Silk in the Qajar Era and Its Trade via the Caspian Sea A study based on archival records (1828- 1909)

From a long time ago, especially from the Safavid era up to the late Qajar, Silk has been one of the exports of Iran. In the Qajar era, this product was subject to a lot of fluctuation in production, quantity and quality. However, its essential role in Iran’s commerce should not be overlooked. Together with other products such as skin and cotton, Silk has played an important role in Iran’s business relations. During the Qajar era silk was exported via different trade routes. From the south, Iran’s silk was traded via ports such as Bandar-Abbas and Bandar-Boushehr. From the north, Russia was near to silk-producing districts such as Gilan, which was the primary center of silk production in Iran. In this area, Iran’s silk was traded via Land routes such as Tabriz-Jolfa-Irvan-Teflis & Tabriz-Khoy-Arzroom-Teraboozan and a large amount of silk was also traded via the Caspian Sea and its Ports. Relying on records left from the Qajar era, Statistical data and also books about Iran’s silk written during that era, this research tries to evaluate and analyze the trade of silk in the Qajar era from 1828 to 1909, especially via the Caspian Sea.