SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies

05/06/2026

About Last Friday ✨

From rehearsal moments to final applause — here’s a look behind the scenes of “Manashni, Gavashni, Kunashni: A Musical Journey into Zoroastrian Identity.”

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us in person and online for an evening of music, reflection, and conversation exploring identity, memory, and cultural expression through sound. Your presence, questions, and engagement helped make the event truly special.

We’re also deeply grateful to our performers, speakers, organisers, technicians, and everyone working behind the scenes who brought this journey to life.🎶

01/06/2026

**Missed the first performance? Here’s your second chance.**

Following a powerful first showing, *Home, Elsewhere: Objects That Carry Us* returns for a second performance.

Developed through the SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies Artist in Residence programme, this short theatre performance explores memory, migration, domestic ritual, and belonging through the objects that shape everyday religious life.

Drawing on conversations with UK-based Zoroastrian community members, *Home, Elsewhere* reflects on how devotional objects, home spaces, and lived practices travel across generations and geographies — carrying stories of homes remembered, remade, and imagined.

🎭 *Home, Elsewhere: Objects That Carry Us*
📍 Zoroastrian Centre, Harrow ZTFE - The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe - London
📅 20 June 2026, 4pm

If you missed the first performance, we’d love to welcome you to this second showing.

Find out more and register here:
https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/home-elsewhere-objects-carry-us-ztfe-performance

This is the second performance exploring how Zoroastrian devotional objects and domestic ritual spaces carry memory, belonging and identity across migration.

29/05/2026

Join us for a musical exploration of sound, live performance and Zoroastrian identity across time.

Hosted by Nina Wadia, directed by Jonathan Galton.

A commission by the SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies, with the support of SOAS University of London and World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust & WZO Trust Funds, in collaboration with FEZANA.

28/05/2026

⏳ 1 day to go!

We caught up with the performers rehearsing at SOAS today and — here’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse ahead of tomorrow’s special event.

Can’t join us in person? You can still be part of the conversation via Facebook Live.

Follow along from anywhere in the world and tune in here: https://www.facebook.com/events/899852516401756/

We look forward to welcoming you online!

SOAS

26/05/2026

RECORDINGS | Our March 2026 webinar with John Hyland is now online!

📺 Watch on YouTube: bit.ly/49obln8
🎧 Listen on our website: bit.ly/4wPcMoJ

21/05/2026

May Newsletter is here!

The UK premiere of the film Mobed — The Parsi Priest took place at the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe on Sunday, 10 May 2026. The evening opened with an introduction by Prof. Almut Hintze and the film’s producer, Dr Anna Sowa. The film was made as part of SOAS University of London’s Multi...

20/05/2026

Stefano Augusto Cecatiello was the recipient of a BIPS 2026 Travel Grant. His report ‘A Typology of Sogdian Cultic Spaces from the 5th to the 8th Century: Material Culture, Cultic Practices, and Sociopolitical Significance’ is now available online.

Read more at this link: bit.ly/3Pt55no

18/05/2026

Now on YouTube | Artist Talk

Missed this conversation? You can now watch this Artist Talk on our YouTube channel.

In this recorded discussion, Karl Singporewala reflects on creative practice, process, and the themes that shape their work, opening up wider conversations around identity, heritage, storytelling, and artistic expression.

Watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhPQYLwLuWw&list=PL1z_PGhPjwcqF19h-bIKZrdfRg-uynf8M&index=24&t=3s

The 2025 SOAS Artist-in-Residence Fellowship of the Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies presents a new major solo exhibition of Karl Singpore...

12/05/2026

🔥On Sunday, we were delighted to welcome more than 100 attendees for the UK premiere of Mobed: The Parsi Priest at the Zoroastrian Centre in Harrow. The screening brought together community members, students, scholars, and friends for an evening of film, discussion, and reflection on the preservation of Zoroastrian priestly traditions and cultural heritage.

The documentary offers a rare and moving insight into the lives of young students training at the last functioning Zoroastrian priestly school in India, highlighting the dedication involved in preserving ritual knowledge, the Avestan language, and living traditions for future generations.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us, to the filmmakers Chouette Films, and to ZTFE - The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe - London for hosting this special event.

If you would like to hear about future screenings and upcoming SSPIZS events, join our mailing list here:
https://soas.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=7ec47442a3b4f9d77676e3c33&id=a5f9e3cb38

11/05/2026

Join us on Wednesday 13 May for the next seminar in the ‘Rethinking History: Returning to Archives & Documents’ series with Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies.

Dr Nima Asefi of Universität Hamburg will speak on 'Documents from Turbulent Times: Studying Middle Persian Collections from the Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Periods-Opportunities and Challenges'.

Register for the Zoom via the link in bio or use bit.ly/RethinkingHistoryZoom