Dr Karim Javan, a Research Associate at IIS has published A Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts Housed at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, Vol. 1 Ismaili History, Thought and Literature. The book is the first comprehensive catalogue of the 126 Persian manuscripts held at IIS. It makes a significant body of written heritage easier to discover, study, and appreciate.
Centuries of Ismaili thought and practice
Written in Persian, these manuscripts span many centuries of Ismaili intellectual and religious life. They include materials connected with the Fatimid period, the Nizārī tradition of Alamūt, the phase of revival centred in Anjudān, and the period following the migration of Imam Ḥasan ʿAlī Shāh, Aga KhanA title granted by the Shah of Persia to the then Ismaili Imam in 1818 and inherited by each of his successors to the Imamate. I, from Iran to British India in the nineteenth century.
The manuscripts included in the catalogue contain works of theology, philosophy, ethics, poetry, ritual, and history, testifying to the richness and variety of the collection. They also include composite volumes, known as majmūʿas, in which several shorter texts are copied together. Many were used and added to by private owners over generations. As a result, they preserve not only texts, but also traces of the communities that read, copied, and cared for them.
The volume brings to light sources that have received little or no previous scholarly attention. It identifies texts that had no recorded title or author, using evidence such as opening lines, language, and the context of the manuscript. It also introduces previously unidentified or little-known authors through short biographical sketches.
Wladimir Ivanow connection
One particularly important part of the collection is linked to Wladimir Ivanow, whose work was foundational to the modern study of Ismaili history and literature. Ivanow’s notes preserve valuable information about the provenance and history of several manuscripts. Some copies may also have been made in his own hand, including MS Per 22, offering a direct connection to his collecting and research activities among Ismaili communities in Iran, Central Asia, and India.
The catalogue also highlights the wide geographical journeys represented in the collection. The manuscripts originate principally from India, Tajik and Afghan Badakhshān, Iran, and northern Pakistan. Together, they document the preservation and transmission of Ismaili literary traditions across Persian-speaking communities.
Cataloguing is more than the description of manuscripts. It makes hidden texts visible, helps us trace how communities preserved and shared knowledge, and creates a foundation for future research on Ismaili history, thought, and culture.
A second volume is planned on The Institute’s Persian manuscript holdings. This volume will primarily cover non-Ismaili manuscripts, and will cover a wide range of genres, including Shiʿi literature, mysticism and Persian poetry. Further details will be announced in due course.
