The palace of Hajj in relations of Ottoman and Iran in Qajar Era

This essay deals with economic status of the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj) and its influence on the economic relations of the Ottoman state as the organizer and the Qajar state of Iran as the guest. Three main elements of this matter are studied: 1- Hajjis (guests) 2-state (organizer) 3-Bedouins and aborigines (hosts).The security as an important element in any economic process is also studied. This study is undertaken in three fields: the economic politics of two states; the combining economics and common market; and the formal and informal revenues of the roads and hajjis. The status of endowments, the commercial and economic importance of roads, the services of Ottoman state, the difficulties of decrease of the value of money, the robbery of hajjis belongings, and the offences of Ottoman state are other issues of this essay. The central question is whether, in addition of its religious and political status, the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj) has economic status. The economic politics of Ottoman state shows that this state had positive influences on economic development of the two holy sanctuaries (Mecca and Medina), desired organization of hajj and welfare of Bedouins, but it was not directly benefitted from this organization. Because it merely wanted to attain the title of servant of the two holy sanctuaries (Mecca and Medina) and thereby religious and political legitimacy. It seems that because of problems of exchange of goods and money for hajjis in market roads, the strategy of combining economics was the best solution for economic interactions of two states. Additionally, the role of the Qajar state as guest state and its political priorities concerning the Hajj is surveyed. The reliable documents and sources of Qajar era shows that the Qajar state attempted to remove the obstacles and difficulties created by Ottoman officers on the way of Iranian hajjis and to protect them and to pressurize the Ottoman state in this matter.