Economic position of Merv in the ninth and tenth centuries AD

Document Type : جغرافیای تاریخی خراسان بزرگ

Abstract

In the ninth and tenth centuries AD, urban development and the growth of cities flourished due of the expansion of trade in Islamic lands especially in Khorasan and Transoxiana. The city of Merv like some other cities in Khorasan had a significant physical growth and transformation because of its transformation status and the prosperous manufacturing and trading economy. At the end of the tenth century AD, when some of the cities of Khorasan and Bein-O-Nahrein were facing urban collaspe, Marv enjoyed a better position in terms of economic homogeneity than other cities. The present article intends to investigate the economic status and condition of Merv by using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on historical and geographical textsThe findings of this research show that although Merv was declining politically in comparison with previous ages its economical growth and prosperity was reserved. Also, issues such as trading roads, taking advantage of the Silk Road, the abundant production of agricultural products, the production and export of all kinds of textiles, the prevalence of Merv's market and trade exchanges to other region, in the ninth and tenth century AD, brought economic prosperity for Merv.
Keywords: Merv Market, Economic status, Khorasan, Merv Export, Merv.