Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Univerrsity of Tehran
2 Departmet of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Dastak is a Persian term that holds several significant meanings in the historical geography of the Persian language, especially in Iran and India. Upon reviewing the sources, we find that dastak; refers to papers found in the catalogues of archive centers and documents collection books, which have the characteristics of historical records but have not yet undergone diplomatics analysis. The Dehkhodā dictionary identifies two primary semantic domains associated with the term dastak: firstly, a notebook encompassing accounts, notes, and similar writings; secondly, documents such as licenses, permits, and summon. The second semantic domain of the word dastak is related to the Indo-Persian administrative system and is outside the scope of this research.
While Persian documents in India, acknowledge this term as a form of Ahkām-i-Divāni (court orders), it occupies a similar conceptual realm as the term Daftar (notebook) in the historical geography of Iran; as it has also become common in adverbial combinations such as daftar-u-dastak, dastak-u-daftar, daftar-dastak, and dastak-daftar; nonetheless, consulting dictionaries and examining texts reveals that the definition of dastak is more specific to the to the notion of daftar. This study used a descriptive-analytical methodology and library data analysis to identify dastak; as a term and quiddity in Iranian diplomatics literature with distinct extrinsic and intrinsic properties.
The current study reveals that dastaks, from the perspective of the extrinsic structure, are small, hand-held notebooks, bounded in Bayyāzi manner (from the width), with (predominantly) cardboard covers, adorned with leather, cloth, or oil. From an intrinsic (content) standpoint, we have categorized them into four primary areas: daily accounts, property headings and lists, significant notes and writings, and the specialized divani use of archiving Fard(Single)s documents. Ultimately, In terms of diplomatics, we should view dastaks not as a distinct document type, but rather as a physical format, cumulative carrier, or folder where its owner records and preserves Siyāqi accounts, lists, documents, notes, poems, and other significant writings.
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