Moqarrariyeh

{{under construction}}
[[Image:The position of the city of Hormuz set on the strait at the bottom of the Persian Gulf-1572.jpg|thumb|Drawing of [[Hormuz, Iran|Hormuz]] by [[Georg Braun]], dated 1572]]
'''''Moqarrariyeh''''' was an annual fixed sum given by the [[Kingdom of Hormuz]] to the rulers of the [[Iranian plateau]] since at least the 13th century to safeguard the movement of trade caravans to and from the [[Hormuz Island]].{{sfn|Floor|2006|p=72}} From 1320 until the 17th and early 18th century, the island was the primary naval entry point to the [[Persian Gulf]].{{sfn|Floor|2006|p=7}}

According to the [[Iranian studies|Iranologist]] [[Willem Floor]]; "The payment of this fee, which had no relation to the volume or value of actual trade, may be seen as an acknowledgement of the suzerainty of the [[Safavid Iran|Safavid]] [[shah]]s over the kingdom of Hormuz. However, during the entire period that the kingdom of Hormuz paid the fee to whoever was in power on the mainland it remained totally free and independent in its commercial and political activities and policies."{{sfn|Floor|2006|p=72}}

The ''Moqarrariyeh'' was an ordinary trade transaction intended to secure the passage of caravans. The prosperity of the kingdoms of Hormuz and [[Lar, Iran|Lar]] depended on this security and would have been endangered without it. The economic aspect of the ''moqarrariyeh'' was also acknowledged by the British traveler [[Anthony Jenkinson]]; "the Portingals fetche their fresh water there (the Iranian mainland], for the which they pay tribute to the Shaugh, or King of Persia." Although the Portuguese statesman [[Afonso de Albuquerque]] refused to pay ''moqarrariyeh'' in 1515 because he saw it as an admission of subordination, the Portuguese also recognized its economic importance.{{sfn|Floor|2006|p=72}}

In some situations, Hormuzi bureaucrats seemingly treated the word as a reference to tribute. A tribute paid to the Portuguese monarch was labeled as ''moqarrariyeh'' by the [[vizier]] of Hormuz, Rashed ibn Ahmad. In 1539, after having visited Hormuz and Safavid Iran, the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] diplomat Michele Membré wrote that "the King of Hormuz who every year pays 300 tumans to the Sophy and 4,000 ducats to the King of Portugal."{{sfn|Floor|2006|p=72}}

The vizier of Hormuz, Rokn al-Din opposed the new ''moqarrariyeh'' rates set by Martim Afonso de Melo in 1545 as he anticipated the modifications would provoke a commotion.{{sfn|Floor|2006|p=72}} The ''moqarrariyeh'' payment to Safavid Iran ceased in 1515 and remained unpaid until 1521, when it was resumed by Turan Shah IV to gain Safavid support following his failed uprising. By at least 1568, the ''moqarrariyeh'' revenues from [[Rayshahr]] had been absorbed into the shah's accounts.{sfn|Floor|2006|p=73}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"
|+ Recipients of ''moqarrariyeh'' and the amounts paid in {{circa|1568}} according to a Portuguese document.{{sfn|Floor|2006|p=73}}
! Recipient
! Azares (hazar; Iranian coin)
! [[Portuguese Indian rupia|Xerafins]]
|-
| [[Safavid Iran|Safavid]] [[shah]] || 66-76 || 3,107-1-48
|-
| Governor of [[Lar, Iran|Lar]] || 52-92 || 2,474-3-02
|-
| Governor of [[Shiraz]] || 19-96 || 931-3-33
|-
| Miraquebiar, lord of Mazouza [?] || 2-08 || 97-0-06
|-
| Amir de Samacadim; Aariamira de Zarao [?] || 7-26 || 338-2-51
|-
| Governor of [[Rayshahr]] || 19-32 || 899-3-27
|-
| Chief of [[Makran]] || 6-95 || 326-2-48
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book |last=Floor |first=Willem|author-link=Willem Floor|date=2006 |title=A political and economic history of five port cities, 1500-1730 |url=https://archive.org/details/politicaleconomi0000floo/mode/1up |publisher=Mage Publishers |isbn=978-1933823126}}

[[Category:Hormuz Island]]