Population: 180 million
Number of Ismailis: 310 000
Key Areas:
- Chitral (160 000)
- Hunza Valley (80 000)
- Karachi (30-50 000)
Ismailis arrived in Pakistan in what their historians call the 'post-Alamut' period, that is, sometime after the turn of the 14th Century. Interestingly, this was much later than neighbouring countries, as Ismailism took root in both Persia to the west and India to the East in the 8th and 9th Centuries. Today, however, Pakistan is home to more Ismailis than any other country bar India.
Originally published 2 years ago