Historiography of Hamza al-Isfahani; Historian of the Āl-e Būya period

Historiography and historiographical studies is one of the most important research topics in any historical period. Historiography in the Āl-e Būya period can also be seriously examined from this perspective. But if we exclude Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Miskawayh, the historians of the Āl-e Būya period, despite the fact that most of them are among the great historians of the Islamic world, have received less attention from scholars and researchers. Historians such as Sabet Ibn Sinan, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Ibn Hilal Sabi, Hilal Sabi, Abu Shuja Rudrawari, Abu Naeem Isfahani, Abolfaraj Isfahani, Hamza Isfahani and ... . This issue can be examined in two ways: First, these historians have often been overshadowed by the radiant face of Miskawayh during this period; And secondly, the Persian writing of historians from rival courts such as the Ghaznavids and the Samanids has attracted more attention. However, it seems necessary to pay attention to the study of historiography of historians from Āl-e Būya period. Accordingly, in this article, an attempt has been made to respond to this necessity by examining and analyzing the historiography of Hamza al-Isfahani, the writer of the History of the Kings and the Prophets. According to the findings of the present research, the historiography of Hamza al-Isfahani is very important in several ways: The use of multiple copies of some missing sources of the history of ancient Iran, such as Siar al-Muluks, Hamzeh’s expertise in historical terminology, and the widespread use of calendars and chronological topics in historiography.