyderabad visit
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The Ismaili community in Hyderabad is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), who is scheduled to visit the city on September 15.
Members of the Ismaili community are making preparations to welcome their spiritual leader, with a large gathering expected during his interaction with the community. Prince Rahim Khan succeeded his late father, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.
During his stay in Telangana, Prince Rahim is expected to meet Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other senior government representatives. Discussions are likely to cover areas of development cooperation and the AKDN’s long-standing engagement with Telangana.
The Aga Khan Development Network has established a significant presence in Hyderabad, particularly in education, habitat improvement and human development.
Cultural conservation is central to the AKDN’s approach, reviving local economies, generating livelihoods and fostering pride in shared heritage. In 2013, the Government of Telangana and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture launched one of India’s largest conservation initiatives — the restoration of the Qutb Shahi Tombs.
Over more than a decade, mausoleums, mosques, stepwells and landscapes were conserved using a craft-based approach. The 106-acre heritage landscape includes nearly 100 conserved monuments and is recognised as India’s largest single-site conservation programme.
The site harvests more than 20 million litres of rainwater annually and has become a net-zero water site, enabling the plantation of 12,000 trees. The restoration of the Golconda stepwells received the UNESCO Award of Distinction in 2022.
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is also involved in the restoration of the Paigah Tombs and the conservation of four heritage structures in Hyderabad, including the Telangana Legislative Council building.
The Foundation has also supported early childhood development and nutrition initiatives across Telangana. Its PAALAN-1000 Parenting and Learning in the First 1,000 Days application, developed with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, supports caregivers during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life and has reached more than 31,500 users.
Since 2019, the Foundation has supported POSHAN Abhiyaan in Telangana, reaching nine lakh children across 37,700 Anganwadi Centres.
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