Major Nishapur Industries throughout the 3rd to 6th Centuries AH Based on Archaeological Data and Written sources

Abstract

In harmony with Nishapur's agriculture and trade throughout the 3rd to 6th centuries AH, its industries enjoyed considerable prosperity. For knowing the number, quality, and development of these industries, we can benefit from the two categories of works: literary sources and archaeological discoveries of historical sites of Nishapur. The information obtained from each of these two categories, individually, will only clarify the limited angles of the city's industries, and a separate piece of them will render the research about this issue fruitless and incomplete. But, with integrating the data obtained from both, a significant part of the information gap of each one is eliminated. After the introduction of Nishapur’s important industries in this period, this paper attempts, with using descriptive-analytical methods and combining both information, to study boom and recession of them in Nishapur. Results indicated that knitting, pottery, metalworking and glassblowing were, respectively, the most important industries of Nishapur in this period. The third to sixth centuries, especially the second half of the sixth century, respectively, were the peak of the industrial boom and the relative decline of the city.

Keywords

• Nishapur
• Weaving
• Pottery
• Metalworking
• Glassblowing