Akhbar al-Tiwal's Narrative of Emergence of the Abassids: An Instance of the Abbasid Perspective

The main goal of this paper is to understand the approved narrative of the Abbasids about the process of their emergence and to find its impact on the historical sources. I have tried to show how the Akhbar al-Tiwal's reports indicate a deliberate effort for providing a coherent and purposive explanation of the emergence and establishment of the Abbasid government. This report, as we will explain, is an ideal and approved account in the Abbasids' view point. Its components were formed in the period of caliphate of Abu Ja’far Mansur and his son, Mahdi. Thus, more than the historical information it may offer on the rise of the Abbasids government in comparison with other sources, the Akhbar al-Tiwal clarifies the structure and basic elements of this report in which Abbasids were interested. That is why it has been considered as an important source among others. In this paper, I am not going to deal with the attitudes of the author(s) or compiler(s) of Akhbar al-Tiwal, about whom there is very little information; rather, I will only focus on the qualities and structure of its historical report with regards to Abbasids' approach, namely those whose emergence are the basis of such reports. Therefore, discussing the influential formative factors of this historical report or comparing it with other reports of other incidents in this source are not at issue here.