Structural and thematic analysis of Ibn Sa'dan's scientific assemblies based on the book Al-Imta' and Al-Muwansa

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences,University of Mohaghegh Ardabili , Ardabil, Iran.

10.22034/jiiph.2026.71618.2629

Abstract

This study analyzes the scholarly gatherings (majālis) of Ibn Saʿdān (d. 375 AH), vizier to Ṣamṣām al-Dawla al-Daylamī, based on the book Al-Imtāʿ wa al-Muʾānasa by Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī. Beyond their literary significance, the examination of the political and social functions of these gatherings plays a vital role in understanding the mechanisms of power during the Buyid period within Iranian studies, offering a model for comprehending elite interactions with the caliphal institution and bureaucratic apparatus. A considerable part of the challenges in this field—and consequently in the analysis of related texts—lies in uncovering the hidden layers of these dialogues, as shifts in ethnic and cultural balances have consistently confronted researchers with significant difficulties, thereby necessitating a more rigorous methodology. Accordingly, the central question of this study is: how did the structural and thematic components of these gatherings serve the vizier's objectives? The study demonstrates that Ibn Saʿdān pursued three primary strategies in managing these assemblies, which may be designated as "political legitimation," "elite networking," and, finally, "cultural tension management."

Keywords

Main Subjects

Journal of Iranian Islamic Period History

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 September 2026

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 18 February 2026
  • Revise Date: 19 June 2026
  • Accept Date: 14 September 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics