Applications opening soon for the new three-year STEP

Discover IIS’s fully funded teacher-education programme, beginning in September 2027 and leading to an MA awarded by SOAS University of London.

STEP students on the stairs of the Aga Khan Centre.

Fatimid Sicily: History, Memory, and Legacy

Register for a two-day conference at the Aga Khan Centre and online, 19-20 October 2026, on Fatimid rule in Sicily and its Norman afterlife, alongside Islamic Traces, a photo exhibition on Palermo today.

Medieval map of Fatimid Sicily and Mediterranean sea routes from the Book of Curiosities manuscript

In Praise of Khusrau: an evening with the Warsi Brothers

The South Asian Studies Unit at The Institute of Ismaili Studies hosts the celebrated Warsi Brothers for an evening of qawwali, conversation, and reflection on the legacy of Sufi poet Amir Khusrau.

The Warsi Brothers and their qawwali group performing on stage at the Aga Khan Centre, with a harmonium in view.

MENACASEA 2026: music, dance and spirituality in Muslim contexts

Join the fourth MENACASEA symposium as scholars, artists, and practitioners explore music, dance, movement, and spirituality in Muslim contexts. A hybrid event at the Aga Khan Centre, London.

Stylised illustration of dancers in colourful clothing performing expressive movement in a theatrical composition for MENACASEA

GPISH cohort reflect on educational field trip to Andalusia, Spain

GPISH cohort of 2027 students reflect on architecture and learning after visiting Málaga, Córdoba, Madīnat al-Zahrāʾ, and Granada.

About us

The Institute of Ismaili Studies, established in 1977, is a higher education, research and teaching institution dedicated to high-quality scholarship and education on Islam and Muslim societies, with a particular focus on Ismaili and broader Shiʿi studies, encompassing their historical and geographical contexts.

Students gathered outdoors, laughing together while reading a book.

Graduate studies

We currently offer two graduate programmes that attract students from Ismaili communities worldwide.

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Short Courses

Our Short Courses introduce participants to social, cultural, and civilisational approaches to the study of Islam and Muslim societies, with a particular focus on Ismaili contexts.

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Scholarship and Fellowship

The Institute offers several scholarship and fellowship programmes to suitable candidates with a focus on Islamic studies or other areas of interest to IIS.

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Discover our research

Research at IIS seeks to contribute to the field of Islamic studies in general, with a particular focus on Shiʿi and Ismaili studies.

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Explore our publications

The Institute of Ismaili Studies publishes works by its own scholars as well as from the academic community outside the Institute.

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Podcast

Voices of IIS with Naureen Ali

In this episode Naureen Ali reflects on her journey to IIS, her work cataloguing the Ismaili Special Collections, and the care behind preserving manuscripts, photographs, and objects that carry centuries of stories.

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Naureen Ali seated at a table with a microphone and laptop, recording an episode of Voices of IIS

Talks and Lectures

Educating for hope

This talk from Voices of Contemporary Islamic Thought series explores how education, ethical reflection and collective agency can help communities respond to climate change, health inequity and other interconnected global crises.

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Talks and Lectures

Dissolving into Being: The Wisdom of Sufi philosophy

This lecture by Professor William Rory Dickson explores key ideas in Sufi philosophy through the thought of Ibn ʿArabi, focusing on unity, perception and the nature of reality.

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Podcast

The Voices of History: Echoes of Childhood

In this episode of The Voices of History, seven elders from Syria, Iran, India, East Africa, and northern Pakistan reflect on the memories that shaped their childhoods.

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