The Inductive Function of Dream and Imagination in the Rulers' Justifications to Society in the Historiography of the Mongol and Timurid Periods

Dreaming and dreaming to justify the actions and behaviors of kings and rulers to instill it in society is very important in Iranian historiography. Dream and fantasy analysis is one of the approaches to reading the text, i.e., semiotics. The main purpose of this reading is to reconstruct the function of non-linguistic signaling systems for actions and behaviors in history. Dreams and dreams are among the important semantic signs and have a special place in Iranian historiography. The application of this matter in historical sources and the attention of rulers and masters of power to it can be distinguished in the two axes of legitimacy, justification and validation of the actions and deeds of kings. The importance of the dream and its interpretation in the Holy Qur'an, religious narrations and Sufism was effective in the attention of historians to this issue as a justification against objective and rational arguments. This is more common during the Mongol rule due to the crisis in the religious legitimacy of the rulers. With this approach, the following questions can be asked: What are the reasons for expressing dreams and fantasies in the works of historians of the Mongol and Timurid periods? What was the use of dreams and justifications for the Iranian society in the eyes of the rulers of the Mongol and Timurid eras? Relying on the method of historical research and reviewing the evidence, it was concluded that: Although the expression of imagination and dreams has always existed in historiography, but in the middle history of Iran is more widespread. The result of the research shows that the user's dream and imagination had a justification for instilling the will of the kings and rulers and legitimizing the government to the Iranian society of this period.