SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies

15/08/2026

✍ One month to apply: Zoroastrianism Winter School

There is just one month left to apply for the Zoroastrianism Winter School at the University of California, Irvine, taking place 14–18 December 2026.

Co-organised by UCI, SOAS’s Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies, Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Toronto Mississauga, the Winter School brings together students interested in Zoroastrianism across history, religion, anthropology, archaeology, languages, cultures and related fields.

The programme combines lectures with practical workshops in ethnographic interviewing, qualitative research and public-facing storytelling, as well as community interviews and fieldwork with the Zoroastrian community in Southern California. No prior research-methods experience is required.

📅 Application deadline: 15 September 2026

📍 UCI, California

🎓 Free and open to all

🔗 https://www.humanities.uci.edu/events/zoroastrianism-winter-school-applications-open

SOAS alumni network SOAS Centres & Institutes University of London

06/08/2026

📚 Buy the Book!

We are getting ready for the launch of The Zoroastrian World on the 8th of October. In the meantime, we're pleased to share this flyer, which includes a 20% discount code (26AFLY3) for those wishing to purchase a print copy directly from Routledge Booksge Books
The entire volume will also be available through Open Access!

Join us for the launch either in person at SOAS University of London or online: https://lnkd.in/egixiE5z

World Zoroastrian Organisation FEZANA World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust & WZO Trust Funds

ZTFE - The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe - London

27/07/2026

Bayani, Mohamad. 2025. Creating is cutting: A conceptual metaphor in Avestan and Pahlavi texts. Bulletin of SOAS 88(2). 243–265. This paper investigates the development of the creation theme in Zor…

22/07/2026

July Newsletter is here!

Future Zoroastrians, a new leadership programme generously sponsored by Zar Amrolia and hosted by the Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies, brought together 12 emerging Zoroastrian priests from India, Pakistan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in London from 29 June...

21/07/2026

Our leadership programme featured in Parsi Times!

SOAS University of London

Community News: ‘Future Zoroastrians’ Empowers Emerging Priestly Leaders

15/07/2026

Architecture of Sacred Flames: Art, Facades, and Parsi Identity

How do Parsi fire temples communicate identity through architecture? Join a fascinating lecture by Delnaaz Kharadi, PhD candidate in Architecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as she explores the evolution of the Parsi fire temple—from modest priestly houses to monumental civic landmarks.

Drawing on architectural history and urban studies, this seminar examines how fire temple architecture negotiates the relationship between public visibility and ritual privacy, offering new perspectives on Zoroastrian heritage, identity, and the built environment.

📅 Friday, 17 July 2026
🕕 6:00 PM (Refreshments from 5:30 PM)
📍 Khareghat Memorial Hall, Old Khareghat Colony, N. S. Patkar Marg, Mumbai

🎟️ Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeafmEz3dWPaMA9ZuCxLHCVYWUFULYZAspSgLaDgibH4BfJUg/viewform

14/07/2026

🎥 Now on YouTube: Birds, Wings and Diadems – Zoroastrian Symbols in Parthian and Sasanian Art

Missed this year' K*tar Memorial Lecture? The full recording is now available to watch on our YouTube channel.

In this fascinating lecture, Dr Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator Emerita of Middle Eastern Coins at the British Museum and Senior Advisor to the SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies, explores the symbolism of diadems, crowns, wings, and birds of prey in Parthian and Sasanian art.

Drawing on artistic, numismatic, and textual evidence, she examines how these powerful images expressed kingship, divine authority, and the relationship between rulers and the divine in ancient Iran.

Whether you joined us in person or are discovering the lecture for the first time, we invite you to watch and explore the rich visual culture of ancient Iran.

🎥 Watch the full lecture here:

This event took place on 30 April 2026 at SOAS, as part of the K*t...

07/07/2026

🔥We are delighted to announce that, from 10 July, two contemporary artworks inspired by Zoroastrianism will be on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the SOAS Object & Artwork Collection at SOAS Gallery.

Sense of Ses (chrome) by Karl Singporewala, Shapoorji Pallonji Artist-in-Residence 2024/25, explores the relationship between ritual objects, memory and identity, and draws from his major commission for Cosmos, Memory, Scale. (Oct-Dec 2025, SOAS Gallery). Also joining the collection is The Garden of the Universe by Hormazd Narielwalla, whose distinctive practice draws on geometry, migration and heritage to create powerful contemporary abstractions. This work also features as the cover image of the Routledge volume The Zoroastrian World.

These acquisitions celebrate contemporary artistic engagements with Zoroastrian thought, heritage and materiality.
University of London

06/07/2026

✈️ Until Next Time...

As the Future Zoroastrians Leadership Programme: Emerging Priestly Leaders comes to a close, our participants are beginning their journeys home to Surat, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Adelaide, Karachi, and Los Angeles, taking with them new ideas, new friendships, and memories.

Our heartfelt thanks go to the Mobeds for their enthusiasm, generosity, and commitment; to our convenors, speakers, and panel members (all pictured here) and to Zar Amrolia (front centre), whose generous support has made this flagship programme possible.

Learn more about the programme: https://www.soas.ac.uk/study/student-life/finance/scholarships/future-zoroastrians-leadership-programme-emerging-priestly