Gallery
Through the Gallery on this website, the Library seeks to periodically display virtual exhibitions of selected individual manuscripts and other items, as well as presentations on particular themes. These exhibitions not only comprise images and descriptions, but also provide a textual commentary that places the exhibits within a broader historical framework and context. The virtual exhibitions are designed and written for a general audience, and do not assume any significant prior knowledge.
The following exhibitions are currently displayed:
 | Music and Poetry from the Pamir Mountains The Pamiris are divided into different ethnic groups according to their origin and language. More |
 | Manuscripts of Ahmad al-Naysaburi An important Shi‘i Ismaili scholar and writer of the early AH 5th/11th CE century, Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi flourished during the reigns of Fatimid imam-caliphs al-‘Aziz and al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. His works reveal that he was a versatile scholar writing on history, theology, eschatology as well as literature. The fact that several of his works have survived portrays the appeal and significance of his thought, allowing us also to understand the beliefs of his own time. More |
 | Delicacy and Harmony in Persian Book Covers The art of binding and the protection of scripts are as old as writing itself. The contribution made by Muslim craftsmen has been a significant element in the history of this craft and the contribution of Persian craftsmen is particularly important. More |
 | The Sayyidi Muhammad ‘Ali Hamdani Collection The Sayyidi Muhammad ‘Ali Hamdani Collection came to The Institute of Ismaili Studies in 2006, thanks to the generosity of Professor and Mrs. Abbas Hamdani. The Collection is extremely important, not only because of the rare and precious manuscripts it contains but because it was formed over generations by scholars in a single distinguished family. More |
 | Muslim Spaces of Worship and Gathering While the mosque is the site most often associated with Muslim expressions of piety, there are a range of spaces used by Muslim communities – Shi‘a and Sunni – for their worship and gathering. These range from the ashurkhana and zawiya to the khanqah and tekke. While some of these spaces are specific to particular Muslim communities, others are clustered geographically or are prominent amongst particular cultural groups. More |
 | The Calligraphic Tradition in Islam Adapted and edited from a presentation given by the late Dr Duncan Haldane at “The Spirit of Islam: Experiencing Islam through Calligraphy” exhibition in Vancouver, Canada. More |
 | Coinage of the Fatimids The selection of Fatimid coins presented here are important documents providing unique chronological and historical details. Further, the fine, elegant epigraphy, the more open design characterised by its circular emphasis, and the myriad of stylistic and artistic variations makes Fatimid coinage particularly interesting. More |
 | Illuminating Beauty, Illustrating Harmony: A Gallery celebrating the 25th Anniversary of The Institute of Ismaili Studies Drawing on examples from the collection at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, this gallery invites the viewer to the large and complex subject of the artistic and intellectual heritage of Islam. The artefacts reflect the great diversity and range of a distinctive visual culture with its own unique artistic language. More |
 | From Ibn Sina to Tusi: The Scientific Tradition in Medieval Islam From the ninth century onwards, scholars in Muslim lands were engaged in all of the disciplines of science. A treasury of Greek, Indian, Persian and Babylonian philosophic and scientific thought became available through translations into Arabic, and philosopher-scientists, physicians, mathematicians and astronomers... More |
 | Al-Azhar: An Ancient Centre of Learning Al-Azhar (The Luminous) was constructed as the central grand-mosque for Cairo by al-Qaid Jawhar al-Siqillí when he took Egypt for the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mu‘izz li Dín Allah in 969 CE and founded Cairo as its capital city. It was inaugurated on 7 Ramadan 361 AH / 22 June 972 CE. Possibly so-named after Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatima al-Zahra, through whom the Fatimids traced their genealogy back to the Prophet. More |
 | Khojki Manuscripts The Institute of Ismaili Studies has a collection of over 800 volumes of Khojki and Gujarati manuscripts. Khojki, or Khwajah Sindhi, is the term applied to the special script that was used by the followers of the Nizari Ismaili Muslim tradition in the Indian subcontinent to record their religious literature. More |
 | Nizari Ismaili Castles of Iran and Syria In 483/1090, the Persian Ismailis under the leadership of Hasan Sabbah occupied the castle of Alamut, situated in a remote and mountainous area of the Rudbar district in northern Iran. Over the next 150 years, the Ismailis succeeded in capturing more than 200 large and small fortresses in Iran and Syria with settlements in surrounding towns and villages, thus establishing their own autonomous states in these regions. More |
 | The Amirali Mamdani Collection: Preserving Ismaili History Through Visual Media A large collection of original slides, photographs and films belonging to and shot exclusively by Mr Amirali G Mamdani was presented to The Institute in autumn, 2001. A small selection of images taken by Mr Mamdani during his visits to Iran, the Indian subcontinent and Syria are available for viewing on the website. More |
 | The Institute of Ismaili Studies: Reflections on the first 25 Years From its modest beginnings in the late 1970s, The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) has developed into a vibrant centre of learning, addressing not only the needs of the international Ismaili community, but also contributing to and participating in the contemporary debates of the Muslim world at large. More |
 | Wellsprings of Wisdom: Persian Contributions to Ismaili Thought An exhibition from the Library’s collections - many displayed for the first time - that reflect the textual contributions of Persian scholars to various strands of Ismaili thought from the 8th to the 18th centuries. More |
 | The Diversity of Mosque Architectures The mosque, an emblematic building in Islam, while theoretically requiring nothing more than marking the direction of prayer, has developed a number of distinctive architectural forms. Local building traditions and differing social and cultural contexts have influenced the diversity of mosque architectures and variety of methods in which mosques have been built. More |
 | From the Manuscript Tradition to the Printed Text: The Transmission of the Rasa’il of the Ikhwan al-Safa’ in the East and West The Ikhwan al-Safa’, a group of Muslim thinkers who, in the late ninth and early tenth centuries, produced an encyclopaedic corpus of 52 epistles (rasa’il). The Rasa’il occupies a unique position in the history of Islamic thought and has engaged the attention of scholars in the East and West. An eloquent testimony to their popularity and influence is the existence of numerous manuscript copies of the text scattered throughout the world. More |
 | Rahat al-‘aql of Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani The Rahat al-‘aql of Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani: An Arabic Manuscript from the Zahid Ali Collection. Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani was a major Muslim scholar and writer who flourished during the time of the Fatimid Imam al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (who reigned from 996 to 1021 CE). More |
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