The actor, Sir Ben Kingsley, is no stranger to history, having played Gandhi in the David Attenborough film of the same name. The performance earned him a ‘Best Actor’ Oscar at the 1982 Academy Awards. Sir Ben’s chosen object is a gold turban. It was owned by his grandfather (a spice trader), who was a prominent member of the Ismaili Koja community in Zanzibar (in the Indian Ocean). Ismaili’s are Shi’a Muslims, and followers of the Aga Khan (a descendent of the prophet Muhammad). Some estimates put their global population at over 15 million people.
The object, which has a high sentimental value to Sir Ben, is kept on a shelf next to his Oscar.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects
Earlier related: Ben Kingsley speaks of his fathers link to Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah
Ismailimail 