 Most information about Hasan Beg's life stems from his own work, the "Aḥsān al-tavārikh", which he completed in 1578.He was born in Qom, a member of the Turkoman Rumlu tribe, and the grandson of Amir Soltan Rumlu, a prominent Qizilbash lord who served during the reign of King ("Shah") Ismail I ().Hasan Beg's Qizilbash background makes him "somewhat unique in the annals of Safavid historiography".