The Persian Manuscripts Association (PMA) is an international academic organisation dedicated to the study of manuscripts from the vast Persianate world. This includes Greater Iran, and all regions historically engaged in the Persian language and culture.
The PMA is and will remain a non-profit, non-political, and non-governmental organisation.
3rd Annual Islamic Art History Research Workshop
5–6 December 2025
The Islamic Art History Network (IAHN) and the Persian Manuscripts Association (PMA) announce the 2025 workshop, held in person at the University of York and online.
This workshop is dedicated to the memory of Dr Sheila R. Canby (1949–2025), the distinguished curator and scholar whose pioneering work in Persian and Islamic art—especially of the Safavid period—left a lasting impact on the field.
A Dispersed Ilkhanid Nuzhat-nama
Prof. Anna Contadini
The Ilkhanid period saw remarkable cultural vitality, with the arts flourishing beyond any single stylistic framework. The book arts were especially notable for their exceptional calligraphy, illumination and illustration. This lecture examines key themes in Ilkhanid painting, focusing on a dispersed early-14th-century copy of Shamardan ibn Abi al-Khayr Razi’s Nuzhat-nama- yi `Ala’i (`Ala’i’s Book of Pleasure), distinguished by its outstanding paintings and calligraphic scripts.
The Safavid Majmū‘a and Jung Manuscripts
Dr Mahroo Moosavi
Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Persian manuscript collections—variously known as majmū‘a, jung, safīna, bayāż, and muraqqa‘—bring together a wide range of texts. Their methods of compilation, however, remain little studied.
This talk examines selected examples, approaching them not only as repositories of historical, literary, and artistic material, but as deliberately designed systems structured by the internal logic of their assembled fragments.
Listen to the Flute: Timurid Music and Its Transmissions Across the Persianate World
The PMA’s second international conference explored the history and influence of Timurid (15th-century) musical traditions across Safavid Iran, Ottoman Anatolia, Mughal India, and Central Asia. Bringing together leading scholars, the event examined musical exchange, patronage, performance, and theory across the wider Persianate world, both in courts and urban centres.
Why Join us?
The PMA enthusiastically welcomes new members and offers membership to individuals from all backgrounds.
Members are entitled to:
- submit an abstract and register for our biannual conferences
- submit and publish in our journal Shamsa
- apply for PMA grants and awards
- access to the PMA Archive
- support accessing materials housed in Iran
- be invited to PMA talks and events
All membership applications are reviewed and approved by the PMA directorial board.
Lifetime Membership: £500
Regular Membership: £60 per year
Student Membership: £30 per year