Imam Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III succeeded as Imam on August 17, 1885 at the age of eight years. At the age of nine, he received the honorific title of ‘His Highness’ from Queen Victoria. Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah led the Nizari Ismailis as Imam for 72 years, longer than any of his predecessors.
Upon completion of 70 years of his Imamat, the Ismaili community celebrated platinum jubilee. The first ceremony took place in Karachi, Pakistan (Imam’s birthplace) on February 3, 1954 followed by a small ceremony in Cairo, and Africa on February 20, 1955.
Although a bumper issue of the souvenir book was published by then Ismailia Association Pakistan in Karachi, contributor Kamrudin Rashid originally from Zanzibar, Tanzania and now a resident of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is pleased to share with the readers a digitally scanned version of 16-page souvenir book published by then Ismailia Association for Tanganyika (now Tanzania) for the Africa Celebration.
Ismailimail 
One of the best article’s i’ve ever read. A lot of Ismailis don’t know the history of our Imams, articles like this would explain and understand and the parents should i believe explain it to their children, since the children are asking a lot of questions of our faith parents easily explain from articles which i never knew myself. Thanks to Kamrudin Rajan for having shared this wonderful life of our beloved 48th Imam. i was thinking when would the platinum Jubilee celebrations would be celebrated and got my answer, which i look forward to very much.
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Note to Zinat Bhatia. Thanks a lot for your thought provoking comments. Greatly appreciated. Please note my correct name is Kamrudin Rashid and not Kamrudin Rajan. Thanks.
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There is an factual error with respect to Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah’s age when He became the Imam. (I have observed this error in many other official articles).
Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah was born on November 2, 1877 and became the Imam on August 17, 1885, that makes Him 7 years old, not 8. He would have been 8 years old on November 2, 1885. Thanks.
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