Sadid al-Saltanah Kababi's Modernism in the Historiography of the Persian Gulf

The written legacies of Mohammad Ali Sadid al-Saltanah Kababi are considered to be among the earliest works of Iranian researchers in the field of the history of the Persian Gulf. In his numerous writings and research activities, Sadid has explained the existing events and facts regarding all the natural, geographical, and anthropological dimensions of the Persian Gulf following a scientific and critical method. In doing so, he has studied all the common cultural, economic, and social aspects of the northern and southern cities and villages of this region. In addition to this all-inclusive view, Sadid al-Saltanah, in spite of being a Qajar statesman, was never content withchronicle or report writing in the historiography of the Persian Gulf. Unlike the secretaries and historiographers in the employment of the courts of the governments before and after him, he was involved in the accurate description and explanation of events, scientific analysis of the related facts, and drawing of logical conclusions. In this paper, following a descriptive comparative-analytic method, the writer has examined the innovative approach of this historian through reading the lines and between the lines of the texts left from him. The findings of the study indicate that this self-made distinguished figure was the first person to write the modern history of the Persian Gulf, not only based on all the principles and methods of modern historiography but also by considering the most important known and pervasive elements of that time, following a different approach and while using his own profound wisdom and inquisitive and creative mind.