Miklós SárközyView profile
Associate Professor
Miklós Sárközy is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Ancient History and Auxiliary Historical Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary. His academic career is deeply rooted in Iranian and Central Asian history, with a focus on the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods. He holds a PhD in Iranian Studies from Eötvös Lóránd University, where he also completed his MA. PhD in Iranian Studies, Eötvös Lóránd University (2008) MA in History and Iranian Studies, Eötvös Lóránd University and Pázmány Péter Catholic University (2001) His research spans Ancient and Early Medieval Near Eastern and Central Asian history, Islamic history, religious studies, and Silk Road studies. He is particularly known for his work on Sasanian legitimacy, Parthian legacy, and the historiography of Tabaristān. His scholarship bridges Hungarian Orientalist traditions with contemporary academic discourse. The thematic trends in his recent publications reflect a deep engagement with identity formation, royal legitimacy, and cross-cultural encounters in medieval Iran and Central Asia. His work frequently analyzes how pre-Islamic traditions were reinterpreted in Islamic contexts, especially in regions like Tabaristān. He also explores the political and cultural dynamics of the Qajar period and the legacy of Hungarian Iranologists such as Ármin Vámbéry and Sándor Kégl. Sárközy has been actively involved in international academic collaboration, including a visiting research fellowship at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London (2013) and participation in numerous conferences across Europe and Iran. Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London (2013) Guest lecturer, University of Bergen (2013) Member, Research Group of Hungarian Prehistory, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Member, Scientific Board of the Arminius Vámbéry Studies Contributor to the Anthologia Nizarica Ismailitica Project, ELTE He has organized academic events such as the 'Merre tart Irán?' conference and the Al-Ghazálí commemorative symposium. His advising role includes opponentship in doctoral defenses, and he has contributed to educational projects like the ELTE GÉPESKÖNYV online teaching materials. He has also translated major works on Islamic art and Arab history into Hungarian, enhancing public and academic access to key texts. Sárközy is proficient in Persian (near native), English (near native), and several other languages including Italian, German, Russian, French, Tajik, and classical languages such as Old Persian, Middle Persian, Latin, Ancient Greek, and Classical Arabic. His multilingual expertise enables him to engage directly with primary sources across a wide chronological and geographical spectrum.
