Karachi, 1877. At that time, the city was part of the British province of Sind - now Pakistan. Mohammed Shah, son of Aga Khan II, was born on 2 November. At the age of eight, he succeeded his late father as Imam of the Ismailis. At the request of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, he bore the title of Highness. In the early 1900s, he moved to Europe. One of his objectives there was to develop family activities in breeding and horse racing. But his great passion for horses - he won twice the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as well as the British Triple Crown - did not prevent him from building an important network of schools, hospitals, banks and mosques for the Ismaili communities for whom he was the highly valued spiritual leader. It was a significant and visionary contribution, which would be lauded by many accolades.
