He will also inaugurate Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on January 10, 2013 by the Andhra Pradesh State Department of Archaeology and Museums, the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Aga Khan Foundation for integrated conservation and landscape restoration project at thetomb complex in Hyderabad for a period of 10 years.

Prince Shah Karim Al Husseini who is also the 49th Imam of Nizari Ismailis called on the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee here on Thursday at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The President said India has great admiration for the Aga Khan and his noble mission of providing service to the needy and underprivileged in many parts of the world. The Aga Khan’s stress on tolerance and service to humanity is a valuable contribution in countering sectarianism and fundamentalism.

The President expressed happiness that the institutions under the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) have been working in close partnership with various Ministries and agencies of Central and State Governments in implementing diverse activities in the fields of health, education, rural development, culture and promoting people’s livelihood. He also praised the restoration project of gardens at Humayun’s tomb taken by AKDN.

The Quli Qutb Shah Archaeological Park comprising the Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex and Deccan Park, is one of the most significant historic medieval necropolises with 70 structures within its complex, encompassing 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, five step-wells/water structures, a hamam (mortuary bath), pavilions, garden structures and enclosure walls built during the reign of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty that ruled the Hyderabad region for 170 years in the 16th – 17th centuries.

The signing of the MoU has been preceded by a year-long documentation programme, where each of the 70 structures within the tomb complex - Deccan Park area have been documented and their conservation needs established. Topographical surveys of the entire 106 acre site have also been undertaken and a landscape master plan prepared.

Further research including excavations will be required prior to preparing detailed landscape proposals for the immediate setting of the monuments. A significant portion of the site would be developed as an ecological zone with plantations of local flora to encourage birds, as well as revive the historic water bodies.

The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, promotes the conservation and re-use of buildings and public spaces in historic cities. It undertakes the restoration and rehabilitation of historic structures and public spaces in ways that can spur social, economic and cultural development. Individual project briefs go beyond mere technical restoration to address the questions of the social and environmental context, adaptive re-use, institutional sustainability and training.

On Wednesday the visiting Aga Khan was present at the ceremony to mark the completion of restoration of Humayun tomb complex – a World Heritage site – along with the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the Union Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch. The resortoration of the Humayun tomb complex was initiated in 2007 by Aga Khan Trust for Culture, AKDN in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India and with the support of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.

Dr Singh lauded this effort as a success of private-public partnership.

Prince Aga Khan landed in India on September 17. He called on the Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari who hosted a banquest in his honour. He met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid called on him. He had a meeting with the Chairperson of the ruling UPA coalition Sonia Gandhi.

In Hyderabad he is slated to meet the Governor of State and the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy.

On Monday he will leave for Mumbai and meet the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and the Governor of the State. He will also address a gathering of the Aga Khan community.