The aim of the association Diwan in 1998 was to bring together all French PhD students working on medieval Islam through a series of academic meetings each year. Thanks to the tenacity of its founders, Diwan was officially created in 2003 and the Diwan meetings are now a highpoint in the academic calendar giving PhD students an opportunity to present their research, to meet other students from different horizons, and to debate with lecturers in a less formal context.