Mountains of Resilience

Meet two remarkable women from Hunza as they share memories of growing up in an isolated mountain community and the unique traditions that shaped their lives. Discover how the first-ever visit of an Ismaili Imam in 1960 transformed their region in our latest Voices of History podcast.

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IIS hosts Dr Elaine C Flores, researcher on climate change and mental health

Dr Flores highlighted the recent paradigmatic shift she has observed in the global understanding of climate change as an existential threat to human health, mortality, and quality of life.

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Applications for the Zahid Ali Fellowship are now open

Fellowship is awarded every 5 years to an internationally renowned scholar working in the field of Classical Arabic Literature who will use the award to publish research on a topic of relevance to Ismaili Studies.

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Dissertation Writing Scholarship open for applications

The IIS welcomes applications from graduate students in the field of Islamic studies who are researching an Ismaili topic. The deadline to apply is 30 September 2025.

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Original Gandhi letter and Gandhian artefacts find permanent home at the Ismaili Special Collections Unit

An original letter dated 1938 to Velshi Keshavjee, a South African Ismaili pioneer, written by Mahatma Gandhi from his prison cell in Wardha, India, was deposited with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, together with the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Peace Award medal awarded to Dr Mohamed Keshavjee.

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Members of the Keshavjee family present artefacts to the IIS

About us

The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) was established in 1977 as an academic institution of higher education. It is dedicated to the study of Islam with a particular focus on the history, philosophy, law, and mysticism of Ismaili and broader Shiʿi intellectual and cultural heritages within the larger Muslim society.

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Study with us

Graduate studies

The IIS currently offers two graduate programmes which attract students from Ismaili communities world-wide.

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Short Courses

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

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Fellowships and Scholarships

The Institute offers various scholarship and fellowship programmes to suitable candidates with a focus on Islamic studies or other areas of interest to the 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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Photography

A photographic celebration of Aga Khan IV

The Ismaili Special Collections Unit has launched a photo gallery in celebration of the legacy of His Highness Aga Khan IV, the founder of The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

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Video series

The Assassins: Beyond the Legend Episode 1

Assassins: Beyond the Legend is a groundbreaking new video series from The Institute of Ismaili Studies. In this episode, Dr Farhad Daftary outlines the origins of the Assassin Legends in mediaeval anti-Ismaili polemics.

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