Stylised illustration of dancers in colourful clothing performing expressive movement in a theatrical composition for MENACASEA
  • 28 Oct 2026
  • Conference

MENACASEA 2026 Symposium Music, Dance and Spirituality in Muslim Contexts

Register for MENACASEA 2026, a hybrid symposium bringing together scholars, artists and practitioners to explore music, dance, performance and spirituality in Muslim contexts.

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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.
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Madrid Skylitzes miniature of the 829 embassy between Theophilos and Caliph Al-Ma'mun
  • 07 Oct 2026
  • IHTLS

Towards a History of Syriac Intellectuals in Abbasid Iraq in the Ninth Century

IIS will host an online IHTLS lecture on 7 October 2026, in which Dr Mara Nicosia will explore the education of Syriac Christian intellectuals in Abbasid Iraq and their role in translating Greek philosophy into Arabic.
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Book cover of Sonic Relations by Stefan Williamson Fa featuring a devotional procession in Turkey
  • 29 Sep 2026
  • Book launch

Sonic Relations: Devotion and Community in Turkey’s Eastern borderlands

The Institute of Ismaili Studies will host the launch of Sonic Relations, exploring how sound, devotion, and ritual shape communal life among Twelver Shi‘i communities across Turkey and connected regions.
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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.
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Ancient tree of life mosaic symbolising emotional flourishing and wellbeing in religious traditions
  • 07 Jul 2026
  • Conference

Before ‘the Pursuit of Happiness’: Emotional Flourishing in Early Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Register for an international conference exploring emotional flourishing in early Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Hosted at the Aga Khan Centre, the event brings together leading scholars to examine historical perspectives on wellbeing, ethics and the good life.
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istoric aerial photograph of a Fatimid-era mosque and fortified complex in a desert landscape
  • 10 Jun 2026
  • IHTLS

Textual foundations of Fatimid law: the contributions of al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān

This IHTLS lecture explores how al-Qadi al-Numan shaped Fatimid legal thought by transforming early Shi'i textual traditions into a coherent legal system.
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Illustration of al-Jazari Elephant Clock manuscript page
  • 28 May 2026
  • Conference

Digital Futures: The Digital Humanities in Islamic Studies

A two-day IIS conference exploring how digital humanities and artificial intelligence are reshaping Islamic studies, with a focus on ethics, archives, and scholarly practice.
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  • 29 Apr 2026
  • Book launch

A Practical Guide to Critical Religion

Join an IIS scholar alongside leading academics for the launch of A Practical Guide to Critical Religion. Explore how critical approaches reshape our understanding of religion, with discussion and Q&A at the Aga Khan Centre and online.
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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.
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  • 08 Apr 2026
  • Screening

Capturing women’s dreams in Hunza – Filmmaker conversation and screening

A screening of Wood, Spice and Dough at the Aga Khan Centre explores the lives of three women in Hunza who reimagine their futures through creativity and determination, followed by a filmmaker conversation and audience discussion.
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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.
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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.
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