Muslim Expressions from South Asia: Exhibition Now Open

Discover how South Asian Ismailis have upheld values of learning, community, and voluntary service through rare manuscripts, artefacts, and photographs from The Institute of Ismaili Studies. On display until 2 November 2025 at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery.

Find out more

a room with a painting and a robe on the wall

IIS Trustee Habib Motani reappointed to Legal Services Board

The Institute of Ismaili Studies is pleased to announce that Mr Habib Motani, a member of the IIS Board of Trustees, has been reappointed as a non-lay member of the Legal Services Board for a four-year term.

Voices of IIS – Episode 1 with Dr Shiraz Kabani

We are pleased to launch Voices of IIS, our new podcast series exploring the people and ideas shaping the Institute. In this first episode, Dr Shiraz Kabani reflects on 25 years of service, leadership, and learning.

Listen to Episode 1

a man in a suit in a classroom, pointing at a projector screen

Applications for the Zahid Ali Fellowship are now open

Fellowship is awarded every 5 years to an internationally renowned scholar working in the field of Classical Arabic Literature who will use the award to publish research on a topic of relevance to Ismaili Studies.

Find out how to apply

Dissertation Writing Scholarship open for applications

The IIS welcomes applications from graduate students in the field of Islamic studies who are researching an Ismaili topic. The deadline to apply is 30 September 2025.

Find out how to apply

About us

The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), established in 1977, is a higher education, research and teaching institution dedicated to high-quality scholarship and education on Islam and Muslim societies, with a particular focus on Ismaili and broader Shiʿi studies, encompassing their historical and geographical contexts.

Find out more

Study with us

Graduate studies

The IIS currently offers two graduate programmes which attract students from Ismaili communities world-wide.

Find out more

Short Courses

Our Short Courses are designed to introduce participants to a social, cultural, and civilisational approach to the study of Islam and Muslim societies, with a particular focus on Ismaili contexts.

Find out more

Fellowships and Scholarships

The Institute offers various scholarship and fellowship programmes to suitable candidates with a focus on Islamic studies or other areas of interest to the IIS.

Find out more

Discover our research

Research at IIS seeks to contribute to the field of Islamic studies in general, with a particular focus on Shiʿi and Ismaili studies.

Find out more

Explore our publications

The Institute of Ismaili Studies publishes works by its own scholars as well as from the academic community outside the Institute.

Find out more

Photography

A photographic celebration of Aga Khan IV

The Ismaili Special Collections Unit has launched a photo gallery in celebration of the legacy of His Highness Aga Khan IV, the founder of The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Find out more

Podcast

Mountains of Resilience

Meet two remarkable women from Hunza as they share memories of growing up in an isolated mountain community and the unique traditions that shaped their lives. Discover how the first-ever visit of an Ismaili Imam in 1960 transformed their region in our latest Voices of History podcast.

Listen to the episode