It was a pleasure to welcome so many colleagues from around the world to the Fifteenth Biennial Iranian Studies Conference at Utrecht University.

With 129 panels across 15 parallel rooms, we were delighted to have the opportunity to organise this amazing conference, covering a wide range of topics in the field of Persian and Iranian Studies.

In this post, we share a few pictures from the opening in the magnificent Dom Church, the reception at the University Museum, the keynote lectures, and the musical performances.

Listen here to a recording of the musical composition “The Excuse of the Nightingale” by Rokus the Groot, performed by William Knight (tenor), Marieke Franssen (flute), and Eduard van Regteren Altena (violoncello):

Listen here to the opening of the performance by the Sepideh Ensemble, featuring Mehmet Polat (oud), Milad Ahmadi (vocals), Ali Soltaninejad (santur), and Pouriya Jaberi (daff):

Below, you can watch a recording of Janet Afary’s keynote, “On the 120th Anniversary of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution: Reflections from Diaspora,” delivered on Friday, August 7, 2026 at Leeuwenbergh (Utrecht).