The Influence of the Reforms of Shah Abbas I on the Conditions of Bazar and Urban Productions in the Safavid Kingdom

With the beginning of the era of kingdom of Shah Abbas I (1588-1629), the conditions of the Safavid kingdom was agitated and disorganized. Revolt and rebellion of the Turkmen commanders and the attacks of the foreigners ruined many of the villages and cities. Among one of the infrastructures of the urban life that started to collapse, one can refer to the bazar complex and urban productions. It was in such conditions that the trade and industry and its position in the bazar suffered an unprecedented damage and lost its boost. Shah Abbas I after establishing order and security in the territory of the Safavid, paid specific attention to the weakness of the internal economy and the public poverty and considered planning a series of reforms for improvement of these chaotic conditions necessary. To fulfill these reforms, he needed financial resources and affluent revenues and since the bazar represented a vital source of revenues, he decided to make certain reforms in the bazar. Due to the support and reforms of Shah Abbas I, the producing companies regained their prosperity and the bazar and spatial elements were restored and some new bazars were established. By adopting these measures, the bazar and urban production reached the climax of their prosperity and in various fields they became better compared to the past. The artisans and workers who worked in the bazar experienced relative welfare.In the present article, through using descriptive-analytic method, various measures of Shah Abbas I for bringing boost to the bazar and increasing the urban productions in the first half of the eleventh century has been investigated.

Keywords:

Safavid , Shah Abbas I , Bazar , urban productions , Reforms