Black Sea or Sea of Trebizond: Significance of Trebizond Port in Persians’ knowledge of Black Sea in the Middle Ages

Like other bodies of water, the Black Sea has been given a number of names. It was known as the Sea of Trebizond during the early Islamic centuries due to the popularity of the Trebizond Port in the south coast of the sea. Muslims in general and Iranian and Azeri merchants in particular contributed to the boom of trade in this port. Thus, the sea was named after its most important port because of its commercial significance for Iranians, considering that they had been acquainted with the sea through this port. We know such naming for other seas and ports; however, for some reasons, it is considered as an exonym for Asian Minor, which has been part of the Byzantine Empire for a long time. These reasons can be explored and discussed within the context of the ties between Muslims and the Byzantine Empire in the years before and even after the Battle of Manzikert. This study examines the continuity and changes made in the names given to the Black Sea, the reasons behind it, and the continuation of the two folk and formal names given to it.

Black Sea or Sea of Trebizond: Significance of Trebizond Port in Persians’ knowledge of Black Sea in the Middle Ages Keywords:

Trebizond , Iran , the Black Sea , Tabriz , Maritime Trade