Analysis and Investigation of the Naming of the Silk Road Based on Economic Geography

Year 2023, Volume: 10 Issue: 6, 2660 - 2679, 23.01.2024

Mohammad Ekram Yawar Abdul Jamıl Sharıfy

https://doi.org/10.46868/atdd.2023.607

Abstract

The road that is known as silk today has been the longest and one of the most used trade routes throughout the history of East. A large part of this road, which connected the westernmost regions of China to the easternmost shores of the Mediterranean, passed through Great Khorasan (from Qoms to Jayhun).In the 19th century, in European studies, the name "Silk Road" was used for this road and soon it became popular. Even today, everyone, from the east and the west, knows and calls this historical road by the same name. This naming is due to the fact that according to these researchers, silk was the main and most important commodity that was exchanged along the road.In this research, the question of correctness or incorrectness of this naming has been investigated. Based on the findings of this research, this naming cannot be based on historical and objective facts for two main reasons.The first is that until before the 19th century, none of the Islamic, Afghan and Iranian geographical sources mentioned the name of silk, and most of it was called "Khorasan Road". It has been mentioned and the second is that the study of economic geography and traded goods was carried out. Look, it shows that silk is only one of the hundreds of traded goods and has no special advantage over other goods.

Keywords

Silk Road, Khorasan Road, Economic Geography, Geographic Resources, Exchange Goods

References

• Abu Dulaf, (1975). Abu Dulaf's travelogue in Iran, with comments by Voladimir Minorski (trans. by S. Abolfazel Tabatabayi). Zovar Publications.
• Al-Hamowi, Y. Bin-Abdallah, M. Al-Beldan, Dar Sader (1995). https://tinyurl.com/22nx938d Al-Masalak and Al-Mamaluk (1991). (trans.by H. Qarachanlou). Translator, https://tinyurl.com/mr2shmb2
• Fry, R. N. (1969). Dastavard of the Middle Ages (trans. by M. Mahmoudi). Book Translation and Publishing Company.
• Greeley, F.1995)). Nishabour Shahr Firoz. Khavaran Publications. https://tinyurl.com/2hnmj2wu
• Hamoui, Y. (1968). shared by Yaqut Hamoui (trans. by M. Pervin Ganabadi). Ibn Sina Library, first edition, https://tinyurl.com/my8esvb2
• Ibn Battuta. (1968). Ibn Battuta's travelogue (trans. by M. Ali Mohd). Book Translation and Publishing Company. Ibn Huql. (1966). Soorah al-Arz (trans. by J. Shaar). Publications of Farhang Iran Foundation.
• Ibn Huql's travelogue (Iran in the shape of the earth). (1987). (trans. and explained by J. Sha'ar). Amir Kabir, second edition.
• Istakhari, Abu Ishaq Ebrahim. (1968). Masalak and Mamalek, under the care of Irja Afshar. Afshar Endowment Foundation.
• Jihani, Abu al-Qassem bin Ahmad. (1989). Ashkal al-Alam ( trans. by Abdul S. Katab). (edited by F. Mansouri). Astan Quds Razavi. Karimian, H. (1975). Ray Bastan (first volume). National University of Iran Publications.
• Laufer, B. (1919). Sino-Iranica; Chinese contributions to the history of civilization in ancient Iran. Publication Field Museum of Natural History.
• Lestrange, (1994).the lands of the Eastern Caliphate (trans. by M. Arfan). Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company. Mahmoud Abadi, A. (2004). Silk Road in the Civilization Structure of the Three States of Iran, China and Ancient Rome during the Ashkanian Period. Farhang Isfahan, 27 and 28.
• Mazaheri, A.A. (1993/1994). Silk Road (trans. by M. Nasser Nuban).
• Muqadasi, Mohammad bin A. (1982). Ahsan al-Taqassim fi Ma'raf al-Aghalim (trans. by N. Manzovi). (first edition). Authors and Translators Company of Iran.
• Nareshkhi, Abu Bakr Mohammad Bin J. (1984). Tarikh Bukhara (trans. by A. Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Nasr Al-Qabawi). (2nd edition). corrected by Seyed Mohammad Taghi Madras Razavi. Toss. Qazvini, Zariyaban Mohammad bin Mahmoud, Athar al-Blad and Akhbar al-Abad (1994). A Passage in the Historical Geography of Central Asia. (first edition). Amirkabir Publications.
• Sharp, R. N. (1967). Edicts of Achaemenid Emperors. Shiraz. Hadud, Al-Alam. (1983). The boundaries of the world from the East to the Maghreb, by the efforts of Manouchehr Sotodeh. Tahouri Library.
• Yaqoubi, Ibn V. (1975). El Beldan (trans. by M. Brahim Aiti). (third edition). Book Translation and Publishing Company.