Dates:
5-6 March 2005.

Venue:
G2 Lecture Room, Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh and the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Organisors:
The Iran Heritage Foundation
in association with the
Graduate School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (University of Edinburgh).

Convenors:
Evangelos Venetis and Yuka Kadoi.

Conference advisory board:
Carole Hillenbrand, Robert Hillenbrand, Andrew J. Newman and Ulrike al-Khamis.

Supporters:
Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies the Department of History of Arts (University of Edinburgh) and the National Museums of Scotland.

Introduction:
This research workshop in Iranian studies aims to provide a forum for UK based graduate students in the many disparate fields of related Iranian studies to present their work in progress. Postgraduate students from the University of Edinburgh, a premier institution in the field of Iranology and a leader in interdisciplinary studies, are hosting this event so as to foster the development of Iranian studies, facilitate interaction between graduate students and faculty from various institutions, provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, and contribute to the professional and academic development of graduate students. The purposes of the workshop are to promote the importance of research in pre-modern Iran and to point out the fundamental importance of the pre-modern Iranian civilisation and culture; to give the opportunity to young Iranists in the UK to meet each other, present their works and coordinate their efforts for the promotion of pre-modern Iranian studies, and to show the bulk of work being produced in British universities about pre-modern Iran at a doctoral level. Papers from various fields will be presented, including history, art history, archaeology and literature.  Session themes focus mainly on pre-modern Iran during the early Islamic period  under the Saljuqs and Ilkhanids, Timurids and Safavids; there will also be topics on pre-Islamic Sasanian Iran. Those presenting papers are graduate students from British universities.

Registration fee:
Free Admission.

Enquiries:
Evangelos Venetis: +44 (131) 6504182 (tel), +44 (131) 6506804 (fax), e.venetis@sms.ed.ac.uk.
Yuka Kadoi: +44 (131) 6681739 (tel & fax), y.kadoi@sms.ed.ac.uk.