The Impact of the Black Death on Iranian Trade (1340s-1450s A.D.)

• Published in: Iran & the Caucasus Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. 221 - 232
• Main Authors: Fazlinejad, Ahmad, Ahmadi, Farajollah
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Brill 26-07-2019; Brill Academic Publishers, Inc
• Subjects: HISTORY , CULTURE
• ISSN: 1609-8498; 1573-384X; 1609-8498
• DOI: 10.1163/1573384X-20190302

The Great Plague, generally known as the Black Death, swept many parts of the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe in the mid-14th century repeatedly for decades and inflicted widespread demographical, social and economic consequences. Contrary to the common attitude of researchers in neglecting the spread of the Black Death in Iran during the 14th century and its relapse periods, findings of this study indicate that the Great Plague, which had numerous victims in Iran, mostly disrupted the country’s commercial relationships with the plague-stricken trade routes and centers. Moreover, due to the tragic consequences caused by the Black Death, Iran lost its position as one of the main routes in the international trade. In this study, based predominantly on historiographical sources in Persian and Arabic, Iran’s position in international trade in the era of Black Death is analyzed.