Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: documentary screening In brief Date - 5 October 2026Venue - Lecture Theatre 2, Appleton TowerSpeakers - Haya Altamimi (filmmaker), Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Alessandro Columbu (University of Westminster) About the event'The Textile Generation', a one-hour documentary directed by the Syrian-Bahraini filmmaker Haya Altamimi and co-produced by Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Alessandro Columbu (University of Westminster), brings to the screen the forgotten history of Syrian textile traders in Manchester.Today, Manchester is home to the UK’s second biggest Syrian community, but Syrian migration to the area started much earlier. Between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century, Jewish and Muslim Syrian merchants settled in "Cottonopolis", then the global hub of textile production and trade. Besides their economic contributions to the city, they also established two of its leading religious institutions. More recently, their descendants provided humanitarian assistance to refugees during the Syrian conflict (2011-2024).The film includes interviews with merchant families, as well as footage from local institutions that were co-founded by Syrians, such as the Jewish Museum and Didsbury Mosque. The screening of the documentary will be followed by a discussion with the director and co-producers.This event is co-hosted with The Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World.About the speakersHaya Altamimi is a British-Syrian filmmaker with production experience across feature films, documentaries, commercials, and reality TV. Haya has worked as a self-shooting producer and editor for top networks like the BBC, CBS, and Amazon Prime. Her creative portfolio includes directing award-winning short films such as War Sweet Home, alongside feature documentary work such as The Textile Generation.Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz is a lecturer in Anthropology of Development at the University of Edinburgh. She studies the links between (forced) migration and global economies, particularly in the context of the Syrian conflict. Since 2015, she has conducted fieldwork with refugees and migrants in Jordan, Turkey, Tunisia, Bulgaria, the UK, and Uganda, together with grassroots organisations and funding from the AHRC, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and British Academy. Based on her 2022-2026 British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, she is currently finalising a monograph on “Brokers and the infrastructures of Syrian displacement”.Dr Alessandro Columbu is Senior Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Westminster. Originally from Sardinia, Dr Columbu learned Arabic in Damascus, Beirut, Tunis and Amman, and he’s now an accomplished translator from Arabic into English, Italian and Sardinian. His interest in the history of the Syrian community arose during his time at the University of Manchester where he worked as an Arabic language teacher between 2016 and 2019.About the seminar seriesThe IMES Research Seminar for this first semester of 2026/27 will showcase some of the latest research across the broad field of Islamic and Middle East Studies, both within the department and beyond, setting it within the context of IMES as it moves towards its 50th year.How to attendEvents are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required.All talks are followed by a small reception. Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present.Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Oct 05 2026 17.15 - 19.00 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: documentary screening Join us for a documentary screening of 'The Textile Generation' which presents the forgotten history of Syrian textile traders in Manchester. Featuring director Haya Altamimi and co-producers Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz and Dr Alessandro Columbu. Lecture Theatre 2 Appleton Tower 11 Crichton Street University of Edinburgh EH8 9LE Find the venue: Appleton Tower This article was published on Tuesday 30 September 2025
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: documentary screening In brief Date - 5 October 2026Venue - Lecture Theatre 2, Appleton TowerSpeakers - Haya Altamimi (filmmaker), Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Alessandro Columbu (University of Westminster) About the event'The Textile Generation', a one-hour documentary directed by the Syrian-Bahraini filmmaker Haya Altamimi and co-produced by Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Alessandro Columbu (University of Westminster), brings to the screen the forgotten history of Syrian textile traders in Manchester.Today, Manchester is home to the UK’s second biggest Syrian community, but Syrian migration to the area started much earlier. Between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century, Jewish and Muslim Syrian merchants settled in "Cottonopolis", then the global hub of textile production and trade. Besides their economic contributions to the city, they also established two of its leading religious institutions. More recently, their descendants provided humanitarian assistance to refugees during the Syrian conflict (2011-2024).The film includes interviews with merchant families, as well as footage from local institutions that were co-founded by Syrians, such as the Jewish Museum and Didsbury Mosque. The screening of the documentary will be followed by a discussion with the director and co-producers.This event is co-hosted with The Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World.About the speakersHaya Altamimi is a British-Syrian filmmaker with production experience across feature films, documentaries, commercials, and reality TV. Haya has worked as a self-shooting producer and editor for top networks like the BBC, CBS, and Amazon Prime. Her creative portfolio includes directing award-winning short films such as War Sweet Home, alongside feature documentary work such as The Textile Generation.Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz is a lecturer in Anthropology of Development at the University of Edinburgh. She studies the links between (forced) migration and global economies, particularly in the context of the Syrian conflict. Since 2015, she has conducted fieldwork with refugees and migrants in Jordan, Turkey, Tunisia, Bulgaria, the UK, and Uganda, together with grassroots organisations and funding from the AHRC, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and British Academy. Based on her 2022-2026 British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, she is currently finalising a monograph on “Brokers and the infrastructures of Syrian displacement”.Dr Alessandro Columbu is Senior Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Westminster. Originally from Sardinia, Dr Columbu learned Arabic in Damascus, Beirut, Tunis and Amman, and he’s now an accomplished translator from Arabic into English, Italian and Sardinian. His interest in the history of the Syrian community arose during his time at the University of Manchester where he worked as an Arabic language teacher between 2016 and 2019.About the seminar seriesThe IMES Research Seminar for this first semester of 2026/27 will showcase some of the latest research across the broad field of Islamic and Middle East Studies, both within the department and beyond, setting it within the context of IMES as it moves towards its 50th year.How to attendEvents are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required.All talks are followed by a small reception. Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present.Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Oct 05 2026 17.15 - 19.00 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: documentary screening Join us for a documentary screening of 'The Textile Generation' which presents the forgotten history of Syrian textile traders in Manchester. Featuring director Haya Altamimi and co-producers Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz and Dr Alessandro Columbu. Lecture Theatre 2 Appleton Tower 11 Crichton Street University of Edinburgh EH8 9LE Find the venue: Appleton Tower This article was published on Tuesday 30 September 2025
Oct 05 2026 17.15 - 19.00 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: documentary screening Join us for a documentary screening of 'The Textile Generation' which presents the forgotten history of Syrian textile traders in Manchester. Featuring director Haya Altamimi and co-producers Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz and Dr Alessandro Columbu.
