Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies Exeter

03/06/2026

DAME (Digital Archive of the Middle East) and the Centre for Gulf Studies invite you to an in-person event.

Michael Field, author of 'The Merchants' will give a talk entitled: ‘Power in the Gulf’: Ruling families and Governments charts’ presentation & Fieldwork-based reflections on the GCC states’ reactions to the war on Iran.

Tuesday 9 June 2026
2 pm – 3 :30 pm
AWDU (Arab World Documentation Unit), lower ground floor, IAIS

All welcome!

03/06/2026

All are welcome to a Centre for the Study of Islam Monday Majlis!

8th of June 2026
17:00-18:30 (UK time)

BILAL ORFALI
PROPHETS, TRICKSTERS, AND THE YELLOW COW:
QURʾĀNIC ECHOES IN AL-HAMADHĀNĪ’S AL-MAQĀMA AL-MAWṢILIYYA

Please register here or by using the link in our bio: https://tr.ee/GizKLfZpp0

Bilal Orfali is a scholar of Islamic thought and Arabic literature, distinguished by his close engagement with rare manuscripts and the critical editing of early texts. His work reflects a sustained effort to combine rigorous philological scholarship with a nuanced understanding of the conceptual frameworks of early Arabic intellectual heritage.

This lecture reads al-Maqāma al-Mawṣiliyya of Badīʿ al-Zamān al-Hamadhānī as a sustained meditation on sacred language and its transformation. Drawing on a new critical edition based on forty manuscripts, I examine how the maqāma reworks Qurʾānic motifs, biblical resonances, legal norms, and medical discourse into a tightly structured narrative of performance and deception.

02/06/2026

We are really pleased to announce that IAIS has moved up to 3rd place for African and Middle Eastern Studies in the Complete University Guide 2027, the latest national league table, published today.

Each year, the Complete University Guide publishes its UK university and subject league tables to help prospective students make informed choices about their future.

The Guide is based on ten measures of quality, including entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality, and graduate prospects, and includes more than 160 universities from across the UK.

IAIS achieved 84% for student satisfaction and 87% for research quality. These scores are higher than any other university in the top 5 for these categories.

Read more about the University of Exeter's Complete University Guide league table positions here or via the link in our bio: https://tr.ee/JN4S6eVY0n

02/06/2026

✈️ Student travel report ✈️

Storm Carr-Barney, a student at IAIS, was a recipient of The Prince Alwaleed Award, a prestigious scholarship providing students with the unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Arabic-speaking world through immersive experiences. It aims to enhance students' Arabic language proficiency and cultural knowledge.

Storm travelled to Egypt. Here's what she said about her experience:

"Studying at the International House Cairo greatly benefitted my Arabic language learning in the month I was there. By the end of the first week, I had noticed a significant improvement in both my confidence in speaking Arabic and my listening skills due to my constant exposure to the language both inside and outside the classroom. My vocabulary and writing also improved meaning that I was able to communicate with people much more effectively. Although I was studying MSA and had no previous experience with ECA, I was still able to communicate easily and effectively in everyday situations.

The teaching at IH Cairo was incredibly supportive and encouraging, and the immersive environment helped me progress quickly. The Alwaleed scholarship gave me the opportunity to experience learning Arabic in a native-speaking environment, which was invaluable for my development and motivation.

This confidence I gained in my Arabic also meant that I had a much more meaningful cultural experience. I felt comfortable and confident enough to start conversations with the people around me, whether they were taxi drivers, shopkeepers, or people I met while exploring Cairo. Because the Arabic language is closely intertwined with the culture, I felt that studying and using the language allowed me to have a deeper understanding of Egyptian culture and daily life.

Overall, the Alwaleed scholarship was an extremely rewarding experience that strengthened both my Arabic language ability and my cultural awareness."

✈️The Prince Alwaleed Award can be applied for by students of IAIS and is generously funded by Alwaleed Philanthropies. ✈️

01/06/2026

Dr Nadia Naser-Najjab, Co-director of European Centre for Palestine Studies at IAIS, recently published an article in The Palestine Chronicle:

'The 'Greater Israel' Project: Building Settlements on Stolen Land with Stolen Resources'

You can read the article here or via the link in our bio: https://tr.ee/Ttt8LkZJ_U

28/05/2026

Endurance, an exhibition of works by Kurdish artists curated by Niga Salam and presented at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies held its launch event on Wednesday May 27.

Endurance is part of REWORLDING, the MA Curation graduation programme and is a partnership between the University of Exeter and Metrography Agency, Sulaymaniyah.

The artwork engages with the enduring presence of conflict and recognises Kurdish identity as something continually formed under pressure. It brings together film, photography, sound, installation and live performance.

The launch event included the premiere of ‘Abdi’s Route’, a documentary by Ahmed Najm and an artist's talk given by the filmmaker. It also included talks by Niga Salam, Tom Trevor, MA Curation programme lead, and academics from the Centre for Kurdish Studies and IAIS.

The exhibition is open until August 1st at IAIS.

27/05/2026

Centre for the Study of Islam, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter invites you to an online event:

Monday Majlis Online
1st of June 2026
17:00-18:30 (UK time)

TIM GREENWOOD AND LEONE PECORINI GOODALL
RARE INSIGHTS INTO THE LATE UMAYYAD ERA THROUGH A NEGLECTED ARMENIAN SOURCE: THE MARTYRDOM OF VAHAN OF GOŁT‘N

Tim Greenwood is Bishop Wardlaw Professor of History at the University of St Andrews. His research focuses on the history and culture of medieval Armenia 400-1100 CE, analysing a wide range of literary, epigraphic and material sources as well as exploring the multiple contexts within which these were generated.

Leone Pecorini Goodall is a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University on the ERC-Starting Grant project: “Embodied Imamate: Mapping the Development of the Early Shiʿi community: 700-900” led by Dr. Edmund Hayes

The Armenian Martyrdom of Vahan of Gołt‘n, composed in 744 CE, offers a fresh perspective from which to study the Umayyad caliphate at large and the caliphal North in particular. It traces contemporary networks of power, communication, and knowledge within and beyond Armenia. As a product of the late Umayyad world, it constitutes a work of major significance, completed just before this world was convulsed by conflict and transformed.

Please register here or via the link in our bio: https://tr.ee/gW2Y2cIj-c

All welcome! You do not need to be studying at IAIS!

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

Professor Ilan Pappé, joint Director of the European Centre for Palestinian Studies at IAIS, University of Exeter has won an Asociación de Librerías de Madrid (Madrid Booksellers Association) prize.

The Spanish Capitán Swing's edition of Breve historia de del conflicto entre Israel y Palestina (A Brief History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict) has been awarded the prize for the best Spanish-language essay of 2025.

Congratulations Professor Pappé!

You can read about this year's prizes here or via the link in our bio: https://tr.ee/j-akdaQqM5