Porto Cervo Celebrates the Aga Khan’s Legacy: A Square and a Sculpture Dedicated to Karim Aga Khan IV

The bond between the Aga Khan family and the region is being renewed in the name of the man who transformed a wild landscape into a model of beauty and sustainable development

Porto Cervo renews its bond with the Aga Khan family by dedicating the famous square and a commemorative sculpture to Karim Aga Khan IV, founder of this unique stretch of coast. The ceremony was attended by His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, guest of honour of Mayor Roberto Ragnedda. The initiative enshrines in the collective memory the figure of a man who recognized Gallura not only as a landscape of extraordinary beauty, but as a place to be protected and enhanced through architecture, craftsmanship, and sustainable development.

“My father would have been deeply moved by this tribute from Arzachena and Sardinia,” said Prince Rahim. During the ceremony, the granting of honorary citizenship to the fiftieth Imam of the Ismaili Shiite Muslims was also announced, as a sign of continuity between the community, the Aga Khan family, and the territory. Discreet gestures but with a significant heritage. It all began with a far from immediate encounter. When Karim Aga Khan IV first arrived in northeastern Sardinia in December 1958, he found rain, wind, nearly impassable roads, and a territory devoid of essential services. He even regretted the investment he had just made. But he returned in the spring and then in the summer, discovering a completely different landscape: Mediterranean scrub, broom bushes, crystal-clear water, and unspoilt beaches. It was not, as he himself said, “love at first sight,” but the beginning of a passionate relationship destined to last. From that fascination, a precise vision was born: not to transform the territory, but to build while respecting its character.

The Consortium was created precisely to protect the environment and establish strict rules designed to harmonize architecture, landscape, and development. An innovative choice at the time, it would give rise to a new tourism model, founded on beauty, protection, and long-term planning. An idea that even today, more than 60 years later, continues to be championed with the same eclectic energy by Mario Ferraro, CEO of Smeralda Holding, a company owned by Qatar Holding. This is precisely Porto Cervo’s strength: remaining true to itself, to its natural beauty, while always offering new inspiration.

Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V is the 50th hereditary Imam and spiritual leader of the Ismaili Shia Muslims. Appointed by his father Karim Aga Khan IV, he heads the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development networks in the world. Born in Geneva in 1971 and educated in the U.S., Prince Rahim is the second of four children and worked closely with his father for over thirty years. His elder sister, Zahra Aga Khan, is President of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda®.