Volume 5, Issue 1 (6-2025)
Archaelogy 2025, 5(1): 121-150 |
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Sarlak S, Aghili Niaki S, Norouzi A, Afshari S. Chakha Site: The Revival and Economic, Social, and Commercial Flourishing of Old Hormuz during the Safavid Period. Archaelogy 2025; 5 (1) : 6
URL: http://archj.richt.ir/article-10-1661-en.html
URL: http://archj.richt.ir/article-10-1661-en.html
1- Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR) , siamaksarlak88@gmail.com
2- Independent Researcher
3- General Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Hormozgan Province
4- Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR)
2- Independent Researcher
3- General Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Hormozgan Province
4- Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR)
Abstract: (15 Views)
The geographical sphere of the Persian Gulf has played a fundamental role throughout the social history of communities settled on the Iranian Plateau, serving as a major corridor for cultural interaction and commercial exchange at both regional and transregional scales. Archaeological evidence obtained from surveys and excavations along the northern and southern coasts, islands, and hinterlands of the Persian Gulf indicates that—despite fluctuations caused by political, social, and climatic transformations—this region experienced at least four major periods of economic/commercial and socio-cultural florescence. The first period coincides with the expansion of Paleolithic societies and the migration of human groups from East Africa toward Southeast and East Asia through the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Minab Plain. Lithic assemblages recovered from the vicinity of Hasan Langi village and from the river terrace of Darreh ye Abdollah in Minab, attributed to the Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean technological tradition and chopper/pebble tool industries comparable to the Oldowan), support this interpretation. The second period corresponds to the Early Bronze Age on the Iranian Plateau. Archaeological evidence indicates the emergence and expansion of settlements in the Minab Plain and highlights the role of this region in facilitating cultural and commercial interactions, particularly among the cultural spheres of southeastern, southern, and southwestern Iran. These interactions contributed to the transmission and development of cultural traits shared with contemporary centers along the southern and southwestern coasts of the Persian Gulf. The third period corresponds to the Parthian and Sasanian eras. Archaeological data from the Minab Plain suggest that during these periods, through the adoption of various strategies—particularly political military and economic commercial policies focused on a maritime oriented economy—the region achieved significant growth. The implementation of military power to ensure political stability and security, along with the supervision and control of trade routes, facilitated the expansion of international maritime commerce and contributed to the prosperity of the Persian Gulf region. The fourth period corresponds to the second half of the Safavid era. Historical sources and archaeological evidence reveal a marked increase in settlements and urban and rural centers, as well as the flourishing of trade and the establishment of connections between the East (China and India) and the West (Mediterranean coasts). Commercial administration during this period was largely managed by the principal centers of the Minab Plain (Old Hormuz) and the island of Hormuz (New Hormuz). This paper examines the central role of Old Hormuz in the economic prosperity and maritime trade of the Persian Gulf, particularly during the middle centuries of the Islamic period. It further explores the continuity of occupation and the renewed flourishing of Old Hormuz—especially the Chakhā site—as part of the urban fabric and economic-commercial system of Old Hormuz during the Safavid period.
Article number: 6
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Islamic era
Received: 2025/03/13 | Accepted: 2025/06/9 | Published: 2025/06/20
Received: 2025/03/13 | Accepted: 2025/06/9 | Published: 2025/06/20
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