Illustrated folio from an Urdu commentary on Rumi’s Mathnawi depicting figures in a garden scene, early 19th century manuscript.
  • 26 Mar 2026
  • Conference

Elemental: Ismaili Perspectives on Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether

A two-day conference on 26–27 March 2026 exploring earth, water, air, fire and ether in Ismaili thought, philosophy and literature at the Aga Khan Centre and online.

Read more
Medieval Persian manuscript scene of scholars in discussion
  • 11 Nov 2026
  • IHTLS

The Ghulāt and the Making of Early Shiʿi Memory

In this lecture, Dr Dariouche Kechavarzi will examine the figure of the ghulāt and its role in shaping early Shiʿi memory and the construction of heresy and orthodoxy in Islam.
Find out more
Ismaili Tajik men gathered around ritual fire in Xinjiang
  • 16 Sep 2026
  • IHTLS

Ismailis of China: history, culture and tradition

This hybrid lecture explores the social history and cultural life of the Ismaili Tajiks in Xinjiang. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and oral histories, Dr Amier Saidula examines how ritual practice, storytelling and vernacular knowledge sustain religious heritage and collective identity amid historical change.
Find out more
Historic siege with soldiers and buildings.
  • 22 Apr 2026
  • IHTLS

ʿAzīz Nasafī and Ismailism

Dr Mohammad Amin Mansouri will examine the thought of ʿAzīz Nasafī, a major Muslim intellectual of the Mongol period, and explore his conceptual affinities with Ismaili cosmology.
Find out more
Peter Sanders book Heaven, Earth and the Ten Thousand Things on Muslim life in China
  • 23 Mar 2026
  • Talks and Lectures

Heaven, Earth and the Ten Thousand Things

Peter Sanders presents his 2024 publication Heaven, Earth and the Ten Thousand Things: The Lives of the Muslims of China, reflecting on decades of engagement with Muslim communities across China through photography, text and calligraphy.
Find out more
Architectural details of Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, a major Fatimids era site
  • 11 Feb 2026
  • Book launch

The Fatimids in Conversation: Power, Culture and Legacy

A hybrid conversation exploring the power, culture, and enduring legacy of the Fatimid dynasty (909–1171), bringing together leading scholars to reflect on new research into one of the most influential periods of medieval Islamic history.
Find out more
Ancient Fatimid gold coin with intricate inscriptions.
  • 28 Jan 2026
  • IHTLS

The bitterly contested succession to the Fatimid Imam al-Mustansir

Professor Paul E. Walker examines the disputed succession to Imam al-Mustansir and introduces an overlooked historical source that reshapes the debate.
Find out more
Marc Chagall artwork depicting the death of Moses near the Promised Land
  • 13 Jan 2026
  • Talks and Lectures

Parallel Productions of Petirat Moshe: Between Rabbinic–Shiʿi and Rabbinic–Sunni narratives on the death of Moses

This public lecture explores how Jewish and Muslim traditions developed parallel narratives on the death of Moses across Rabbinic, Shi‘i, and Sunni sources.
Find out more
Professor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi book launch event at Aga Khan Centre London
  • 12 Jan 2026
  • Book launch

De la Lettre à l'Esprit/From the Letter to the Spirit

The Institute of Ismaili Studies will host a hybrid book launch celebrating De la Lettre à l’Esprit / From the Letter to the Spirit, a two-volume Festschrift honouring the scholarship of Professor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi.
Find out more
Canticle of the Birds exhibition at Aga Khan Centre Gallery
  • 05 Dec 2025
  • Exhibition

Canticle of the Birds

A mixed-media exhibition inspired by ʿAṭṭār’s The Conference of the Birds, exploring spiritual journey, transformation, and interconnectedness through art.
Find out more
Formal gathering of distinguished gentlemen. Image for Ismailis and Empire conference
  • 10 Nov 2025
  • Conference

Ismailis and Empire: Politics, Religion and Culture, ca. 1800 to Present

This conference seeks to explore Ismaili Muslim communities – in their regional, political, and cultural diversity – since the nineteenth century, focusing on their experiences under modern empires and in the post-colonial world.
Find out more
Stylised sepia map of Africa representing the Indo-African diaspora event at the Aga Khan Centre
  • 23 Oct 2025
  • Talks and Lectures

Voice of the Indo-African Diaspora in Colonial Africa

In this discussion, we gain an insight into how the social, political, cultural, and economic activities of Indians in Africa were covered in the 20th century–told through the voices behind Africa Samachaar, a periodical that championed a voiceless minority during colonial rule.
Find out more
  • 08 Oct 2025
  • IHTLS

Sculpting the Self: Islam, Selfhood, and Human Flourishing

Associate Professor Muhammad U. Faruque explores what it means to be human in this Islamic History and Thought lecture
Find out more