History of the Jews of Kashan
According to Anusi, a significant (History of the Jews of Kashan) population already residing in Iran, known as Yehudiyah, was joined by a group of Kulimians during the reign of Shah Abbas I. Although the Jewish dialect suggests that these Jews have been in Kashan for a long time and their history extends back to the Assyrian kings Nebuchadnezzar and Hammurabi, medieval sources make no mention of a Jewish community in Kashan Persian rug , so it is likely that they lived in the surrounding villages.
Some of these immigrants were expert weavers and dyers, according to Anton Felton. The growth of the silk trade during the Safavid era led to a rise in Jewish immigration to Kashan. History of the Jews of Kashan
Babai Ben Lotf, who lived in Kashan in 1656, said in his book “Anusi” that “the cultural situation of the Jews of Kashan began to improve during the reign of Nader Shah.” As a result, Kashan at the start of the century appeared to have transformed into a miniature version of Jerusalem. For sixty years, the 18th century became the birthplace and hub of Jewish clergy for all Iranians, and Jews eventually achieved significant advancements in trade and wealth creation.
The Kilim community was one of Iran’s most significant trade and economic groups during the Qajar era. They frequently produced and sold silk, textiles, and subsequently carpets in Kashan.
Because Iranians are tolerant, they have historically experienced less persecution. Religious minorities in Iran were subjected to harsh conditions starting in the middle of the 19th century. They had to undergo situations that were different from those faced by Iran’s Muslim merchants. They were treated differently from Muslims in terms of justice. For instance, if a Zoroastrian asked a Muslim for money, the law would not help the Zoroastrian get it, which made business dealings difficult. History of the Jews of Kashan
*Click on the opposite link to see precious Iranian handmade and machine combined silk carpets*
There are now only a few Jews living in this city, but some were forced to convert to Islam in the early 19th century and during the Qajar period, and seven years later, with the help and intervention of the Shiite jurist Mullah Mohsen Faiz Kashani, the Jews were allowed to return to their religion after paying the jizya, while others stayed in Islam and became known as the New Muslims.
“We can mention the Armenians, who had a better life than other minorities and worked specifically in textiles and then carpets and were generally involved in trade with Europe,” Landor said of the other minorities who were active in trade in several Iranian towns, like Kashan. The Zoroastrians came next. They largely resided in Yazd and Kerman and were farmers and merchants. History of the Jews of Kashan
The trade between the Zoroastrians of Kerman and Yazd and India was particularly successful because of the large number of Zoroastrians living in India, and some of them had obtained British citizenship. They were able to trade more easily, of course. To improve their well-being, Zoroastrian support groups were established in Bombay. Among these, the jizya payment was eliminated. During the cotton season, several of them traveled to Kashan and used Bandar Abbas to ship cotton to India. They brought inexpensive foreign items like knives, glassware, cotton products, and oil lamps with them when they came. History of the Jews of Kashan
The Hindus, who often had a unique caravanserai where everyone assembled, were another group who traded in Iran and played a significant part in commerce after the Zoroastrians. As Western tourists have noted, the Hindus were honest and, like Iranian merchants, intelligent and professional in their economic dealings. Persian rug designs
The Hindus, who often had a unique caravanserai where everyone assembled, were another group who traded in Iran and played a significant part in commerce after the Zoroastrians. As Western tourists have noted, the Hindus were honest and, like Iranian merchants, intelligent and professional in their economic dealings.
Economic conditions of Kashan during the Qajar period
John Malcolm states that until the early nineteenth century, Iran’s exports to Europe included swords and other military weapons, saddles and instruments, horses, leather and glassware, sheep and lamb skins, iron tools, a variety of thick and thin cotton fabrics, light and dark fabrics, carpets and felt, Kerman shawls, and various types of silk fabrics like gold, silk, and velvet (Kashan). History of the Jews of Kashan
It should be mentioned that since the beginning of time, several ethnic groups with a wide range of cultural traditions have resided in Iran. Today, meanwhile, similar societies are present in places like Khorasan, Kerman, or Kashan Style and maktab of Persian carpet that have discovered a historical identity via letters.
