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Isfahan

Type Object Region Asia Time c. 1581–1590

In the 1580s, Isfahan was not yet the formal Safavid capital (still Qazvin), but was already central Persia's most important commercial and handicraf…

Timeline

  1. c. 1581–1584Isfahan · IranCaravans connecting Qazvin, Shiraz, and Khorasan converged here, with postal relay stations and warehouses lining the streets; by the early 1580s, Isfahan was already one of the busiest inland trade cities in the Safavid Empire.
  2. c. 1585–1588Isfahan · IranArmenian and Muslim weavers produced fine silk and carpets, resold to the Ottoman Empire and India via Aleppo and Basra; the New Julfa district's trading houses laid the foundation for a larger Armenian trading community in later years.
  3. c. 1588–1590Isfahan · IranAfter Abbas I acceded in 1587, he began to reform domestic affairs, selecting Isfahan as the future site of the capital transfer and improving infrastructure; around 1590, the city began attracting craftsmen and migrants, foreshadowing the large-scale construction of the 17th century.

Sources