First Aga Khan: Memoirs of the 46th Ismaili Imam

Description

Hasan Ali Shah, also known as Muhammad Hasan al-Husayni and, more generally, as the Aga Khan (1804- 1881), was the 46th Imam of the Niziri Ismailis and the first Ismaili Imam to bear the title of Aga Khan, bestowed on him by the contemporary Qajar monarch of Persia. This book is the first English translation of his memoirs, the 'Ibrat-afza, 'A Book of Exhortation, or Example', and includes a new edition of the Persian text and a detailed introduction to the work and its context. The 'Ibrat-afza was composed in the year 1851, following the Ismaili Imam's departure from Persia and his permanent settlement in India. The text recounts the Aga Khan's early life and political career as the governor of the province of Kirman in Persia, and narrates the dramatic events of his conflict with the Qajar establishment followed by his subsequent travels and exploits in Afghanistan and British India. The 'Ibrat-afza provides a rare example of an autobiographical account from an Ismaili Imam and a first-hand perspective on the regional politics of the age. It offers a window into the history of the Ismailis of Persia, India and Central Asia at the dawn of the modern era of their history. Consequently, the book will be of great value to both researchers and general readers interested in Ismaili history and in the history of Asia in the nineteenth century.

About the author

Daniel Beben is Assistant Professor of History at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan. His research focuses on the history of Ismaili and Sufi communities in pre-modern Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. His current projects include a monograph on the history of Ismailism in Central Asia and a work on genealogical traditions in the Badakhshan region. Daryoush Mohammad Poor is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Academic Research and Publications at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. His research interests include Ismaili studies, Shi'i studies, philosophy and Islamic intellectual history. His publications include Authority without Territory: The Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili Imamate (2014) and a new Persian edition and English translation of Shahrastani's Majlis-i Khwarazm (forthcoming).