The Islamic Research Institute (IRI) of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), through its Yassawi Research Centre, hosted an extension lecture titled “A Historical Survey of the Sufi Institutions of Central Asia.” The lecture was delivered by Professor Dr. Alexandre Papas, Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris, and Director of the Centre for Ottoman Studies. The session was held at the Allama Iqbal Auditorium, Faisal Masjid Campus, in a hybrid format with participation from scholars including representatives of Ahmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University.
The session opened with remarks by Professor Dr. Muhammad Akram, Director-General, Islamic Research Institute, who highlighted the academic significance of examining Sufi institutions as historically embedded intellectual and social formations. He stressed the need for integrative approaches that move beyond reductive interpretations of Sufism and engage both doctrinal and sociological dimensions. He noted that such scholarly engagements strengthen understanding of Central Asia’s contribution to Islamic intellectual history and align with IIUI’s broader commitment to academic excellence and international collaboration.
Professor Papas, a historian of the Turkish world and Muslim mysticism, presented a comprehensive historical survey of major Sufi traditions in Central Asia. He discussed the foundational role of Khwāja Ahmad Yasawī and the Yasawiyya order in spreading Islam among Turkic communities through vernacular teaching and organised lodge networks. He further examined the intellectual legacy of Najm al-Dīn Kubrā and the Kubrawiyya, focusing on structured spiritual transmission and mystical theology.
The lecture also explored the emergence of the Naqshbandiyya under Bahāʾ al-Dīn Naqshband, noting its emphasis on ethical discipline and engagement with social and political authority. Professor Papas addressed diverse Sufi expressions including the Qalandariyya, as well as later transformations such as juridically oriented Sufism represented by figures like Sufi Allahyār. Drawing on manuscript traditions and historical sources, he demonstrated how Sufi institutions functioned as centres of education, spiritual formation, and communal identity across changing political contexts.
It is pertinent that the Yassawi Research Centre was recently inaugurated by H.E. Mr. Sayasat Nurbek, Minister for Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, marking a significant institutional development. The lecture constituted the Centre’s first academic activity, aimed at advancing research on Central Asian Islamic heritage and its contemporary relevance.
The event concluded with an interactive session, enabling faculty members, researchers, and students to engage with Professor Papas on questions related to Sufi authority, institutional continuity, and the evolving role of Sufi traditions in contemporary discourse.