In celebration of History Day, we explore photo-galleries, upcoming conferences, podcasts, articles and exhibitions which were created by ISCU (Ismaili Special Collections Unit) team members in 2025.
The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) holds a significant repository of heritage materials related to Ismaili communities and other Muslim traditions. These collections include nearly 3,000 manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Indic and other languages, as well as coins, glass weights, medals and other historical artefacts, photographs and audio-visual materials, rare and special printed materials (including periodicals and magazines) and archival collections, among others.
In 2013, the IIS established the Ismaili Special Collections Unit (ISCU) as part of its continuing endeavours to systematically preserve, develop, digitise and catalogue these collections, as well as to study and facilitate research on these materials so as to contribute to the Institute’s vision of promoting scholarship on the heritage of Ismaili communities and that of other Muslim groups.
In line with its mandate of disseminating heritage materials, we explore below some outputs created by ISCU team members this year.
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.
Featuring more than 110 photographs from the IIS Special Collections, the photographs cover different themes such as Aga Khan IV’s early life and education, mulaqats with Ismaili communities and leadership, as well as meetings with civic and political dignitaries, Ismaili volunteers and artists.
Explore the photo-gallery here.
In this article published in Nouvelles Chroniques du Manuscrit au Yémen, Vol. 20, no. 39 (January 2025), Dr Wafi Momin presents some reflections by way of a tribute to Aga Khan IV’s visionary work in preserving and revitalising Muslim heritage and culture. Presented below is an extract from the article,
On 25th October 2018, the Pakistan Society London hosted its 65th Annual Dinner in which His Late Highness the Aga Khan was the guest of honour. Introducing the Aga Khan and his multifaceted humanitarian work, the Society’s then chairman Sir William Blackburne observed, “If there is one person above all others who personifies what is best about the world of Islam, it is Your Highness”. Sentiments like these are commonplace when thinking about the vision and contributions of the Aga Khan in the service of Islam and inculcating an understanding about its glorious past and its continuing relevance in the modern world. As I recall Sir Blackburne’s words—transporting myself back to the event and offering a round of applause to the Aga Khan along with the audience—I am reminded that the best about the world of Islam that the Aga Khan embodied is actually what is best about humanity. These are the cherished values that have bound humanity through time and space and remind us about what is of greatest significance, in the final analysis, cutting across boundaries of religion, creed, ethnicity, colour, gender and nationality. These are the values of compassion, kindness, generosity, pluralism, tolerance, mutual respect and care—values that are truly reflected in the words and actions of the Aga Khan.
Read the full article here.
Members of the first Aga Khan Award for Architecture steering committee deliberating in Boston in 1979 (reproduced from the.akdn)
Date and Venue: 10 Nov 2025 to 11 Nov 2025. Aga Khan Centre, London and Online. Register here
Guests for a 22 July 1909 Luncheon Party held for the Delegates of the Ottoman Parliament to the Inter-Parliamentary Union at the House of Commons, Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London. Photographs Collection, NPG x135604.
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. While much is known about the contributions of the Ismailis to empire- and state-building in earlier periods, there has been less research on their history, culture and identity in the context of modern imperial rule and its lasting effects. This conference aims to fill that gap by bringing together scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds to discuss Ismaili communities, their history, religious and cultural traditions, identity and institution-building in relation to modern empires and the post-colonial world. Register online here.
Podcast Episode: Mountains of Resilience – Stories of Community-building, Festivities and Transformation
The Voices of History is a podcast series of the IIS Oral History Project, by the Ismaili Special Collections Unit of the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS). The project documents the contemporary histories, cultures and traditions of the Ismaili Muslim communities around the world in multiple languages.
The episode, “Mountains of Resilience: Stories of Community-building, Festivities and Transformation”, features two women, Bibi Afroze and Siramdam Begum, from Hunza in North Pakistan, with recollections of the hardships of growing up in an isolated mountain community but with an appreciation for its unique traditions, festivities and the first-ever visit of an Ismaili Imam to the region in 1960.
This episode is unique as it is available in two languages. One is Burushaski, the original language spoken by Afroze and Begum, which is a linguistic isolate and has no relations with any other language in the world, and the other is in English.
Keep an eye on our YouTube and Spotify for more stories from the archive.
Article: From Hirabad to Mubarak Colony: Zebunnisa’s Story of Migration and Transformation
This article draws on Zebunnisa’s life story interview for the IIS Oral History Project. Written by IIS alumna Shafaat Saleem, Zebunnisa’s granddaughter, the piece explores how migration, institutional change, and community development reshaped women’s lives in Hyderabad, Pakistan.
Podcast Episode: Reflections of a Cosmopolitan Citizen: Dr Mohamed Keshavjee on Education, Community Service and Ismaili Imamat
The Voices of History is a podcast series of the IIS Oral History Project, by the Ismaili Special Collections Unit of the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS). The project documents the contemporary histories, cultures and traditions of the Ismaili Muslim communities around the world in multiple languages.
This episode, “Reflections of a Cosmopolitan Citizen: Dr Mohamed Keshavjee on Education, Community Service and Ismaili Imamat” features Dr Keshavjee’s story of the South African Ismaili community, his educational journey and working for the Ismaili Imamat.
Dr. Mohamed Keshavjee, a South African-born Canadian lawyer and international expert in cross-cultural mediation, has trained mediators across 25 countries through the Aga Khan Development Network. In 2016, he received the Gandhi King Ikeda Peace Award for his contributions to peacebuilding and human rights education.
Keep an eye on our YouTube and Spotify for more stories from the archive.
Exhibition: Muslim Expressions from South Asia: Learning, Community and Voluntary Service
Curated by Hussain Jasani, Esen Kaya, and Wafi Momin, supported by Naureen Ali, Russell Harris, and Nourmamadcho Nourmamadchoev, the exhibition was open at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery, London until 2 November 2025.
South Asia, with its vast Muslim population and rich cultural traditions, has long been a place of vibrant religious exchange and expression. Within this context, Ismaili Muslims have contributed to the region’s rich traditions of learning, service and devotion. This exhibition highlights these contributions through the lens of manuscripts, artefacts and photographs from the Institute of Ismaili Studies, showcasing how South Asian Ismailis have upheld values of intellectual inquiry, community development and voluntary service across centuries.
This exhibition highlights these contributions through the lens of manuscripts, artefacts and photographs from the Institute of Ismaili Studies, showcasing how South Asian Ismailis have upheld values of intellectual inquiry, community development and voluntary service across centuries.
Central to the religious life of the Ismailis are many learned traditions, especially the poetic compositions called Ginans, which express devotion and ethics in local languages, and their jama‘at-khanas, which serve as both places of worship and hubs for communal support. The ethic of service, deeply rooted in Islamic teachings on compassion and community support, is particularly emphasized among Nizari Ismaili Muslims. Guided by values such as integrity and pluralism, their tradition of voluntary service – designated by terms like khidmat or seva – holds a religious significance and offers a means of social betterment.
This ethic is supported by structured volunteer systems and formal recognition from the community’s spiritual leader, the Imam, known as the Aga Khan. Today, Ismaili volunteers contribute not only locally but also globally through institutions such as the Aga Khan Development Network. These volunteers embody a contemporary, inclusive vision of Islamic service grounded in humility, excellence and ethical leadership. This exhibition brings to life these aspects through a number of rare artefacts and photographs.