Kitab al-Taji, is a historical chronicle written, in Arabic, by Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Sabi. Started in c.980 the Kitab al-Taji was patronized by the ShÃÂhanshÃÂh of the Buyid dynasty, 'Adud al-Dawla. Each section of the chronicle was systematically checked by 'Adud al-Dawla, who instructed changes or revisions.
There are no known modern versions of the Kitab al-Taji, though M.S. Khan found a fragment of the chronicle in a work of Zaydi jurisprudence called, al-GÃÂmiÿ al-KÃÂfë at the Great Mosque of Sanaa, Yemen.
Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Sabi was the chief secretary of 'Izz al-Dawla, Buyid amir of Iraq. Following the downfall and death of Izz al-Dawla, al-Sabi was imprisoned. 'Adud al-Dawla's vizier, Mutahhar, requested al-Sabi be freed to be the seneschal in the capital. As a condition of al-Sabi's release, 'Aá¸Âud al-Dawla ordered that he compose a book about the greatness of the Bà «yid dynasty. In c. 980, Al-Sabi started writing the Kitab al-Taji in Arabic. Each time he finished a section, al-Sabi would present it to ÿAdud al-Dawla for review, so that it could be revised as needed. Al-Sabi was displeased with the changes imposed by ÿAdud al-Dawla, a fact evident from a comment he made, when asked how his work was going, he replied that he was writing nonsense and falsehoodsâÂÂan answer that, once relayed to ÿAdud al-Dawla, provoked his anger. Al-Sabi finished the Kitab al-Taji sometime between c. 980-982.
The KitÃÂb al-ṬÃÂgë, often referred to as al-KitÃÂb al-ṬÃÂgë, was so named because it was written at the order of ṬÃÂg al-Milla, a title granted to ÿAá¸Âud al-Dawla by Caliph al-ṬÃÂþiÿ bi-llÃÂh. Contemporary authorsâÂÂsuch as Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, al-ThaÿÃÂlibë, Ibn al-Nadëm, al-ÿUtbë, and al-Bayhaqi âÂÂalso cite al-SabiâÂÂs historical work under the title al-KitÃÂb al-ṬÃÂgë. However, al-Bërà «nëâÂÂthough younger and a contemporary of al-SabiâÂÂrefers to the work as Kitab al-Tag.
Abu ÿAlë al-RudhrawÃÂrë and Ibn Ḥassà «l, who even composed a treatise criticizing the work, referred to it by the same title, and their usage was adopted by numerous later Arabic and Persian historians.
Although there is no known copy of the Kitab al-Taji, its contents can be partially reconstructed from references made by contemporary and later authors.
Ibn al-Nadëm and al-ThaÿÃÂlibë noted the Daylamite's origin, which al-Saji states consisted of Arab and Persians living in Daylam, and their ascent and the establishment of their rule over Iraq and Persia. Al-ThaÿÃÂlibë further mentions that the chronicle described the wars fought by Daylamite rulers, their military successes, national character, and related topics.
The ancestors of ÿAdud al-Dawla are highly praised, with numerous anecdotes at the start of the work illustrating these qualities. Additionally, the tribe of Serzil, from which ÿAdud al-Dawla descended, is described as the noblest of all tribes, enhancing the prestige of the Buwayhids.
Numerous medieval historiansâÂÂincluding Al-Biruni, Ibn Ḥassà «l, Ibn Isfandiyar, Ibn al-Athir, Ibn ḤallëkÃÂn, Ibn Khaldà «n, al-Qazwënë, ZÃÂhir al-Dën al-Maqrëzë, Mërḥwand, and Ḥusayn KhwÃÂndmër âÂÂcopied the Buyid genealogical table citing the Kitab al-Ṭagi as the source. Some of these historians noted that al-Sabi may have fabricated the ancestry for the Buyids tracing back to Bahram Gur.
The Kitab al-Taji indicates that al-Sabi adopted a distinctly anti-Tahirid, anti-Saffarid, and anti-Samanid perspective. His treatment of the ÿAbbasids was also unfavorable, with little attention devoted to the history of the Caliphs. The pronounced anti-Samanid orientation is straightforward, given that the Samanids were political rivals of the Buyid dynasty. Al-Saji largely disregarded Iraq in his account, focusing primarily on the military, political, and religious developments in Daylam, Gilan, and Tabaristan, the ancestral regions of the Buyids. The Samanids of Bukhara and Khorasan are portrayed not as sovereign rulers but as vassals under the authority of the Abbasids.
The KitÃÂb al-Ṭaji was thought to be lost, although a single manuscript containing an abbreviated portion of the work has been discovered. This illustration of the Ṭaji is preserved as MS no. 145 in the Maktabat al-Mutawakkiliyya, located in the Great Mosque of Sanaa, Yemen. The chronicle appears at the end of a copy of al-GÃÂmiÿ al-KÃÂfë, a work on Zaydë jurisprudence. This is the only known manuscript, in which the text is written in black ink in a continuous paragraph. It consists of twenty-two folios; forty-one and a half written pages.