A Hermeneutic Reading of Title Selection in Islamic Iranian Historical Sources (11-20 CE/5-14 Century AH)

The title of work has a special place among identity-related components of a historical text. The title of historical work is a critical factor for identifying and distinguishing from other works and can act as a criterion to introduce its themes. Studies on title selection in historical sources can open new horizons for researchers in this field. The present study offers a hermeneutic reading of title selection in historical sources of Islamic Iran to analyze factors contributing to selecting the title of these texts. The primary purpose of this reading is to show factors and elements affecting the process of title selection. This study explores texts from 11 to 20 Century CE (5-14 Century AH). Results of this study show that the selection of titles in Iranian historical sources after Islam was affected by certain textual and hypertextual factors, the most influential factors being the use of stylistic devices, imitation of existing titling methods, the role of state ideology, and the perceptions of the historian.