About the course
Programme fees (on twin room sharing basis): £1,250 per participant.
The course fee includes hotel accommodation, breakfast, lunch, and tea breaks, as well as all course materials and the cost of site visits, such as museum entry.
Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to applicants affiliated with Ismaili community institutions.
This field-based course offers a unique opportunity to learn about Fatimid history, culture and architectural heritage, as well as experience some of the major developments shaping present-day Tunisia. The course, taking place in Tunisia, will include interactive guided tours and presentations over six days. The programme will be led by specialist faculty from the IIS and field specialists in Tunisia. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the key Fatimid monuments in Mahdiyya, the first purpose-built Fatimid capital city, and its surrounding regions. They will also learn about the dynamics that led to the founding of the FatimidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Ismaili caliphs in North Africa (from 909) and later in Egypt (973–1171) More as a 10th-Century Mediterranean empire which flourished for over two centuries (909-1171 CE) across large areas of the Muslim world.
Course director
Dr Shainool Jiwa
Associate Professor
Dr Shainool Jiwa is a specialist in Fatimid studies, and an Associate Professor at The Institute of Ismaili Studies. Dr Jiwa’s publication, The Fatimids 2: The Rule from Egypt (2023), is a World of Islam series title, for which she also serves as the series General Editor. She is the author of The Fatimids: The Rise of a Muslim Empire (2018), and co-editor of The Shi‘i World: Pathways in Tradition and Modernity (2015), The Fatimid Caliphate: Diversity of Traditions (2017) and Fatimid Cosmopolitanism: History, Material Culture, Politics and Religion (2025).
Dr Jiwa has edited and translated key medieval Arabic texts relating to Fatimid history, including Towards a Shi‘i Mediterranean Empire (2009) and The Founder of Cairo (2013). She has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Edinburgh, an MA in Islamic Studies from McGill University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, leading to a fellowship in the Higher Education Academy.