The Role of Iranian Merchants in the Reconstruction of the Sacred Shrines (Atabat-e Aliyat) from the Safavid Era to the End of the Qajar Period. (Based on the Reports of European Travel Writers)

This research examines the paramount role of Iranian merchants in the reconstruction and renovation of the holy Shiite sites (Atabat) from the Safavid period until the end of the Qajar era. Relying on first-hand accounts by European travelers, the study analyzes the economic mechanisms, religious motivations, and particularly the political-cultural consequences of these contributions. The primary objective is to investigate how merchants transformed from "individual patrons" into "influential social institutions" and how this process is reflected in European documents. The central question explores how merchants utilized their economic capacity to support the holy sites and which dimensions of Shiite identity were highlighted in the accounts of European observers. The hypothesis posits that these activities constituted a complex strategy to consolidate Iran's cultural influence within the Shiite world and to counter the Ottoman Empire. Findings indicate that commercial endowments, investments in infrastructure—such as the construction of caravanserais—and the management of charitable foundations by Tabrizi merchants played a pivotal role in preserving Shiite identity. This significant role is reflected in the reports of travelers like Chardin and Rawlinson as a "revival of Shiite identity."