20 September 2025 · London · In person and online
The Persian Manuscripts Association (PMA) was pleased to hold its second international conference on Persian Studies, titled “Listen to the Flute: Timurid Music and its Transmissions Across the Persianate World.”
This interdisciplinary event focused on the intricate and complex history of musical exchange, patronage, and practice within the Persianate world, with a particular focus on the Timurid period (15th century) and its enduring influence during the following centuries in Safavid Iran, Ottoman Anatolia, Mughal India, and Shaybanid Transoxiana.
For the first time, this in-person and online conference convened leading scholars in the field to explore the historical, social, and political contexts that shaped musical practices across the Persianate world. It examined the evolution of music in the courts and urban centres of Iran, Central Asia, the Ottoman Empire, and Mughal India. Additionally, the conference explored the sociocultural impact of music, addressing its theoretical foundations, performance traditions, and the patronage systems that sustained and transformed the musical landscape.
Queen Mary Hall, The Coral Room, 16–22 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NN.