IIS Publishes A Companion to Muslim Cultures 
December 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of A Companion to Muslim Cultures, edited by Dr Amyn B. Sajoo. The third in the Muslim Heritage Series, this volume embarks on a journey that celebrates the many ways in which Muslims live and understand their faith. More

 

IIS Scholars Present at the European Society for Central Asian Studies 
December 2011
Drs Yahia Baiza and Najam Abbas of the Institute’s Central Asian Studies Unit presented papers at the 12^th biennial conference of the European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS). More

 

IIS Publishes Fortresses of the Intellect in Honour of Farhad Daftary 
December 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Fortresses of the Intellect: Ismaili and Other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary, edited by Dr Omar Alí-de-Unzaga. More

 

IIS Launches A Companion to Muslim Ethics in Canada and the UK 
December 2011
The IIS hosted a series of international events in Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver in Canada and Leicester in the UK to launch A Companion to Muslim Ethics. More

 

IIS Summer Programme on Islam Takes Place at the University of Cambridge 
November 2011
The ninth Summer Programme on Islam was held at the University of Cambridge from 13 - 20 August 2011. More

 

Asian Alumni Explore Ismaili Traditions in Central Asia 
November 2011
The Asian Chapter Group of the IIS Alumni Association held its three-day Annual Meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from 18 - 21 September 2011. More

 

Scholars Present on Science and Learning in the Ismaili Tradition 
November 2011
Senior Research Fellow at the IIS, Professor Wilferd Madelung presented a paper at an interdisciplinary workshop on the traditions of science and learning in the Ismaili tradition. More

 

IIS Welcomes New Research Associate 
November 2011
The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to welcome Dr Maria De Cillis as a Research Associate in the Department of Academic Research and Publications. More

 

IIS Research Associate Presents on Post-Mongol Muslim Communities 
October 2011
Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov of the Institute’s Department of Academic Research and Publications presented a paper at the seminar, The Current State of Research on Medieval Islam. More

 

IIS Scholar Presents Paper at the University of Lincoln 
October 2011
Dr Najam Abbas, of the Central Asian Studies Unit at the IIS, presented a paper at an interdisciplinary conference, entitled Travel in the Nineteenth Century: Narratives, Histories and Collections. More

 

IIS Announces PhD Scholarship Awards for 2011 
October 2011
The Institute of Ismaili Studies has awarded its doctoral scholarships for the fifteenth year. The two recipients of the 2011 cycle of the scholarship programme are Zarangez Karimova from Tajikistan and Ula Zeir from Syria. More

 

IIS Publishes Arabic Critical Edition of al-Maqrizi’s Itti‘az al-hunafa’ 
September 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Itti‘az al-hunafa’ bi-akhbar al-a’imma al-Fatimiyyin al-khulafa’ (Lessons for the Seekers of Truth on the History of the Fatimid Imams and Caliphs) by the great Mamluk-era historian Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi (d.1442 CE). More

 

North American Alumni Explore Interfaith Dialogue 
September 2011
Alumni from across North America gathered in Montreal, Canada, for their annual Chapter Group Meeting at the end of June 2011. The meeting focussed on the theme of Interfaith Dialogue: Challenges, Skills and Strategies. More

 

IIS Sponsors Panel at MESA 2010 
September 2011
The IIS sponsored a panel presentation at the 2010 Middle Eastern Studies Association of North America (MESA) conference held in San Diego, California, USA. The panel entitled, Approaches to Governance in the Fatimid Period, is a continuation from last year’s panel, Formulations of Authority in Early Shi‘i Islam, as part of the Institute’s ongoing endeavour in the field of Shi‘i Studies. More

 

IIS Publishes Nasir-i Khusraw’s Jami‘ al-Hikmatayn in Tajik 
September 2011
The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts (IOM) of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition of Nasir-i Khusraw’s Jami‘ al-Hikmatayn (Twin Wisdoms Reconciled). More

 

IIS Publishes a Catalogue of the Hamdani Collection 
August 2011
The IIS published the latest catalogue of rare and unique manuscripts in the Institute’s collection: Arabic, Persian and Gujarati Manuscripts: The Hamdani Collection by Professor François de Blois. More

 