Notwithstanding all sociological and other concerns, historical evidence shows that every region of this country has been able to sustain its economic life by producing, inventing, or creating a particular art form whenever it has experienced some degree of comfort, even in the face of adverse weather and climate conditions.
This area has always maintained its self-sufficiency and has occasionally even gained international recognition due to the variety of products and items that have been produced in the most challenging conditions across the nation. History of the Jews of Kashan
It is fairly certain that this area, which is not very conducive to life, has always been able to have an almost self-sufficient economic life with its hardworking people based on the statements and writings of historians and tourists as well as by highlighting the natural, social, and climatic conditions of Kashan. Additionally, its goods’ renown has occasionally extended to neighboring countries.
Historical accounts and references show that handicrafts, particularly exquisite traditional fabrics, of which Kashan was a major producer, have always been in high demand both inside and outside of Iran, despite the fact that there are regrettably no precise or even approximative statistics on the nation’s total production until the 13th century. History of the Jews of Kashan
“With a population of 30,000, there are 27 caravanserais, 770 houses, 130 merchants, and European cotton and woolen goods worth four thousand liras,” according to Stabot, who traveled to Kashan Origins of Persian carpet in 1849–1850. A significant amount of cotton is spun here, and there are 800 silk weaving workshops and 80 coppersmiths.
Citing Zarrabi, Parviz Rajabi writes: During the Nasser time, satin, wool, ghanaviz, gold-colored “khara zari” and “mashhar,” plain velvet, colored cotton, daari, and qhadak were woven and dyed in textile and poem weaving studios. It is evident that the success of Kashan weaving was a direct result of Amir Kabir’s encouragement and assistance to manufacturers during his brief tenure as prime minister.
The cotton cloth that Haji Mohammad Hossein Kashani weaved was both soft enough to reach Mahout’s feet and far more durable than Mahout. This cloth, according to Amir Kabir, is appropriate for the military’s kilice, or half-length skirt.
Charles Isavi’s book “Economy of Iran” states: “The circumstances of production and export altered significantly after the Amir and for several causes. Due to the higher-quality imported kinds and, conversely, the disease that afflicted it and the subsequent prohibition on opium by foreign communities, silk exports decreased. British trade expanded along the Persian Gulf and along the path of the heavily populated northern markets between the first half of the 19th century (1179 and 1279 AH). History of the Jews of Kashan
The East India Company attempted to send English commodities and fabrics to Iran in the Persian Gulf rather than Indian fabrics due to its founding and political domination in India. Because they didn’t innovate or change the colors or types of their products, Iranian goods were essentially beaten by imported goods, and fabrics made of silk and wool couldn’t compete with products that were more expensive and of higher quality. For instance, the Kashmir shawl was imported from Afghanistan at a lower cost, even though the Hossein Qoli Khani shawl was well-known in Kashan.
Kashan, which had a flourishing and exquisite textile industry, was one of the areas that suffered the most from this unfair trade. Efforts to encourage the export of some local products, including rice, wool, silk, tea, and grain, were unsuccessful in the 1850s due to opposition from foreign businesses. Homa Nateg and Fereydoun Adamiyat’s study indicates that the Iranian economy declined to a marginal economy in the 18th and 19th century.
The region where mostly low-quality items are produced is known as the global economy’s marginal economy. (i.e., products for which long-term labor is not adequately compensated), but it is also a crucial component of the global system of division of labor since the products produced here are crucial for daily use.
