Modern Scholarship in Ismaili Studies

Modern scholarship in Ismaili studies was initiated in the 1930s in India.

This breakthrough resulted mainly from the pioneering efforts of Wladimir Ivanow (1886-1970), and a few Ismaili Bohra scholars, notably Asaf A. A. Fyzee (1899-1981), Husayn F. al-Hamdani (1901-1962) and Zahid ‘Ali (1888-1958), all of whom based their studies on their family collections of manuscripts.

Ismaili scholarship received a major impetus through the establishment in 1946 of the Ismaili Society of Bombay under the patronage of Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III (1877-1957). Ivanow played a crucial role in the creation of the Ismaili Society. The Society’s series of publications, a landmark in modern Ismaili studies, were edited by Ivanow and included the publications of first editions of numerous Nizari texts. The pioneers of modern Ismaili studies collaborated with Ivanow, who through his own connections with the Khoja community, gained access to Nizari literature preserved in various parts of the world.

Ivanow compiled the first detailed catalogue of Ismaili works, citing about 700 titles attesting to the richness and diversity of Ismaili literary traditions. The publication of this catalogue in 1933 provided a scientific frame for further research in the field, heralding a new era in Ismaili studies. By 1963, when Ivanow published a revised edition of his catalogue, many more Ismaili sources had become known and progress in Ismaili studies had been truly astonishing.

Ismaili Studies: Medieval Antecedents and Modern Developments