Sasanian economy

The Iranian society in the Sasanian era was an Agrarian society, and because of this, the Sasanian economy relied heavily on farming and agriculture. People grew crops and raised animals to feed their communities and support their way of life.

One of the main things the Sasanians sold to other places was silk, along with woolen and golden textiles, carpets, rugs, hides, leather, and pearls from the Persian Gulf. They also collected taxes on goods that traveled through their land, like paper and silk from China and spices from India, and then sold these items to Europe.

Because of where Iran was located, the Sasanians could control important sea routes. This made them very important in international trade during the later years of ancient times. Their ability to manage these trade paths helped them become a key player in the world economy of that era.

Local trade

In the early Sasanian period, the empire focused on building ports along the coast of the Persian Gulf. One important port was called "Bōxt-Artaxšīr," which is now known as Bushehr. This port helped connect Kazerun to the center of Persis, now Shiraz. There were many other ports on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf, such as Sirāf and Hormuz. According to the writer Ammianus Marcellinus, many cities and villages lined the coast, and many ships traveled there.

International trade

The Sasanians were very active in international trade, especially with faraway lands like Rome, Sri Lanka, and China. They controlled important sea routes, including the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, which helped them manage trade with many regions.

Silk was a very valuable product that the Romans wanted, but because the Sasanians controlled the seas, the Romans had to find other ways to get it. They tried to work with Ethiopians to buy silk from India and sell it to Romans, but this plan failed because Sasanian merchants were already buying all the silk at the ports. Eventually, the Romans solved their silk problem by bringing silkworms to their own lands.

Sasanian merchants were also very active in trade with Sri Lanka and India, often buying entire shipments of goods to control the market. They traded with China through both the Silk Road and sea routes, and many Sasanian coins have been found along the coasts of China.

Bazaars

In the cities, merchants were the main people doing business, and they worked in special markets called bazaars. Each type of worker, like blacksmiths or barbers, had their own area in the bazaar. There were leaders for each group of workers and someone in charge of watching over the whole bazaar.

Merchants

There were Sasanian merchants who traveled as far as China. However, the Zoroastrian view of merchants was not very positive. The Mēnōg of Khrad (Spirit of Wisdom), an important Zoroastrian book, speaks about merchants in a negative way.

The book says that workers should do jobs they know well, do their work carefully, and receive fair pay.

Iranian colonies in South and East Asia

The Sasanians set up trading communities and ports in many places far from their home. One such community was in Malaysia, made up of merchants. Because Persian horses were sent to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), a Sasanian settlement grew there too. The Sasanians also built new ports in places like Muscat and Sohar to help their trade.

We also know about Sasanian settlements in other distant lands. For example, there were communities at Kilwa on the east coast of Africa. In China, evidence of Sasanian presence was found in the Chang’an region, where Zoroastrian fire-temples existed.