Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS

The English edition of Tabnak News featured an interview with Arshin Adib-Moghaddam about the representation of the Iranian role in Palestine. The interview centred around the claim of Prof. Rashid Khalidi of Columbia University that Iran does not support the Palestinian cause.

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam: Diminishing HAMAS to Iranian proxies is false Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam tells that from a historical and analytical perspective, it is simply wrong to say that Iran supports the Palestinian cause for the interest of the state or society without establishing how that interest is defined in the first place.

Film screening: 752 Is Not a Number | 4.00pm, Saturday 11 January 2025

Film screening: 752 Is Not a Number 752 Is Not a Number, directed by Babak Payami, is a captivating film that follows one man's pursuit of justice, serving as a prelude to a larger story about the struggle for enduring change in Iran.

Jaleh Esfahani Cultural Foundation 15th Annual Persian Poetry Prize | 08 December 2024 at SOAS

Jaleh Esfahani Cultural Foundation 15th Annual Persian Poetry Prize The SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies and the Jaleh Esfahani Cultural Foundation (JECF) will present this unique poetry prize for young (under 30) Persian-speaking poets. The prize was initiated by JECF in 2009 and is now in its 15th year.

SOAS Concert Series: Nasim-e Tarab Ensemble - Classical Iranian Music

🗓 09 October 2024
📍 SOAS Gallery

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/3vktbvha

The Idea of Iran: Qajar Iran on the cusp of modernity (Part 1)

The Idea of Iran: Qajar Iran on the cusp of modernity (Part 1) Part 1 of series.Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV70XlKcjp4Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpyhSfxnhvYPart 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

'Iran’s new reformist president offers hope to the west and cover for the conservative establishment' - By Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Co-Director, SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies

Iran’s new reformist president offers hope to the west and cover for the conservative establishment Masoud Pezeshkian wants to reopen dialogue with the west and improve rights for women. The regime may even allow him to do some of that.

'Iran: who will be the next supreme leader?' - By Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Co-Director, SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies

Iran: who will be the next supreme leader? The sudden death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, has also sparked much speculation about the identity of the country’s next supreme leader.

The SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies is thrilled to announce 'Perspective Unveiled: A tribute to Bahman Maghsoudlou's cinematic legacy', the screening of a captivating series of films from 27 April to 29 June 2024, honouring the remarkable cinematic legacy of Bahman Maghsoudlou.

The 18th symposium in the Idea of Iran series at SOAS is dedicated Qajar Iran during the 19th century. The symposium will take place on 11 and 12 May. Register here:

The Idea of Iran: Qajar Iran on the Cusp of Modernity The next edition of the The Idea of Iran Symposium series will take place on 11 and 12 May 2024.

The Contest for Rule in Eighteenth-Century Iran: The Idea of Iran [Volume 11]

Edited by: Charles Melville
Publisher: I.B.Tauris / Bloomsbury Publishing (2022)

This volume explores the troubled eighteenth century in Iran, between the collapse of the Safavids and the establishment of the new Qajar dynasty in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Despite the striking military successes of Nader Shah, to defeat the Afghan invaders, drive back the Ottomans in the west, and launch campaigns into India and Central Asia, Iran steadily lost territory in the Caucasus and the east, where Persian arms failed to recover lands lost to the Afghans and the Ozbeks.

The chapters of this book cover the continuity and change over this transitional period from a range of perspectives including political history, historiography, art and material culture. They illuminate the changes in Iran's internal conditions, including the legitimising legacy of the Safavid period in court chronicles, the rise of Nader Shah and his influence on the idea of Iran, as well as the art of successive dynasties competing for power and prestige.

The volume also addresses Iran's changed international situation by examining relations with Russia, Britain and India, the result of which would contribute to its re-emergence with a curtailed presence in the new world order of European dominance.

Further information: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/contest-for-rule-in-eighteenthcentury-iran-9780755645961/

Publications in the Idea of Iran series: https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/institutes-and-regional-centres/centre-iranian-studies/idea-iran-annual-symposium-and-book

Unveiled: Three Tableaux of Maryam - Friday, 16 June 2023 at SOAS!

Unveiled: Three Tableaux of Maryam An evening of Persian musical performance organised by the Cambridge Shahnameh Centre, Southampton Arts Academy and the Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS.