Iran's silk trade during the Turkoman period: a bridge between East and West

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor, Al-Zahra University of Tehran

10.22034/jiiph.2023.55349.2409

Abstract

The period of the Turkomans of Aq Qoyunlu was one of the brilliant periods of Iran in relation to regional and extra-regional governments. This relationship was not only in the political dimension, but trade was an important part of politics. Politics served business. Iran's position also justified commercial mediation between East and West. Raw silk or its textiles became effective during the Turkmen period as a key trade item in the trade relations of the Turkmen with the West and the East. This article tries to present the role of silk and its belongings as a strategic commodity in East-West relations. The knowledge of the political and commercial delegations of Aq Quyunluh to the courts of India and China showed the importance of silk trade in the international system of that period. In this article, silk is mentioned as the center of communication between East and West and tries to follow its footsteps in the international markets of neighboring countries, especially Bursa and the large domestic markets of Tabriz,, Hormuz,, Yazd and Baghdad. This research shows that silk was a strategic commodity for that period. The Turkmens of Aq-Qoyunlu understood it well and they can be considered as the pioneers of going beyond the regional relations and entering the world trade by using the intermediary position of Iran. In order to avoid expressing political relations, it was tried to base the analysis on silk trade.
Key words:" Iran," , "silk trade", "China", "Ottoman", "India", "Aq-Qoyunlu"

Keywords

Main Subjects

Journal of Iranian Islamic Period History

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 24 October 2023

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 February 2023
  • Revise Date: 04 October 2023
  • Accept Date: 16 October 2023

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