Bayly Prize, New Book, Exhibition and Reader Visit
Nominations for the 2026 Bayly Prize
We begin this week’s post with a reminder that nominations for the 2026 Bayly Prize close in two weeks. The prize is awarded for a distinguished PhD thesis on an Asian subject approved during the previous calendar year. In addition to a £2,500 award, the winner will be offered the opportunity to publish their work as a Royal Asiatic Society monograph.
Please get your application in by Monday 28 September, or help spread the word if you know someone who may be interested in applying. Further information about the award can be found here.
New Book
Speaking of monographs, we’re also pleased to announce the publication of a new Society monograph: An Ottoman Perception of Greek History, translated by Thomas Sinclair, Associate Professor in Turkish History at the University of Cyprus, and edited by Sinclair and Dr Gülçin Tunalı, Research Assistant at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies–Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas.
The volume presents a transliteration, translation, and commentary on a history of Athens composed between the 1710s and 1740s by Mahmut Efendi, a locally born Ottoman court official. It offers rich insights into eighteenth‑century Ottoman perspectives on Athenian and wider Greek history, mythology and religion. The book has been published in association with Edinburgh University Press (EUP), with support from the Ibrahim Pasha Fund, which promotes the growth and development of Ottoman studies internationally.
If you would like to order a copy, please visit the EUP webpage here. A reference copy is also available in the Society’s Library for consultation in the Reading Room.
Masnavi on View at Fitzwilliam
The Kitab-i Mathnawiyyat-i Zafar Khan, one of the Society’s finest Persian‑language manuscripts and currently on long‑term loan to Cambridge University Library, is now on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum as part of their free exhibition A Mughal Songbook: Art, Music and Empire.
The exhibition centres on the museum’s Plowden Songbook, an eighteenth‑century collection of Persian and Hindustani songs, and is complemented by sound pieces, paintings and manuscripts relating to song, poetry and performance in Mughal India. Our manuscript is displayed open to a folio depicting the Mughal governor Zafar Khan (1605–63) at a lively gathering accompanied by poets and musicians:
The exhibition runs until 7 March 2027, so do stop by if you are planning a visit to the Fitzwilliam! More information about the exhibition can be found here.
A Reader Visit
Last week, we were pleased to receive a visit from Manoj Dani. Manoj has used the Society’s collections over many years, and in 2022 was instrumental in arranging the digitization of the Society’s collection of Akhbarat, or court reports and newsletters, relating chiefly to the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1618-1707, r. 1658-1707). The project, supported by the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal in Pune and Professor Rajeev Kinra of Northwestern University, made the collection freely available to view online through our Digital Library (https://royalasiaticcollections.org/akhbarat-archive/).
We correspond regularly with members, supporters, and researchers around the world, many of whom may never have the opportunity to visit the Society in person. It is therefore always a particular pleasure to meet someone with whom we have corresponded over many years, and to discuss past work, present research, and possibilities for future collaboration.