IIS Sponsors Panel on The Bible and the Qur’an in Ismaili Sources 
August 2011
The Institute sponsored a panel on ‘The Bible and the Qur’an in Ismaili Sources’ at the International Meeting of the Society for Biblical Literature, which took place at King’s College, London. More

 

IIS Launches "Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur'anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam 'Ali" in Dubai 
August 2011
The IIS launched one of its new publications, Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur’anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam ‘Ali at the Ismaili Centre in Dubai. More

 

European Alumni Chapter Group Meets in France 
July 2011
The European Chapter Group (ECG) of the IIS Alumni Association met for its annual meeting in Paris, France, in May. The theme selected by the Chapter Group for its meeting was Literature and Art: Expressions and Impact. More

 

IIS launches A Modern History of the Ismailis in UK and Canada 
July 2011
The IIS hosted launch events for its new publication, A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community edited by Dr Farhad Daftary in London and Toronto. More

 

IIS Sponsors Qur’anic Studies Workshop in Canada 
July 2011
The Institute of Ismaili Studies sponsored a workshop entitled Approaches to the Qur’an in sub-Saharan Africa which took place in Toronto, Canada in May. More

 

IIS Publishes Mount of Knowledge, Sword of Eloquence 
June 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of one of the significant poetic works in Ismaili literature — the Diwan or collected poems of the eminent scholar, statesman and chief da‘i of the Fatimids, al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi (1000-1078 CE). More

 

IIS Launches New Publications in Portugal 
June 2011
The IIS hosted a book launch at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon to launch two recent publications: Spiritual Quest and the Portuguese translation of Justice & Remembrance. More

 

IIS Lecture Series on Qur’anic Studies Concludes 
June 2011
The Institute’s Qur’anic Studies unit held the last four lectures of the series: ‘The Meaning of the Word: Lexicology and Tafsir,’ during April and May 2011. More

 

IIS Publishes Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur'anic Prayer 
June 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Qur'anic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam Ali, the third in the Occasional Papers Series. More

 

IIS Scholar Presents Paper at Nasir al-Din Tusi’s International Conference 
May 2011
Dr Jalal Badakhchani, Research Associate in the Institute’s Department of Academic Research and Publications presented a paper at the ‘International Conference on the Scientific and Philosophical Heritage of Nasir al-Din Tusi’. More

 

IIS Scholar Presents Paper at Cambridge University 
May 2011
Dr. Yahia Baiza of IIS’ Central Asian Studies Unit presented a paper entitled, Madrasa Education in Afghanistan: A Choice between Reform and Obliteration at a conference on Reform in Islamic Education at Cambridge University. More

 

IIS Graduate Students Visit Al-Andalus 
May 2011
Students from the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH) and the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) embarked upon an educational trip to southern Spain on February 14, 2011. More

 

STEP Cohort Two Graduation Ceremony 
May 2011
The second cohort (C2) of the Institute’s Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) celebrated their achievements at the annual graduation ceremony held at the Institute of Education’s (IOE) Logan Hall on the 6^th of April 2011. More

 

IIS Publishes The Spirituality of Shi‘i Islam 
May 2011
As part of its on-going commitment to the field of Shi‘i Studies, the IIS is pleased to announce the publication of The Spirituality of Shi‘i Islam: Beliefs and Practices, a study that illuminates the centrality and creativity of the very nature of spirituality to the development of Shi‘i Islam, as well as to classical Muslim civilisation as a whole. More

 

Annemarie Schimmel Scholarship Awarded to Dr Dina Le Gall 
April 2011
The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) has awarded its fourth Annemarie Schimmel Scholarship, which is given every three years, to Dr Dina Le Gall, Associate Professor of History at Lehman College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and the Coordinator of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at Lehman College. More

 

IIS Welcomes New Research Associate 
April 2011
The Institute of Ismaili Studies welcomes Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov as Research Associate in the Department of Academic Research and Publications. More

 

Qur’anic Studies Lecture Series Continues 
April 2011
The Qur’anic Studies Unit has held the third and fourth lectures in the series: “The Meaning of the Word: Lexicology and Tafsir”. This series of lectures, organised by Dr Stephen Burge, aims to explore the relationships between Qur’anic tafsir (exegesis) and lexicology, which is the study of the meanings of words and their semantic relations. More

