Platinum Jubilee of Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan

The word jubilee is derived from the Hebrew yobel,Karachi on 3rd February, 1954 in presence of 50,000
meaning ram’s horn. In the ancient time, theIsmailis.
jubilee was announced by the blowing of the shofar,The Imam appeared in a ceremonial high-walled black
a trumpet of ram’s horn, and as a result, thecap, a white tunic and a brown, embroidered robe.
occasion came to be known as yobel, or jubilee. TheSitting between Mata Salamat Umm Habibeh and his
Arabic word for jubilee is also yobel, and Turkishown wife, the Prime Minister Mohammad Ali recorded
ellinci. Jubilee is a momentous occasion, denoting thethe whole ceremony with his 3-D camera, frequently
celebration of a period of time, anniversary or othershooting back at the photographers. After the
special occasions.recitation of the Holy Koran, the Imam rose and
Platinum is a soft, ductile and silver-white metallicraised his hands in prayer before resuming his seat.
element. The Spanish scientist Antonio de UlloaThe afternoon sun was blazing down and a servant
discovered it in gold-bearing deposits in Columbia inof the Governor General’s household was holding
1735. The English chemist William Wollaston firsta sunshade over the Imam.
obtained pure platinum in 1803; and was also the firstPlatinum is a costly metal and the Imam did not like
to devise a way to produce platinum in a workableto spent more funds in its purchasing, and insisted to
form suitable for commercial purposes. South Africa,use the platinum only tenth part of his weight.
Russia and Canada produce almost all of theAccording to the adjustment of the scale, one ounce
world’s output of platinum. Its production beganof platinum was to indicate a weight of 14 ratls.
about in 1925, but it began to be used for jewelry inThus, Wazir Ibrahim Manji, the President of Platinum
significant amounts in 1905. World production ofJubilee Association began to place the pieces of
platinum increased strongly in 1960 and in theplatinum one after another and the scale showed the
beginning of 1970, reaching 2 million troy ounces (62weight of the Imam for 215 ratls, to which about 15
tons) per year. Since then, production has beenounces platinum were used. The whole ceremony
spurred by greater demand for platinum.ended within ten minutes. The sum gifted to the
To mark the completion of his seventy years ofImam was returned to his followers to set up
Imamate, the Ismailis decided to weigh the Imam inFinance and Investment Corporation.
platinum. The Platinum Jubilee was celebrated in