Analysis of the economic role of neyshabur turquoise mines in the Qajar period

Turquoise is one of the most famous Iranian precious stones that has preserved its precious and ornamental jewelry throughout its historical periods and its originality has consistently been attributed to the city of Neyshabur. This precious gemstone with a few thousand years old has always been used in various historical periods and has been considered as one of the most important exported goods of the city of Neyshabur. In the Qajar period, due to the specific economic-political issues of this era, exploitation of mines was affected by its own fluctuations and problems. This research addresses the questions that generally determine the economic exploitation of these mines and how they were managed during this period. It also explores what factors disrupted exploitation of turquoise mines during the Qajar period. The assumption is that the socioeconomic conditions prevent any beneficial economic activity, including the exploitation of mines. On the basis of the obtained results, the socio-economic conditions governing society have hindered efficient economic activities including exploiting these mines. It was found that the expediency of government officials, lack of correct management in exploiting mines, negligence of scientific developments in mine industry, and lack of modern equipment caused stagnancy in exploitation and export of neyshabur turquoise. The applied method in the search is descriptive-analytic using the library sources and archived documents.