 

IIS Alumni Academic Seminar focuses on Education and Faith Communities 
April 2011
The 2010 IIS Alumni Academic Seminar was held at the Ismaili Centre, Dubai, UAE from 4-6 December, 2010. Thirty-five alumni from Asia, Europe and North America, gathered to debate and discuss the theme of Education and Faith Communities: Issues and Responses. More

 

IIS Publishes A Modern History of the Ismailis 
April 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community, edited by Dr Farhad Daftary, Co-Director of the Institute. This publication is the culmination of the most recent scholarship, in many cases based on field research, as well as oral traditions and community documents not published hitherto. As such, it is the first publication of its kind dealing with a modern history of the Ismailis. More

 

IIS Senior Research Fellow Receives Farabi Award 
March 2011
Professor Wilferd Madelung, Senior Research Fellow at the IIS, received the Farabi International Award from Iran’s Ministry of Islamic Guidance and Culture for his outstanding contributions to Islamic and Iranian studies. More

 

IIS Organises International Shi‘i Studies Colloquium 
March 2011
The Department of Academic Research and Publications at the IIS organised an international colloquium on 20-22 September 2010, entitled The Study of Shi‘i Islam: The State of the Field, Issues of Methodology and Recent Developments. More

 

IIS Scholar Presents Paper at MESA 2010 
March 2011
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IIS Publishes Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin in Tajik 
March 2011
The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition of Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin: The Nourishment of the Wayfarers. More

 

Latest Volume “On Music” in Epistles of the Brethren of Purity Series Published 
February 2011
A fourth volume in the bilingual Epistles of the Brethren of Purity (Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa’) series, a joint venture between the IIS and Oxford University Press (OUP) is now available. More

 

IIS Hosts International Conference on Science and Philosophy 
February 2011
The Institute of Ismaili Studies hosted a bi-lingual French/English conference on ‘Science and Philosophy in Classical Islamic Civilization’ from 3-5 December 2010. More

 

IIS Co-Director Speaks at Manchester Metropolitan University 
February 2011
Professor Karim H. Karim, Co-Director of the Institute, gave a talk titled ‘The Ismailis: An Islamic Engagement with Modernity’ at Manchester Metropolitan University on 15 November 2010. The talk was organised by the University as part of their Multicultural Studies programme. More

 

New publication of Nasir al-Din Tusi’s works 
February 2011
The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Shi‘i Interpretations of Islam: Three Treatises on Islamic Theology and Eschatology, by the prolific 13th century Persian scholar, Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-1274 CE). In this volume, Dr Sayyad Jalal Badakhchani translates three shorter but significant works of Tusi on Nizari Ismaili doctrines,namely Solidarity and Dissociation (Tawala wa tabarra), Desideratum of the Faithful(Matlub al-mu’minin)) and Origin and Destination (Aghaz wa anjam). More

 

IIS Dissertation Writing Scholarship Awarded for 2010 
January 2011
A Dissertation Writing Scholarship is awarded annually by the IIS to doctoral students reaching completion of their studies. This year’s recipient is Fârès Gillon who is completing his doctoral studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, a Graduate school created in 1868, associated with the University of Paris. More

 

IIS Launches Qur’anic Studies Lecture Series 
January 2011
Following on from the pre-conference workshop at the American Academy of Religion’s Annual Meeting in October, the Qur'anic Studies Lecture Series, entitled The Meaning of the Word Lexicology and Tafsir, has been launched at the IIS. More

 

In Memoriam: Oleg Grabar (1929-2011) 
January 2011
Prof Oleg Grabar, one of the most prominent Islamic art historians and scholars of our time passed away in Princeton on 8^th January 2011 at the age of 81. His spirit of critical inquiry and tireless efforts in challenging pre-conceived perspectives in Western thought about art and architecture in the Muslim world will be much missed by many at the Institute and beyond. More

 

Preconference Workshop on Lexicology and Tafsir 
January 2011
Stephen Burge, from IIS’ Qur’anic Studies Unit, organised a pre-conference workshop at the American Academy of Religion’s Annual Meeting in association with the Qur’an Group of the AAR, in Atlanta, USA, on 29 October 2010. More