Challenges of Islamic Society due to Trade and
Interaction
by: Troy Briscoe
overview
Islamic empires have always been known for trading. The
trade caused interaction between different cultures, and this led to more
religiously and ethnically diverse societies.
Trade
-The Islamic empires ruled lands that had figured
prominently in long-distance trade for centuries and participated actively in
global trade networks in early modern times.
These are trade routes that went through the Islamic societies.
Ottoman trade
-In the Ottoman Empire, for example, the early capital at
Bursa was also the final point of a caravan route that brought raw silk from
Persia to supply the Italian market.
-The Ottomans also granted special trading concessions to merchants from England and France to cement alliances against common enemies in Spain and central Europe.
-Aleppo became an emporium for foreign merchants engaged primarily in the spice trade and served as local headquarters for the operations of the English Levant Company.
-The Ottomans also granted special trading concessions to merchants from England and France to cement alliances against common enemies in Spain and central Europe.
-Aleppo became an emporium for foreign merchants engaged primarily in the spice trade and served as local headquarters for the operations of the English Levant Company.
Safavid Trade
-Shah Abbas promoted Isfahan(Safavid capital) as a
commercial center, extending trading privileges to foreign merchants and even
allowing Christian monastic orders to set up missions there to help create a
favorable environment for trade.
-European merchants sought Safavid raw silk, carpets, ceramics, and high-quality craft items.
-The English East India Company, the French East India Company, and the Dutch VOC all traded actively with the Safavids.
-To curry favor with them, the English company sent military advisors to help introduce gunpowder weapons to Safavid armed forces and provided a navy to help them retake Hormuz in the Persian Gulf from the Portuguese.
-European merchants sought Safavid raw silk, carpets, ceramics, and high-quality craft items.
-The English East India Company, the French East India Company, and the Dutch VOC all traded actively with the Safavids.
-To curry favor with them, the English company sent military advisors to help introduce gunpowder weapons to Safavid armed forces and provided a navy to help them retake Hormuz in the Persian Gulf from the Portuguese.
A Safavid carpet is shown because European merchants trade for Safavid raw silk, carpets, ceramics, and high quality craft items.
Mughal Trade
-The Mughals did not pay as much attention to foreign
trade as the Ottomans and Safavids did, partly because of the enormous size and
productivity of the domestic Indian economy and partly because the Mughal
rulers concentrated on their land empire and had little interest in maritime
affairs.
-Nevertheless, the Mughal treasury derived significant income from foreign trade.
-The Mughals allowed the creation of trading stations and merchant colonies by Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch merchants.
-Indian merchants formed trading companies of their own, ventured overland as far as Russia, and sailed the waters of the Indian Ocean to port cities from Persia to Indonesia.
-Nevertheless, the Mughal treasury derived significant income from foreign trade.
-The Mughals allowed the creation of trading stations and merchant colonies by Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch merchants.
-Indian merchants formed trading companies of their own, ventured overland as far as Russia, and sailed the waters of the Indian Ocean to port cities from Persia to Indonesia.
Challenges Due to trade and interaction
-All of the trading and interacting in the Islamic
empires led to many different religious communities. Imperial rulers had the
challenge of maintaining harmony between these religious communities.
-Each of the Islamic societies wanted ways to maintain harmony that embraced many different religious and ethnic groups.
-The Ottoman empire included large numbers of Christians and Jews in the Balkans, Armenia, Lebanon, and Egypt.
-The Safavid empire had a good amount of Zoroastrian and Jewish communities, as well as many Christian subjects in the Caucasus.
-The Mughal empire was especially diverse. Most Mughal subjects were Hindus, but large numbers of Muslims lived alongside smaller communities of Jains, Zoroastrians, Christians, and devotees of syncretic faiths such as Sikhism.
-Each of the Islamic societies wanted ways to maintain harmony that embraced many different religious and ethnic groups.
-The Ottoman empire included large numbers of Christians and Jews in the Balkans, Armenia, Lebanon, and Egypt.
-The Safavid empire had a good amount of Zoroastrian and Jewish communities, as well as many Christian subjects in the Caucasus.
-The Mughal empire was especially diverse. Most Mughal subjects were Hindus, but large numbers of Muslims lived alongside smaller communities of Jains, Zoroastrians, Christians, and devotees of syncretic faiths such as Sikhism.
This is a picture of some of the religions that were in the Ottoman Empire due to interactions with other societies.
Video
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