Early in the 20th century, Iran’s economy and commerce saw a dramatic shift, and the nation began to resemble the traditional colonial model. Numerous data may be found by looking at the state of weaving and textiles. Handmade cotton, wool, and silk textiles accounted up 27% of Iran’s exports in 1857, but by the early 1900s, this percentage had dropped to under 1%. History of the Jews of Kashan
The export of low-cost goods including rice, wheat, opium, tobacco, khashogbar, walnuts, and khashogbar, which accounted for just 4% of total exports in 1857, The import of two goods was particularly concerning; the first was industrial fabrics in all their varieties, which were small in the 1850s but increased to 30%-40% in the next fifty years; the second was tea and sugar, which increased from 11% to 30%. This was in contrast to exporting goods like silk, wool, and especially cotton, which was at least about 26% in the years 1911-1913.
Metals, metal containers, and other industrial goods made up the majority of the remaining imports during the time in question. During this time, representatives of foreign businesses and firms started opening offices throughout Iran Pazyryk carpet . The Raleigh Company in Tabriz was the first, followed by the Crystal and Glass Company.
The fall of Iranian silk manufacturing, which had grown quickly in the 18th century, was caused by the Raleigh brothers’ and Greek enterprises’ actions, and other businesses followed suit. “A plague called Mascarin” that, according to Jamalzadeh (Pirin), had already wiped out all European goods by 1864 before making its way to Iran via the importation of Italian silk. A third of Iran’s silk output, which had peaked earlier in the year, was cut. There were significantly fewer silk weaving machines as a result of the decline in silk output.
After discussing how Iranian goods and industries flourished in the middle of the 1800s and how traditional industries began to decrease at the end of the same century, Pollock states:
The amount of silk produced in Kashan increased from 1280 tons in 1865 to 300 tons in 1887 and 253 tons in 1890.
“The number of Kerman looms, which used to be about 1800, had decreased to 1000, and the looms of Kashan, which were said to have been about 8000 at the time, had decreased to about 300,” Charles Issavi writes, quoting Abbott, the British consul in 1850. History of the Jews of Kashan
The numbers provided on silk weaving throughout the Safavid era are a little inflated, but it is estimated that there were roughly 1250 weaving looms during the time of Fath Ali Shah, 486 during the reign of Muhammad Shah, and 240 during the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah. It came. On this date in 1894, cotton was produced in Kashan and sold for a cheap price. One of the tobacco varieties that was shipped was tonbak.
Despite being significant, the artisans’ fall was not too great. Regulations to collect 5% customs charges on exports were created based on the government’s incorrect policies, which were primarily intended to help foreign enterprises. It was obvious that the imposition of these customs taxes was hurting exports, which were also falling at the same time.
In addition to causing damage to domestic production, this always led to the export of some of the nation’s gold reserves. In 1280 AH, approximately four years prior to the Constitutional Decree, an order was issued that exempted many exported goods from customs duties, including carpets, cotton, wool, dried fruits, legumes, and vegetable dyes, as well as wax, honey, skins, and leather.
In 1841, a notice was issued in Tabriz and Tehran to forbid the consumption of tea in an attempt to counter Georgian and Russian merchants, but this failed, and three years later, Tehran merchants united in their opposition to the import of European textiles.
According to Charles Essouy, merchants petitioned the Shah in 1844 to help them with their commerce, which had suffered due to the introduction of European goods into the nation. The Kashani merchants adopted a similar measure in 1845. Despite all of this, Russian and English traders dominated Iran’s domestic market, and Western influence not only severely damaged Iranian trade but also rendered the country’s traditional, age-old products entirely obsolete. History of the Jews of Kashan
This was a tragic conclusion for industries and professions that were unable to survive in the face of cheaper and more plentiful industrial goods. However, the Qajar administration was too weak and inept to promote some goods and their artisans as part of the nation’s historic legacy.
Abdullah Yav:3 “At a time when foreign trade was hampered by the export of wool and silk and traditional textile products that were unable to compete with industrial goods, perhaps the only fortune in Iranian trade was the carpet weaving industry, whose products, since they had no competitors in European countries, benefited from the expansion of its foreign markets and accounted for a significant portion of foreign exports.”