The British Institute for the Study of Iraq - BISI

23/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our special July Lecture, 'New Insights on Nimrud'.

The evening featured fascinating talks from three distinguished speakers:
• Dr John MacGinnis – Recent Work at Nimrud
• Dr Nigel Tallis – Publishing the Nimrud Bowls
• Prof. Dirk Wicke – Ivories from the Burnt Palace

We were also delighted to celebrate BISI President Dr John Curtis OBE FBA, who was presented with a Festschrift in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the study of the archaeology and history of the ancient Middle East.

Our sincere thanks to our speakers, everyone who attended, and all those who contributed to this special Festschrift honouring Dr John Curtis and his remarkable legacy.

You can now watch the lecture here:

Speakers:Dr John MacGinnis: Recent work at NimrudDr Nigel Talli...

25/06/2026

Growing Up in Iraq is an initiative through which BISI is collecting reminiscences and stories about growing up, living or working in Iraq in the period up to 1990. We welcome contributions, including photographs and other images, from members of the Iraqi diaspora, archaeologists, diplomats and anyone else who lived and worked in Iraq.

This post includes a snippet from the diary of Dr Ellen McAdam during her time excavating at the archaeological site of Abu Salabikh (about 150km southeast of Baghdad) in 1978.

Following brief initial excavations of the site by an American expedition in the 1960s, subsequent excavations from 1975 to 1989 were led by Nicholas Postgate on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq (BSAI) which was later renamed The British Institute for the Study of Iraq (Gertrude Bell Memorial) - aka BISI - in 2007.

Visit bisi.ac.uk/growing-up-in-iraq/ to see the contributions we have received so far.

16/03/2026

We are inviting applications for our Outreach Grants (up to £1,000) to support public or academic engagement events that focus on the lands and peoples of Iraq. Topics may cover any time period from prehistory to the medieval period to the present.

Deadline: 1st April 2026

For more info & to apply:
https://www.bisi.ac.uk/grants-scholarships/

(All images are copyright to their respective owners. For reproduction requests please email [email protected])

10/03/2026

We are now inviting applications for our Research & Conference (up to £6,000) and Pilot Project Grants (up to £10,000) to support research focusing principally on the lands and peoples of Iraq.

We welcome applications from the full range of arts, humanities and social sciences subjects, and topics may cover any time period from prehistory to the medieval period to the present.

Deadline: 1st April 2026

For more info & to apply:
https://www.bisi.ac.uk/grants-scholarships/

(Photo from the 'Documenting the Endangered Historic Houses of Najaf' project, funded by the British Academy and supported by BISI)

26/02/2026

Thank you to all who attended our Annual February Lecture

And a very special thank you to Dr Mary Shepperson for an enriching and enlightening lecture on 'Najaf Above & Below: The Vanishing Old Town & its Subterranean Counterpart'

You can now watch the lecture here:

Najaf is a unique city shaped by Islamic learning and pilgrimage, centred on the Holy Shrine of Imam Ali. The shrine sits at the centre of the old town, whic...

09/01/2026

Call for Papers: Ottoman Mobilities and Interactions

Investigating the Ottoman Empire as a dynamic web of circulation in which people, objects, & ideas continually reshaped the imperial fabric

Symposium, 13-14 April 2026, Istanbul

Deadline: 23 Jan 2026

Ottoman Mobilities and Interactions