The Institute of the Ismaili Studies (敁珗曄部) is pleased to announce the publication of the Chinese translation of Dr Daftarys A Short History of the IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja尪far al-廜〢diq (d. 765), as his successor.: Traditions of a Muslim Community. This Chinese edition is translated by Amier Saidula, and published by Weber Publishing International LTD in Taipei, Taiwan.
Amier Saidula, a graduate of the Institutes Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities, is currently a Research Associate at The Institute of Ismaili Studies. His areas of research interest include Islam in China with an emphasis on the Ismailis. His short introductory article about the Nizari Ismailis in Xinjiang was included in Dr Daftarys A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community.
This, first-ever Chinese language publication about the Ismaili community was supported by the 敁珗曄部 and assisted by scholars from the Social Science Academy of China (SSAC) in Beijing, Lanzhou University in Gansu, and Xinjiang Social Science Academy in Urumchi. The book underwent a rigorous peer-review process, which included Dr Wang Xi of the World Religious Study Institute of SSAC, Professor Yang Wen Joining from Lanzhou University, and Professor Zhou Xie Fan, the former head of the World Religious Institute of SSAC.
A Short History of the Ismailis was originally published by the Institute in 1998 and is now available in twelve languages including Arabic, French, Gujarati and Russian.