The Muslims of the town told the Shah that they were financially dependent on the Jews, as they had lent them important sums and employed numerous Muslims. They also were involved in the lucrative trade of silk and textile production. Yazd was renowned for its wine production, which was exported to Lar, where the consumers were Jewish, and to Hormuz, where the consumers were from diverse backgrounds. The sale of wine generated a good revenue for both the Jews and Zoroastrians of the area, as they monopolized its production.
Another commerce in which the Iranian Jewry was successful was the trade of precious gems. The chronicle of Babai b. Lutf cites many Jewish jewellers, some of whom frequented the court. One of them was Khan Khalil who had travelled to Isfahan to sell a large ruby to Muhammad Beg, but refused to negotiate on a Saturday. According to Tavernier, Isfahan had a small Jewish community, which superficially looked wretched, but had affluent members. The trade of the most precious jewels were in their hands. If one needed to sell such jewels, one had to contact them. A notable Jewish jeweller was Sa'id, a leader of the Jews of Isfahan. When Muhammad Beg decided to have the Jews of Isfahan converted, he promised to give two tumans to each new convert, but we are told that Sa'id received a caravanserai for his apostasy, as his wealth and status required a greater compensation.
Tavernier also says that while the foreign trade was in the hands of the Armenians, the trade in the country was shared between the Jews and the Muslims. It is noteworthy, however, that they competed with the Armenians in providing caravan services to European traders who needed to transport their merchandise from Iran to the Mediterranean coast. Chardin adds that the Jews acted as moneylenders and bankers, but had lost much of their business to the Indian Baniyans.
As with Zoroastrians, the situation of the Jews varied from one region to another. In some provinces they were well off and well treated, in others they were not wealthy and subject to the caprice of the clergy and whims of the governors. In Kashan, our Jewish eyewitness (Babai b. Lutf), says that there were rich and poor among the Jews of the town. During the conversion episode of 1656, he says that the poorer Jews were given clothes, the wealthier ones were given slaves and money. His grandson refers to eleven eminent figures in Kashan who were notorious for their wealth. They were invited to a banquet by Tahmasp Quli Khan (Nadir Shah). Poor people, whether Jew or Muslim, were never invited by the potentates of the country. We also are told that during the time of Nadir Shah, important sums were collected from the Jews of Lar, Shiraz, Isfahan and Kashan. Finally, the Jewish élite of Iran was involved in the trade of precious gems and silk. The latter was the most lucrative commerce in the country. Thus, not all the Jews were poor weavers and destitute farmers as it has been sometimes argued.622 On this matter, John Fryer has provided us with another interesting point. During his visit to Isfahan in 1677 he noted that all the druggists of Isfahan were Jews. They may have monopolized this profession in some other towns. Thus it is clear that the Iranian Jewry were involved in a variety of businesses and their dynamism certainly benefited the rest of the Iranians, who relied on their endeavours and skills.
Early Persian Jews and Oversea Trade
