ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the key developments in each of the three main phases in the perception and study of the Ismailis, namely, the medieval Muslim and European perceptions, and the orientalistic studies, as well as the major steps in modern progress in Ismaili studies. The Ismailis represent an important Shiʿi Muslim community. The Fatimid caliphate, ruled by the Ismaili Imams, grew into a major empire, stretching from North Africa to Syria, making significant contributions to Islamic thought and culture. In medieval times, the Ismailis posed serious challenges to the religio-political Sunni order established under the Abbasids. The Crusaders, who remained ignorant of the religious identity of the Ismailis, added their own contributions to misrepresentations and legends surrounding the Ismailis. The breakthrough in study of Ismailis had to await the recovery of large number of authentic Ismaili texts in modern times, making it possible for scholars to embark on process of deconstructing and dispelling the medieval and orientalistic misrepresentations of Ismailis.
