Intl. J. Humanities (2016) Vol. 23 (3): (1-13) An Overview on the basis of Urban Planning and Social Life of Safavid Cities Abed Taghavi 1, Hassan Hashemi Zarjabad 2, Maryam Asgari Veshareh 3 Received: 2016/3/2 Accepted: 2016/10/11 Abstract In the Safavid era, cities played a decisive role in the activities of urban social life, especially with regard to commodity, distribution and exchanging system between urban and rural society as well as defining the role of organizations in the commercial process. This paper is based on historical analyzing method where the authors could utilize primary sources to study social and economic states of urban life in Persian cities during Safavid. Farah Abad, Isfahan and Bandar Abbas in North, Center and South of Iran have been examined. These cities were selected considering their functional nature as producer, industrial (processor) and exporter centers. The outcome of the study shows that the cities founded and developed during Safavid, specially on Silk Road, during the reign of Shah Abbas I (996- 1038 AH), played the role of producer, distributer and exporter in north, center and south of Iran. Based on their functional capacities, cities of that era are divided into three types: producer of raw materials, intermediary and processing, and finally exporter (port) cities. The analysis of economic relations of those cities indicates that the king had despotic monopolization of all aspects of the cities where the urban economy deeply on agricultural economy of countryside. Keywords: Islamic Cites; Financial Relations; Safavid Era; Silk Route; Economic unction. Downloaded from eijh.modares.ac.ir at 20:19 IRST on Tuesday September 28th 2021 1.Assistant Professor of Archaeology, University of Mazandaran, [email protected] 2. Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of Birjand, [email protected] 3. MA Student in Archaeology, University of Mazandaran. 1 An Overview on the basis of Urban … Intl. J. Humanities (2016) Vol. 23 (3) Introduction In this research, Farah Abad, Isfahan According to economic theories, variables and Bandar Abbas in north, central and and wealth resource distributions, in south of Iran are examined to study the seventeenth century Europe, were known role and position of cities during Safavid, as factors for the rapid growth of historical by utilizing social and economic studies on cities. Cities, in accordance with wealth urban as well as by analyzing the historical earning and production, belonged to method. These three cities were selected specific social classes. This was such an giving their producing, industrial and important indicator that the division of exporting capacities. The main research architectural spaces in cities were question is: How functional cities play determined based on economic power their role through foreign and domestic where different services were provided to trade in Safavid Iran, especially during social classes (Karimian, 2004:111-121). Shah Abbas? This theory was manifested in Iran during In this research, Safavid cities are Islamic era when cities were converted into evaluated through previous social and a place for social participation in economic economic studies as well as primary sectors; and that on the other hand resulted materials. The compiling methods are into social force division, exchange based on library studies which are the relations and development commercial primary sources (general and regional system (Yusefifar, 2007:277-279). These histories) and geography (itineraries) as had effective stimulus to found ports, trade well as the contemporary researches. and generally in the cities with economic function. Safavid Cities: Political or Commercial? Safavid cities, as the most important In general, the geographical distribution place of social, political and economic during Safavid is attributed to kings' changes, are the most important for policy. This resulted in functionalism researchers to focus on principles, which is the base and priority of city concepts, thoughts and functions of society planning. Safavid kings decided to and government. Organizing sects and implement their political, economic and religious fractions, bureaucracy, guilds and social policies by founding and, in many establishing commercial network, military cases, developing urban complex next to Downloaded from eijh.modares.ac.ir at 20:19 IRST on Tuesday September 28th 2021 system are all the result of the phenomenon old textures. Since, palatial distribution which is called city, a place that indicated could be followed up explicitly, ports and the authority of Safavid Kings to legitimize coastal cities in northern Iran such as Farah their political and religious power. Abad and Mashhadsar (present Babolsar), For the first