Socio-Economic Landscape of Ordubad City in Archive Documents of the Safavid Period

Abstract

The article examines the socio-economic structure of the city of Ordubad based on various archival documents from the Safavid period. The aim of the study is to restore the real historical picture of Ordubad's social stratification, the structure of the city economy, the essence of tax policy and artisan-trade relations within the Safavid administrative system. The methods used in the study are based on comparative-historical analysis, documentary approach, source study methods and economic history methodology. The study shows that Ordubad was a developed urban center during the Safavid period due to its location on important branches of the Silk Road, where artisan guilds, market infrastructure, sericulture and irrigation systems played a leading role in the economic life of the city. The archival materials also show that the city's population formed a complex structure consisting of various social strata - distinguished artisan associations, merchants, agricultural producers, official circles serving the state and landowners of the Khass-i-Humayun. Tax registrations and property documents prove that both state-owned land and private property relations are widespread in Ordubad.