I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili StudiesMuhammad Hasan al-Husayni, also known as Hasan ''Ali Shah and, more generally, as the Aga Khan (1804-1881), was the 46th Imam of the Nizari 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 rar