time, Safavid Iran could Bandar Abbas in south, mountainous cities establish the financial institution at of Ardabil, Tabriz and Sanandaj in west national and international levels (Guodarzi, and north-west, desert cities as Isfahan, 2009:342). To activate native commerce Kashan and Yazd were founded and, in and rapid growth of international trade, some cases, developed for specific cities were founded and developed as political, economic and social (religious) producer, industrial and exporter, to aims. implement Safavid kings’ economic The distribution and spatial policies in the best way. arrangement of commercial cities in the 2 Taghavi . A and others Intl. J. Humanities (2016) Vol. 23 (3) Safavid era put them in three categories i.e. ports in the north of Iran were also capable producer of raw materials, industrial of this process but limited to the export to (intermediary and processing) and Tsarist Russia since large amounts of exporter. This pattern of spatial exchanging as well as the target market arrangement was manifested by silk trade were located in the south. especially through the commercialization The implementation of aforementioned of Iran during Shah Abbas I. The producer royal policy resulted in commercializing or northern cities grew silk worms. The vast parts of the country. Also, activating second groups were industrial cities such the north-south road and inactivating east- as Isfahan, Kashan and Yazd where raw west overland arterial road led to materials (silk) were converted into textile decreasing of Ottoman's political and commodities i.e. carpet and cloth woven at economic pressure on Safavids. workshops. In such cities, workshops could Undoubtedly, in implementing this policy, produce the most important silk-based serious cooperation of British and Dutch export commodities for examples brocaded companies in south as well as Portuguese’s carpets and luxury clothes. During Safavid, absolute trade seclusion and Safavid king’s those workshops were divided into foreign policy on new economic ways are governmental and native (regional) sectors. indisputable (Taghavi 2010: 59-60). Urban The government-controlled workshops activities, in middle centuries Iran, were were called Royal Possession Land implement in the way that raw materials (Byutat-e-Saltanati). According to were sent from effective district ,which Tavernier, those workshops were located usually were countryside’s, to cities and between Chehel Sotun Palace and Maidan- specific commodities were produced there. i- Shah (Shah Square): Then products could enter into the ‘….there is a vast yard belonging to distribution cycle and flow of purchase and Royal Possession Land (Byutat-e- sale within inner or outer urban economy. Saltanati) where at the corner, weaving Another economic function of cities was machine(loom) is settled to weave related to productive forces that were brocaded by silk and gold for King”( active in agricultural sector (Yusefifar, Tavernier,1985.386). 2012:104). The other urban economic relation was concentrating on Downloaded from eijh.modares.ac.ir at 20:19 IRST on Tuesday September 28th 2021 It should be mentioned that eight out of monopolization and possessory thirty-three main guilds cooperated with exploitation of forced labor on farms cloth-weaving guild (Minorskiy, 1990: (Savory, 1384:194; Roymer, 2006: 232) 123-126). In general, luxury carpets were and through the land reforming policy not only woven for mosques and palace but (converting Mamalik-state funds- to were also sent to different countries such Khadssa-crown revenues)(Navaei and as Ottoman and Uzbek kings as gifts and Qaffarifard, 2003:289), omitting exported, too. These cities played the role intermediaries and direct purchasing by the of intermediary and retail in urban king, an enormous productive capital of economy. Final stage was ports and export this sector were transferred to the court cities in southern Iran from where treasury. commodities were exported, imported and transported. It is important to mention that 3 An Overview on the basis of Urban … Intl. J. Humanities (2016) Vol. 23 (3) Farah Abad Urban Complex Mazandaran and Gilan province which was The historical city of Farah Abad is located 65% of Khadssa produced silk. (Navidi, in a rural setup by the same name: at a 2008:169). This resulted in developing distance of three kilometers from economic bases and ports as Farah Abad, Mazandaran Sea, 25 kilometers from Sari. Barforoush, Mashhad Sar, Astar Abad in Network of roads was one of the important Northern Province of Iran. Because of factors that played an effective role in structural changes, the atmosphere of developing Farah Abad spaces. Shah northern cities converted from a pleasure Abbasid road, as the most important